An emotional group of more than 650 packed the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel last night to attend the 30th Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon Kickoff Dinner.

Struggling to hold back tears, Jayme Rubright, overall Dance Marathon chairwoman, thanked the donors, student organizations and overall chairs who helped make the nation's largest student philanthropy event possible.

Following a standing applause for Rubright, Justin Kurpeikis, team member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and former Penn State football player, stepped up to the podium to emphasize the virtues of the families afflicted by pediatric cancer.

Addressing this year's 660 dancers, both present and absent, Kurpeikis said, "Remember, when you feel like you can't go on, you won't have to look too far to see a child who is truly courageous, truly strong, with the toughness and willpower to persevere."

Kurpeikis hoped to one day see the entire country united against cancer.

Some of the families applauded by Kurpeikis were present at the Kickoff Dinner to show their thanks for Thon's contributions.

"Thankful doesn't seem like a strong enough word," Rich Cline said. "It's like a lifeline."

When Cline's son, Craig, was diagnosed in 1991 with an extremely rare tumor occurring in soft cell and nerve cell tissue, his life changed.

"When he was first diagnosed, our whole world collapsed," Cline said. "Every aspect of your life is ripped apart."

Attending Thon is what Cline calls his "break from reality." "In that weekend, there's nothing more important than those kids," he said. "It says a lot for the spirit of young people."

As a student, Neal Rohrbaugh, Class of 1982, had heard of Thon but knew little about the event.

"I came back to learn about it firsthand," he said.

He thanked Penn State, the Four Diamonds Fund and the Hershey Medical Center for their support of his four-year-old daughter, Megan, after her diagnosis with a kidney tumor in 1994.

"She's hoping to attend Penn State," he laughed.

Megan's mother, Kathi Rohrbaugh, said that after Megan's diagnosis, the family was brought closer together.

Kate Watson, overall receptions chairwoman, addressed those present and Thon's many participants as her family.

"I am truly honored to call you family," she said.

During the dinner, former dancers chatted about their memories of previous years.

Jake Kuhns of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, 417 E. Prospect Ave., was the last man to leave Rec Hall last year due to trouble walking.

After 48 hours of nonstop dancing, excessive blood vessel breakage in his foot and leg kept him in pain for two days until he decided to see a doctor. After receiving a shot of the same medicine used on women receiving caesarian sections, his condition improved, he said.

"If I had the chance, I'd do it again," he said.