CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Penn State Lehigh Valley will give more than two cents when Penny Wars officially kicks off Oct. 12-16 in Centre Hall at the Lehigh Valley campus. This fundraiser pits executive board members of Penn State Lehigh Valley benefiting THON against each other as coin donations determine a “winner” and a “loser.”

Throughout the week, students can deposit coins in cans that each represent a board member. The pennies count for positive points and any other coin for negative points corresponding to the coin’s value. The loser is then required to complete a light-hearted, often humorous task. Penny Wars is the third event this year that has supported Penn State Lehigh Valley benefiting THON fundraising.

On Sept. 26-28, Penn State Lehigh Valley students had their first canning weekend to raise money for the 2016 event. Canning is an annual tradition that solicits donations from area residents, which benefits The Four Diamonds Fund and families at the Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania. From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., students canned at the intersection of Lehigh and Oxford Streets in Allentown, as well as outside the Dunkin' Donuts on Hamilton Boulevard and Wyandotte in Bethlehem, and raised $5,929.

On Oct. 1, a kick-off campus event that included a dodgeball competition which raised $564 and “Pie Your Peers” fundraising event was held at the sports court at Penn State Lehigh Valley. To date, $6,493 has been raised.

The Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) 2016 will take place Feb. 19 to 21 at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus. More than 700 students from Penn State campuses and organizations will dance continuously for 46 hours to raise money for pediatric cancer research and treatments. For more information about THON, visit www.thon.org.