Sanchez 1

Nathalie Sanchez
Rosenberg
English 137H
Rhetorical Analysis
14 October 2015
New Mission Statement
Thon is a student-run philanthropy organization that is committed to helping the lives of
children and families impacted by childhood cancer. They provide emotional and financial
support, spread awareness, and ensure funding for critical research that will one day find a cure.
Thon began in 1973 and became affiliated with Four Diamonds in 1977. Four Diamonds is an
organization that aids in childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hersey
Childrens Hospital and their families. Thon is one the biggest organization event at Penn State
beside homecoming, football, and much more. In 2014, Thon raised a record- breaking $13.34
million and was able to donate ninety six percent of funds directly to Four Diamonds. Thon
appeals to our ethos and pathos. Thons recently created a new mission statement, THON is a
student-run philanthropy committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by
childhood cancer. Our mission is to provide emotional and financial support, spread awareness
and ensure funding for critical research all in pursuit of a cure.
This new mission statement creates a need for the communities civic duties to do
something good. It gives the community civic engagement without having to do so much. Thon
has many civic engagement opportunities from canning, dance marathon, thon 5k, and much

Sanchez 2

more. Thon has many civic engagement opportunities that are not known or realize by many
people. When passing by a seeing a poster to when canning, there are people that stop to give in
what they can to donate. The civic engagement opportunities for Thon are both big and small,
but in the end they all make a difference. Thon doesnt only appeal to families that have children
with cancer or children that has had cancer some times in their life, it appeals to everyone and
their community.
A couple of days ago a teen named, Kayla Nakonechni, died of Brain Cancer last
Wednesday. She was surrounded by not only people that love her but also by her community. She
was affiliated with Thon and was able to get aid for her disease. Her family was very thankful for
what Carbondale and the Penn State Community has done for her family and her daughter. This
story appeals to our pathos of sadness but also happiness in the way that she was happy and
content with her life because she had people that werent just a part of her family but her
community that cared for her and did everything they can for her. That is what Thon does to
families. It builds a connection from the community to help another. We were incredibly
saddened to wake up and hear the news of Kaylas passing this morning. Kayla touched the lives
of many throughout the Thon community both during through her involvement as a student and
as a Four Diamonds child. Our thoughts are with the Nakonechni family and friends and the
entire Four Diamonds community as we mourn the loss of another life taken too soon by
childhood cancer (Lily Beatty). This also appeals to ones ethos that doing something for your
community can actually make a difference in ones life, whether it is something big or something
small. This shows how not only Thon touched the life of this person but also how this person
touched the lives of others. Thon gives people chances to not only give back to the people in
your community but for people to also give back to you. These people are not giving you back

Sanchez 3

money, they are giving you back hope, happiness, and a kind heart. They are showing you that
you dont have to do something crazy to make a difference in someone elses life.
Kayla Nakonechni mother also said, What was most upsetting to her was that she would
not be able to participate in Thon, Jeanine Nakonechni said. Kayla broke down and cried. It
was the only time she really cried throughout this entire experience (Jeanine Nakonechni). This
also appeals to our pathos of how great Thon might be. What most upset Kayla was the fact that
she wouldnt be able to participate in Thon. Something I believe that people dont always realize
is how empowering Thon is and being in a Thon committee is. It not only empowers the mind,
the heart, but also the soul. This brings back to our ethics of doing something good for another is
good for the heart and soul. When hearing the reason for Kayla being upset it sheds light to our
ethics of what is important to us in life.
Kayla Nakonechni was a Thon committee member herself. She gave a speech at Thon in
2015 talking about her experience with Thon, the volunteers that made an impact in her life and
what it felt like to be on the other side of Thon. She talked about how it felt to be someone who
was a Thon volunteer member to someone who was being helped upon. She also talked about
what Thon meant to her and how it was an inspiration to her. Her speech appealed not only to our
pathos but to our ethos. It made you realize the important things in life. It touched many peoples
heart and made you think about what is important to you and how by just doing something small
actually does make a difference in someone elses life. One of Kayla Nakonechni most inspiring
words are, All we can do now is focus on the present hope and pray for the future. My life is
still mine. It is not run by cancer by any means (Kayla Nakonechni). Not only did Thon give her
the ability and courage to go through this but she also knew that she wasnt going through it

Sanchez 4

alone. She knew that with Thon she had many people that cared for her and that wanted to see
her do her best.
This Rhetorical Text appeals to Thon and sheds light to not only how important Thon is
to the community but also how important Thon is to others. This text appeals to our emotions
and our ethics in a way that makes one think about their decisions in life and the things they have
dont to try to make a difference in other peoples lives. It sheds light in what the whole message
of Thon is. The message of Thon isnt to pay more attention to the name Thon but to pay more
attention to its cause and what there end result is. Thon is hoping to make a change in the world,
one step at a time.
This text and the words of Kayla Nakonechni appeals to our way of thinking about life
and our way of community and what a community is. It makes us change what the normal view
of what civic is and how if you dont do something for your country you are not considered
being civic. However, we all know that being civic is doing not only something for your country
but also for your community. Being civic doesnt have to be doing something big or small it can
be something so simple like giving in some spare change or money when students are canning.

Sanchez 5

Work Cited Page

"'Believe Beyond Boundaries' Announced as Theme for THON 2016." The Daily Collegian. Ed.
Jenna Stoklosa. The Daily Collegian, 9 Oct. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.