Those looking to donate to the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon this year have a new outlet besides the organization's traditional coffee can collections -- the purchase of online goods.
ThonStore.com, a recently launched Web site created by a Penn State graduate student, allows consumers to contribute a portion of their purchases on Amazon.com to Thon.
The site was created by Marc Maxwell, a Penn State World Campus graduate student, who hopes to eventually raise $1 million in donations for Thon. The site is not affiliated with the organization itself.
After spending the past six years working with American soldiers as a guidance counselor for the U.S. Army in Germany, he noticed that many of the soldiers' purchases were made through Amazon.com.
"When paying the same prices for these items, why not have a donation sent alongside your purchase?" he said.
The selection on the main page of ThonStore.com is designed to attract interest from Penn State sports fans. Titles range from Penn State Football: The Complete Illustrated History to the children's book We Are Penn State! -- authored by Joe and Sue Paterno. Fifty percent of the proceeds from purchases made directly from ThonStore.com will be donated to Thon.
"Half of the profits from sales will go to the Thon," Maxwell said. "The other half go to paying the artists and authors of the books, as well as maintaining the site."
But the purchases for donations are not just limited to Penn State books, Maxwell said. Consumers can visit ThonStore.com and link to the online superstore Amazon.com via a "Powered by Amazon.com" logo. From there, a percentage of all purchases will be sent back to ThonStore.com -- ranging from 6 percent to 11 percent, depending on the item purchased -- and will be added to the funds to be sent to Thon.
Maxwell is the co-author of several of the books available on the Web site, including the Sports by the Numbers series.
Some Penn Staters expressed interest in the store.
"It makes sense to me," said Tyler Pierce (freshman-division of undergraduate studies), who described himself as an "enthusiastic Thon supporter."
"This is a great way for those with busy schedules to help out with Thon without having to dedicate a lot of time," he said.
Thon organizers said they will lend support to ThonStore.com but emphasized that the two are not affiliated with one another.
"We want to keep all support alive, but want to remind people that Thon has its own online store as well," said Thon Overall Chairwoman Caitlin Zankowski.
Maxwell said he hopes potential Thon donors will remember to utilize his Web site.
"It is as simple as just an extra click," he said, "and the next purchase made by someone can go to benefit Thon."
