The fundraising window for the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon officially opens today.
Greg Tallman, overall communications chairman, is wishing everyone a "successful and safe fundraising season."
Tallman said there is no specific event today, but it is the kickoff for Thon and that is something to celebrate.
Thon donates money to the Four Diamonds Fund, which helps children with cancer and their families who seek treatment at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
"Part of our mission is to provide outstanding emotional and financial support to the families in the Four Diamonds Fund," Tallman said. "Making sure each family is covered despite the rising medical costs is key."
Letter writing using Thonvelopes, canning and alternative fundraising are some of the main ways to fundraise for Thon, Tallman said.
Students can write letters to family, friends and neighbors, asking to donate to Thon.
They can also ask companies to match an employee's donations or travel to a town to collect money by canning.
Alternative fundraising is when organizations host an event, which must be approved, and donate the funds to Thon, Tallman said
"There has been many interesting alternative fundraisers we've seen," Tallman said. "People have had pizza eating contests, talent shows and date auctions. There have been more wacky ideas, but they weren't approved."
There are only four allotted canning weekends to ensure that each canning weekend can be as successful as possible.
Canning trips need to be registered and participants must obtain permits for the trips from municipalities.
Any students not in an organization can participate in separate events that support Thon through other fundraising events such as the Thon 5k, which will be held Oct. 26.
However, students who are interested in Thon are encouraged to join an organization to help raise money or create their own organization dedicated to Thon.
Several on-campus organizations, such as Atlas and Springfield, exist only to fundraise for Thon, Mike Hacke, Thon overall chairman said, adding fundraising is an extremely important part of Thon.
"There's a science behind fundraising," Hacke said. "You have to ask at the right time and right time of year in hopes of retaining donors."
