Officials say the annual Penn State IFC/Panhellanic Dance Marathon raised a record $9.56 million over the weekend to benefit pediatric cancer patients.
The Centre Daily Times said Sunday that the total eclipsed last year's record total of $7.8 million raised by the students in State College.
The 46-hour THON, as it is known to students and alumni, is billed as the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
About 700 dancers began to tango and twist on Friday to raise money for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital, which helps in the fight against childhood cancer through "superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research," according to THON's Web site.
Organizers said before the contest that they have donated more than $69 million over more than three decades of the dance marathon.
