When James Gray received his first autographed baseball as a child years ago, the vision of helping others by raising thousands of dollars for Thon seemed way off in left field.

But now Gray, founder and owner of www.CharitySignings.com, auctions autographed memorabilia and donates all the proceeds to the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. At noon today he started an auction for two gray Thon T-shirts.

One shirt is autographed by Penn State linebackers Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor and Sean Lee. It has "Thon" written on the front and "Go State Beat Cancer" on the back.

The other shirt is signed by former players Jack Ham, John Cappelletti, Brad Scioli, Adam Taliaferro and Ted Kwalick. "Penn State Alumni: More than just football fans" is written on the front of this shirt; it also has the "Beat Cancer" slogan on the back.

Gray, a 2005 Penn State graduate, said he combined his passion for collecting autographs with his goal to help others by teaming up with Thon.

When Gray was a student at Penn State, he said he "never really had a chance to get involved" with Thon. However, he said he had friends who danced, so he was "close with it through them."

After graduation, Gray realized that with his focus on Penn State players' autographs, Thon was the obvious choice for an organization to team up with.

"It's a way for me to give back to Thon a little bit," he said.

Gray gets encouragement and help from friend Nick Hovan, whom he met as a freshman at Penn State.

Hovan, who suffers from cerebral palsy, has an unbeatable enthusiasm for Thon, Gray said.

"I've never met someone so dedicated to Thon in my entire life," Gray said.

Hovan was a moraler in '03 and '04. Now, after his 2004 graduation, Hovan lends Gray a helping hand with the auctions.

"[I help] Jimmy with anything he needs to get ready for the auction," Hovan said.

In addition to the T-shirt auctions, various other autographs also went on sale at noon today. This memorabilia includes autographs of former Penn State football players -- such as Larry Johnson and Chuck Fusina -- and celebrities like John Travolta, Carmen Electra and Mario Lemieux. All of these proceeds will be donated to Thon as well.

All of these auctions will close at noon on Feb. 18. Bidding will take place on eBay -- a link is provided on www.CharitySignings
.com.

Last year Charity Signings auctioned the original Paternoville banner, raising $2,555 to donate to Thon.

Gray has made no profit for himself from the business, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"It's a hobby for me," he said. "It's a way to help."