This past weekend will definitely be looked at as one of the greatest weekends of my tenure here as a student.

Not because of drinking, not because of sleeping until 2 p.m. and not because of eating a few delicious slices of Canyon Pizza at 3 a.m. It's because of raising more than $1,000 for Thon.

This wasn't my first time canning, nor will it be my last, but this canning weekend really hit me in a very positive way.

People would stop to ask us who we can with, where the money goes to and why we'd stand outside in 25-degree weather at 9:30 a.m.

Little kids would walk up to my can with big smiles on their faces thanking me for something they don't fully understand. Parents who have children with cancer would ask me how to get assistance from Thon.

I even had a friend receive free coffee from a guy in a decked-out Thon van whose child is in remission.

I was reminded once again why Thon is so very important to so many families across Pennsylvania. I was also reminded just how much people care as they would donate $10, $20 and even $50, and when some with canes would struggle to come up to us and donate a few dollars.

For those of you who went canning this weekend or have gone canning in the past, keep on going. Because every trip you go on, you become more amazed at what some people will do for a child with cancer. And more importantly, you give hope to thousands of families who suffer everyday.