Hi everyone!
Let me start off by introducing myself! My name is Marlee Kattler and I am a senior Public Relations student. Last year I decided to join a Communications Committee for THON 2010. I fell in love with the cause and I instantly knew that I wanted to do more. Now I am the Campus Outreach Faculty Communications Captain for THON 2011.
Looking back on my four years here at Penn State, it all seems a blur. What sticks out in my mind as my best memories are my THON memories.
Every week something new is happening or in the works involving THON. There is always something new to learn, and I continue to learn every week.
Since this is my very first blog, I figured I should give you all a little look into what your students are doing outside of the classroom when they are involved in THON. So much has happened thus far, so stick with me as I try to catch you up!
As a Captain we have our weekly meetings every Monday night. It is here that our Overall Chairperson runs our meeting and keeps us up-to-date and informed about everything happening with THON. This can include things like fundraising events, blood drives, and merchandise sales.
This year I get the privilege to have a Committee of 30 members who my Co-Captain and I interviewed at the beginning of the semester. We have our meetings on Wednesday nights where we go over important dates to remember and brainstorm ideas to increase Faculty and Staff involvement as that is our specific role within THON.
November 16th marked the fourth annual Faculty and Staff Luncheon held at the Hintz Alumni Center. This was my Committee’s big event! I began working on planning this event at the beginning of the semester with my Overall, Elaine. I worked with the Public Relations Graphic Design Captain in order to design an invitation for the event, which came out awesome, she is so creative! Once we had a general idea of how many invitations we were going to need we got them ordered and printed at ProCopy. Then the distribution began and RSVPs started rolling in.
The luncheon was held at the Hintz Alumni Center from 12-2. All Faculty and Staff were encouraged to come and go at their convenience. Once everyone was settled with their food, the presentation began. The presentation included facts and figures about THON and what it is all about. I was pretty nervous about speaking, but once I got going I felt at ease! We were fortunate enough to have two Faculty members who are also Four Diamond parents speak about their personal encounters, which was extremely moving. Two THON Captains who are Four Diamond Families also spoke at the event which gave a very powerful perspective to everyone in attendance.The turn-out at the event was great, and I felt it ran very smoothly! You can all look forward to another luncheon next year that will be hosted by my successor.
This week my Committee and I will be making THONvelopes before our meeting on Wednesday. It’s always more fun to do it with friends!! For those of you who don’t already know, THONvelopes are another way that we fundraise FTK (For The Kids). They are letters that we send out to our families and friends that explain what THON is and encourage them to donate. The THONvelopes include an addressed return envelope, making it simple for them to mail their donations back.
This weekend is the second Canning trip and my Committee is going to Pittsburgh. There are four designated Canning weekends throughout the year where student volunteers stand outside of store fronts requesting donations from passerbys. No matter the weather conditions, you can be sure to see Penn State students bundled up with their signs and cans!
Stay tuned for a recap of how the weekend went. Keep your fingers crossed for no snow and rain!
Until next time!
For The Kids,
Marlee