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Caitlin Travis, executive director of Altoona Benefiting THON, is a junior at Penn State Altoona. A nursing major, Travis, who was a dancer for THON at University Park last year, first fell in love with the world's largest student-run philanthropy at the age of 10 when she was introduced by a friend's sister. Mirror Staff Writer Andrew Mollenauer sat down with Travis to talk about how she helped lead Altoona Benefiting THON -- a student-run organization at Penn State Altoona -- to the top five board for the virtual THON 2021.
Q: Describe the duties of your position as executive director of Altoona Benefiting THON.
A: I oversee all of the actions that our organization does individually. I report everything to University Park. I have to get all of our fundraisers approved. I really delegate a lot of what we do to each individual captain or other executives. I kind of just make sure everything flows smoothly and that we stay under regulation by University Park.
Q: How long have you been involved?
A: I first got involved with THON when a neighbor ... her older sister went to Penn State Altoona, brought us to THON when I was 10. I loved it. I knew I wanted to be a part of it. As soon as I got to high school, I joined a committee, did all of that throughout high school and came here and found them at the involvement fair and said 'yeah, I'm doing this.'
Q: In a normal year, what goes into the fundraising process and your organization's preparation for the weekend event in February?
A: We would have fundraisers once or twice a week, so on campus we'd do 3 v. 3. (basketball,) dodgeball, powder puff, flag football. Off campus, we would do car washes, restaurant fundraisers. The weekend of, if it's a normal year, we go up to University Park. We figure our dancers out, who we're going to support and we show up and hope to get a good spot in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Q: What was the experience like with the event being held virtually?
A: Very different, but it was rewarding in a whole different way. We got to see Altoona get fifth place for commonwealth campuses and it's been a long time since we've been on the top-five board. That was really cool because it showed we persevered, pushed through and still fundraised really well.
Q: What were some of the challenges that came with the event being virtual?
A: Keeping spirits high and keeping people involved. We had very little to no student involvement outside of our captain group because nobody really knew what to do or where to go. We weren't even allowed to have on-campus events until this past month, but toward the weekend of THON we definitely gained momentum.
Q: What did you miss most about in-person THON?
A: I think just the atmosphere itself. It's so fulfilling, just knowing that every single person in that room believes in the same things, is supporting the same things and there's such good energy in that room that you don't find anywhere else.
Q: The Penn State community raised over $10 million this year in spite of the pandemic, less than last year's total of $11.6 million. How did the pandemic affect this year's fundraising?
A: I think that all of our donors who normally would have been able to donate more struggled financially this year, but it's clear that people still gave as much as they could. It was still a good year. We still made an amazing amount of money.
Q: One big theme many people talk about is having taken aspects of normalcy for granted before the pandemic hit last year. What aspects of a normal in-person THON do you think you took for granted?
A: Seeing the families and interacting with them because a huge part of THON is who we do it for. Everybody loves that moment where they get to meet the kids they're doing this for. I think having to do everything over Zoom, it's just not the same. Last year, we got to go to their house and eat pizza with them one night and go to Hershey. We didn't get to do that this year, and that's tough because it's hard to make those personal connections you can make sitting down, eating a meal together.
Q: I can imagine the pandemic caused a lot of stress and anxiety for your team when it came to THON this year. What kept you motivated throughout the process?
A: Remembering that even though it seems like the world is taking a pause, kids are getting diagnosed with cancer. You really have to keep in mind that these people who need our help the most right now are in the hospital alone. It just means that you should work 10 times harder for them.
Q: As you look toward 2022, what is your mindset as THON approaches?
A: Just keep it up, work hard, do everything I can, dedicate the time and energy that I can. I know that a lot of people look up to me, so really proving to others why it's important to do this and to continue.