Thon 2018: York County student 'blessed' and voiceless after whirlwind fundraiser

Sometime on Sunday – she’s not sure when exactly – Spring Grove's Haley Staub heard a voice come over her radio. It was Penn State Thon’s dance relations director telling the executive committee that there were only four line dances left to participate in the 2018 event.

Staub, a senior at Penn State, took stock of the moment, realizing just how quickly Thon weekend had gone.

“I did the line dance, and it brought tears to my eyes, seeing a packed Bryce Jordan Center with 15,000 people in the crowd,” Staub said. “This is such a blessing to be back here and surrounded by the dancers.”

Hours later, Staub, the event’s director of public relations, had lost her voice but still managed to express her excitement over the event that raised more than $10 million for the Four Diamonds at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.

More on Thon:

• Meet the York County student at the center of this huge fundraising event
• What does $10 million in donations get Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital?
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Thon’s executive board revealed the final total by raising individual numbers in the air, but that final number - $10,151,663.93 – was unknown to the committee until they were on stage raising the numbers and looking at the complete picture on a video board.

“It was truly incredible, and I couldn’t be more blessed in that moment,” Staub said. “I kept thinking of the families… the smiles and the hope that we can create with that.”

Staub has been participating in Thon events since she was in seventh grade, dancing at Spring Grove’s mini-Thon. She’s participated in eight since then and made sure that at this one – her last Thon as a student – she would take the time to breathe and soak it all up.

“You can get so tied up in your responsibilities,” Staub said. “I tried to keep the perspective that this would be the last time I would be a part of it and just take a moment to take it all in.”

Thon, the 46-hour dance marathon held at Penn State, started at 6 p.m. Friday, but Staub and other committee members have an even longer journey. Staub hasn’t gone back to her home since arriving at the Bryce Jordan Center at 4:30 a.m. on Friday and didn’t expect to be back until at least 10 p.m. Sunday night.

When she does get back, Staub’s mother Beth Staub and her friend’s mother Benae Hoffnagle – both of whom work for the Spring Grove Area School District – are sticking around to make a surprise homemade dinner.

While Thon may be over, her responsibilities as a student aren’t – Staub had a fly-fishing class at 9 a.m. Monday. Whether Staub, plagued by a lack of sleep and loss of voice, actually got to class was a “gametime decision,” she said on Sunday.

“I think the professor will be understanding,” Staub said with a laugh.

Anthony J. Machcinski is the food reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Facebook, @ChinskiTweets on Twitter or email him at amachcinski@ydr.com

Photos in the gallery, unless otherwise noted, were taken by photojournalism students in the Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. Take a look at their photos from the event.