Good morning! Those Penn State students are at it again!!! This past weekend marked the second canning weekend to raise money FTK. This was my Committee’s first canning weekend that we got to do together, which turned out to be so much fun and a great success!
Last week, the Rules and Regulations Committees organized the canning materials distribution. 2619 cans were distributed just before this past Canning Weekend, bringing us to a total of 8152 for the year so far. Basically, thousands of cans had to be cleaned and distributed to canners, along with signs, that can be used while canning. I got our cans from the HUB on Friday and one of my Committee members was kind enough to come get them to put in his car which saved me the trouble of lugging 16+ cans back to my West College apartment.
This weekend we decided to do a joint canning trip with another Communications Committee, which turned out to be awesome. Everyone got to get to know each other really well, which is so important and I was glad to see this happen.
Our caravan of cars departed State College around 6 p.m. on Friday night. We went to Missy’s, one of my Committee Members, house in Pittsburgh. Her family was kind enough to open their home to 17 college students! When we arrived at Missy’s house, her mom had a wonderful spread of food awaiting us. The way to college students’ hearts is definitely through their stomachs.
We ate dinner and watched Elf, clearly a Christmas classic. We just hung out and put the labels on the cans that we were going to be using the next day. It was really great to just relax and get to know one another a little better.
Alarms went off at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. It took us all a little bit to get moving but after a delicious breakfast and some much needed coffee, we were all ready to go. The weather forcast for the day was a high of 30 degrees with a strong wind chill factor…perfect. We piled on layers of clothing to stay warm, I literally put on every article of clothing that I had brought for the weekend. One of my Committee members managed to get on 4 pairs of pants, impressive!
We split up into four groups and found locations outside of stores and the mall. We found out that there are Penn Staters everywhere! I got so many “We Are” chants from the people who donated, which was really exciting.
We took a break for lunch and to defrost our bodies, which was much needed. Once we were recharged and warmed up, we headed back out to continue canning. We stayed out for a while longer then decided to call it a day. We headed back to Missy’s house to count our money and find out how much we collectively raised FTK.
We started off by separating all the money (including the coins) by denomination. All the bills must be facing the same way which makes it much easier for Finance Committee who is in charge of all of THON’s money. We ended up raising over $1,000 FOR THE KIDS! So exciting!
Missy’s parents made us yet another delicious meal Saturday night while we relaxed and watched some football together. It’s weekends like this when I am most proud to be a Penn Stater. I loved watching my Committee bond with one another and with members of the other Committee. It really is incredible what you can accomplish when you put together a group of very different people. The theme for THON 2011 is Together Without Limits, and I must say that this couldn’t be any more fitting.
The money we raised was divided evenly up amongst the 16 people on our trip. Those who are also involved in an organization outside of our Committee, can credit their portion to their organization’s THON fundraising total. Those who do not have an organization can just give their portion as a general donation to THON.
We headed back to State College early Sunday morning due to a snow storm that had started brewing. We all made it back safely and early enough on Sunday to still have time to prepare for our last week of classes.
Monday marked the 2nd canning drop-off. Each organization has a specified time to drop off their money raised during the canning weekend. This is run by the Finance Committee and they do such a great and efficient job doing this. They keep us all organized.
I can already see a change in the dynamic of my Committee members after our weekend together. It really is great to see a group of strangers bond together over a common cause. I am already looking forward to canning weekend number 3 in January! This time we will be venturing to my home in good old Kennett Square, PA! Fun Fact: It’s the mushroom capital of the world.
I can’t believe that fall semester is almost over. That means THON 2011 will be here before we know it. Stay tuned for more blogging from me as exciting events are always happening.
This week, my Committee is brainstorming ideas for more THON Faculty involvement, any ideas you think I should pass along to them?
Until next time!
FTK,
Marlee