The 2010 NY Hope Gala sponsored by the Dance Marathon Alumni Interest Group and the NYC and NJ Chapters of the Penn State Alumni Association was held on Friday, January 22 at Capitale. The evening was hosted by NFL stat LaVar Arrington and raised funds for the Penn State Dance Marathon (Thon™) and the Four Diamonds Fund. The formation of the fund was inspired by Chris Millard’s remarkable story of a knight’s hope and quest for the four diamonds: courage, wisdom, honesty, and strength and the realization that, it is those same four traits, that are necessary in the battle against cancer. With its mission to conquer childhood cancer, the Four Diamonds fund assists the children treated at Penn State Children’s Hospital and their families by providing optimum care, comprehensive support, and pioneering research. Any family with a child being treated for pediatric cancer at the hospital is automatically eligible for support with includes the cost of treatment that insurance does not cover, as well as, vital household expenses such as car repairs, rent, and/or household utilities. The Fund also supports the medical team that supports the children and funds pediatric cancer research through start-up grants and the Four Diamonds Pediatric Cancer Research Initiative. The work of this organization is extraordinary and an excellent model for eradicating disease while providing total support to patients and their families.
Over the past 35 years, the students at Penn State have raised over $50 million for the Four Diamonds Fund, through their year-round fundraising event, THON. This year will feature a no-sitting, no-sleeping, 46-hour dance marathon. The event involves the collective effort of over 15,000 students and 700 dancers and has become one of Penn State’s most unifying efforts.
For more information on how you can contribute go to: http://www.pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/hom
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