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Penn State Non-Profit Re-Evaluates The Way It Raises Funds After Fatal Accident

By Justin Udo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A tragic accident causes a popular non-profit organization at Penn State to cancel a popular fundraising effort.

Thon is a weekend long dance marathon in February at Penn State where students raise money for kids with cancer.

Each year they hold different fundraisers to earn that money. One of those ways in canning, that's where students stand in traffic and ask for people to donate by putting money in a can they hold.

"We had an accident where we lost a volunteer on our first fundraising outreach canning weekend of the year and after that accident as well as considering some of the other volunteers safety because of other accidents that came up in the past, we decided to cancel our outreach and canning weekends."

Lily Beatty with THON says they are try are currently training and looking at what they can do to make canning safer.

"We are committed to try and bring back canning in a safe and sustainable way next year."

Beatty adds that they have other fundraisers they are initiating.

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