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Four students from Penn State's Greater Allegheny Campus participated in the 2009 Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, or "THON," which ran from Friday through Sunday.

According to Linda Curinga, spokeswoman for the McKeesport campus, another 40 local students attended the event at the Bryce Jordan Center at the University Park campus to cheer and boost the morale of the participants.

The 46-hour "no sitting, no sleeping" event is an annual fundraiser for The Four Diamonds Fund, which helps the families of children with cancer who are being treated at Hershey Medical Center.

The dance marathon is the largest student-run charity in the world.

Students throughout the Penn State system this year raised almost $7.5 million; the highest total raised by any of the commonwealth campuses was $71,070, contributed by the Fayette Campus in Uniontown.

More than $59 million has been raised by Penn State students since 1977, THON organizers said.

Penn State Greater Allegheny students raised money through collection cans and other fundraisers, including a volleyball tournament Jan. 24 at Wunderley Gymnasium, Curinga said.

The local THON chair is Michael Wancheck, a senior information science and technology major from Jefferson Hills, Curinga said. Wancheck was among the dancers last year.

Amber Pistella, a sophomore engineering student from Turtle Creek, is the co-chair, Curinga said.

More than 700 dancers participated in this year's event. Local dancers --- all sophomores --- were Ashley Altavilla, an education major from Greenock; Danielle Soucy, biology major and student senator from Los Angeles; Zach Schmidt, a journalism major from Pittsburgh and president of the Greater Allegheny Collegian newspaper; and Santwon Hines, a business major, resident assistant, and chief of staff to the Student Government Association from Washington, D.C.

Highlights included an unexpected visit by Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno on Sunday afternoon and a Saturday afternoon performance by "Lost Faculties," a musical group of professors and staff led by University President Graham Spanier.

For more photos, visit the Penn State website.

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In Other Business: Applications are being accepted through Friday for the Joanne E. Burley Leadership Scholarship and Alumni Leadership Scholarships at Penn State's Greater Allegheny Campus.

The Burley scholarship --- named for the retired chief executive officer of the McKeesport campus --- is designed for full- or part-time students at PSGA who have participated in campus leadership activities and maintained a 2.75 GPA or better. They must also receive recommendations from Penn State Greater Allegheny faculty and staff.

The alumni scholarship is designed for students with a 3.0 GPA or better who are planning to attend the McKeesport campus next year.

Applications can be downloaded from Penn State's website. For more information, contact Arlene Fath at (412) 675-9048 or arf4@psu.edu.