THON is known for its unrelenting efforts in raising funds and awareness of the fight against childhood cancer, and most of the people affiliated with the organization know of its annual methods of doing so, including canning, canvassing, THONvelopes, and numerous others. This year, however, THON added a new fundraising effort, “Lock Away Childhood Cancer,” and, unsurprisingly, the event was a roaring success.

New events can sometimes bring doubts due to departure from tradition, but from a managerial standpoint, variation in events such as these can prove to be extremely beneficial. THON Public Relations Director Lily Beatty agreed, and noted a lot of positives about the accomplishments of the “Lock Away Childhood Cancer” event.

“This event was really different than anything else that the THON Community has done in the past,” Beatty said. “Traditionally, our schedule involves promotions with various athletic teams, which is great, but this was an event that engaged students in a fundamentally different way.”

Popular names on campus, as well as a large turnout from student volunteers at almost every hour of the event, served as the foundation for the event’s success. Groups such as NOTA, the Lionettes, and the cheerleading team gave energetic performances. There was also heavy social media traffic throughout the event, which was one of the targets of the day, and it played a massive role in its success. The social media presence carried over and increased exponentially thanks to “Lock Away” — THON’s web traffic is now the highest it’s ever been.

“Lock Away” got so much attention that Sue Paterno and Mike the Mailman decided to drop by and pay the volunteers a memorable visit. Sue Paterno was having so much fun, in fact, that she led a high-spirited conga line through Alumni Hall.

You’re missing out if you’re not in Alumni Hall! Sue Paterno is currently leading the room in a conga line! #FTK pic.twitter.com/d5uQ3zhA2j

— PSU Dance Marathon (@THON) October 25, 2015

The first year is always pivotal for a new event, and Beatty was confident that a similar events would stem from “Lock Away’s” success, and that THON will also strive to continue to come up with new volunteer events to raise both awareness and money for the fight against pediatric cancer.

“We were really excited about the event mainly because of the fun and festive atmosphere that we were able to create, all while spreading awareness for THON,” Beatty said. “We are thankful that other student leaders are helping create a positive ‘buzz’ around the event.”