Why PSU's Thon suspended 'canning,' and will it come back?

For years, Pennsylvania State University students have stood at intersections and storefronts from Boston to Washington holding cans and soliciting donations for Thon, the world's largest student-run philanthropy, a benefit for childhood cancer victims and research.

And many of the group's 15,000 student volunteers would have been "canning" again this weekend if not for a car accident in late September that killed one student as she and six others were returning from a canning weekend in Chester County.

It was the second such accident. Another student died on a canning trip in December 2011.

"Two student deaths in the context of canning through the span of four years was reason enough for Thon to pause long enough to think about the risks associated with the activity and what might be done to further minimize those risks," said Damon Sims, Penn State's vice president of student affairs.

The 2011 accident that killed Courtney O'Bryan of Huntington, N.Y., occurred when the car hit a patch of black ice and flipped over.

Thon responded, Sims said, by increasing safety procedures, including mandatory training for all volunteers. Canning was scaled back to three weekends - all before Thanksgiving break - to minimize the risk of traveling in bad weather.

The accident on Sept. 27 was not weather-related, Sims said.

State police said seven students were traveling in a GMC Envoy on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Chester County when the driver lost control on a curve and the vehicle overturned. Passenger Vitalya Sepot, 19, a sophomore from Branford, Conn., was ejected and killed, police said. She was part of a group of students from the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity who had been canning.

In the aftermath of the accident, Sims said, student leaders of Thon decided in consultation with senior university leaders to cancel an October collection and this weekend's soliciting, to give them time to review additional safety measures.

Whether and under what circumstances the fund-raising practice will return is uncertain.

"I think there's general awareness that canning is a fairly archaic means of raising funds, and that other means may be more effective," Sims said. "But the community-building and spirit that come from canning activities also are important to students, and Thon wants to preserve that spirit within the student community if it can."

While Thon raises money all year in myriad ways - culminating in its main event, a dance marathon on main campus in February - the loss of two canning weekends will impact the fund-raising total, student leaders acknowledge.

Thon has raised more than $127 million for families of children with cancer and for pediatric cancer research since 1977. Last year, it brought in more than $13 million. While students pride themselves on exceeding the previous year's fund total, Thon leaders said that's not the most important goal.

"Thon's impact goes far beyond that fund-raising total," said Lily Beatty, 21, a senior supply-chain-management major from Rockford, Ill., and public relations director for Thon. "A lot of the success is in the emotional support we can provide families that are going through probably the worst year of their life."

Thon is focused on other fund-raising, such as letter-writing, door-to-door solicitation, bake sales, and benefit dinners. Beatty said students have come up with new ways, too. Someone started a cleaning service that could be a boon.

"That's something that college students really, really want," she said.

Beatty said Thon would like to revive canning because it raises awareness of the charity and helps volunteers bond. Almost all volunteers go canning at least once while at Penn State, she said, going to students' hometowns over a weekend to solicit.

"It's a huge part of our culture," said Beatty, who joined Thon as a freshman.

Both Beatty and Sims said the accidents weren't the only reason for pausing. This year, Thon had received increased reports of "forced fund-raising," they said. Thon does not condone coercion, whether it's a student organization requiring students to can or social pressure, Beatty said.

Molly Twohig, 21, a senior marketing major from West Chester, said Thon was exploring ways to deal with that complaint and to improve safety. She said the group may offer alternative transportation for canning weekends, such as a charter bus. Thon also wants to better track student volunteers and their locations, she said, and emphasize safety procedures.

"We are trying to collect information on who is getting in what car, how many people are in the car, and where that driver is going," Twohig said.

After the September accident, Thon received dozens of emails from parents, students, and alumni, Twohig said.

Thon leaders said they recognize accidents happen despite precautions.

"It's impossible to eliminate all risk in life," Beatty said, "but it is possible to try to mitigate risk, and that's what our goal is."

ssnyder@phillynews.com

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