LAUC spent the past canning weekend raising money FTK in Scranton, PA (home of Dunder Mifflin Paper Co.). Lauren Perrotti (webmaster!) and her family graciously hosted seven members Friday through Sunday. The council was able to raise $1,200 between canning in a local grocery store as well as bagging at another store across town. The people of the greater Scranton area proved to be extremely generous and supportive of our efforts to raise money to combat pediatric cancer. In addition to making great totals while canning, we ate a TON of fantastic food – one of the number one perks of going canning at a friend’s house! We managed to fit in some quality time on the Wii, also, and we discovered our companions’ hidden video game talents (or lack thereof!).

I had the opportunity to can in both of our locations. I have a completely new respect for grocery bagging technicians. Standing at the end of the cashier aisles was a great chance to talk to customers and explain to them the story behind THON, why we stand outside in the cold For The Kids, and all the good Penn State students do. Scranton is totally full of Penn State alumni, so a lot of people I talked with had a personal connection with THON. One of my donors was a three-time cancer survivor and thanked me for what THON does (easily the most satisfying part of my day – these stories are always so important). Even if I had the temptation to throw heavy groceries on top of bread and eggs when people refrained from donating, I bagged to the best of my ability to raise money For The Kids.

There is one more canning weekend left before THON 2010! While Lauren Perrotti and I cannot go because we’ll be dancing, anyone interested can get in touch with me (chrissyboggs@psu.edu) if they’d like to plan a trip for that weekend. Thanks so much for everything you’ve all done to help our fight against cancer FTK!

-Chrissy Boggs, Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council THON Chair