2 Students From Barnegat Raise Funds To Fight Childhood Cancer

BARNEGAT, NJ — Two friends from Barnegat are raising money with one goal in mind: to be able to dance for 46 hours straight.

It's part of THON, an entirely student-run event at Penn State University. Students spend a full year raising money to battle childhood cancer, and it all culminates with the 46-hour dance marathon.

And it's something special to Caroline Sullivan, 21, and Kira Smith, 20, two longtime friends from Barnegat who hope they get the opportunity to dance in the next THON.

"It's my last chance," Sullivan, a senior telecommunications major, told Patch. She and Smith have volunteered with THON the past few years and have been present during THON weekend, but neither have gotten the chance to dance.

The pair met at Barnegat High School, and it was Sullivan who convinced Smith to both attend Penn State and to do THON with her.

Organizations raise money every year to have the chance to dance in THON, and groups like fraternities and sororities are guaranteed a spot. But Sullivan and Smith, registered as an independent dancer couple, had to raise enough money to enter a lottery to get in. They find out if they'll be dancing at the end of January.

It's been a great experience for the two, they say.

"Every person involved is so passionate," said Smith, a junior graphic design and film production major. Her favorite part is getting to know the families impacted by childhood cancer. Not just the patient, but their siblings, too.

"Maybe they have to move, or their life just looks a little different," Smith said, adding that she loves being able to "bring a smile to their face." Getting to know them is "really special," she said.

"It's nice being a bright spot for them," Sullivan added. "And it's nice to know we help in that way."

THON got its start in 1977 and since has raised more than $204 million for Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children's Hospital, helping families diagnosed with childhood cancer.

"It's just crazy to see how far THON has come from its initial days to what it is now," Smith said.

The experience is an important one for Penn State students, and particularly for Sullivan and Smith.

"It really is the most rewarding thing I have ever been a part of," Sullivan said.

Sullivan and Smith are still fundraising for THON. You can donate by clicking here.