Frequently Asked Questions - Family Relations

This captain is responsible for keeping Family Relations organized by taking meeting minutes, sending them out to the rest of the committee, and sending weekly reminders in a prompt manner. This captain is also responsible for creating the family and FR captain schedules for THON weekend and running and maintaining the family check-in table at the Bryce Jordan Center. This position will also play a large role in raising awareness about pediatric cancer through weekly childhood cancer facts and assist in planning awareness events. The Administrative Assistant will also assist the Four Diamonds Contact with the Gold Ribbon Campaign.

These captains are responsible for recruiting THON captains and other volunteers to participate in the Penn Pal Program in which students are granted the opportunity to talk to a Four Diamonds Family on a personal level. They will also be in charge of the Kids Variety Shows, the Kids Fashion Show, Teen Night, and the Captains-in-Training (CIT) Program which all take place during THON weekend. The will be responsible for recruiting families to participate in these events as well as planning and executing them. These captains will work closely with the Entertainment Committee and Larry Moore on the logistics of the events that take place on stage THON weekend. Additionally, they will also plan events for teens throughout the THON season.

This captain will be responsible for maintaining the family database, obtaining and maintaining new family stories, and serve as the primary contact for all second-year families in THON 2012. They will also be responsible for sending out the Four Diamonds Family listserv emails as well as the Family of the Week story throughout the year. For THON Weekend, he or she will also update the THON Reference Guide, organize and run the Parent Info Session, and organize the Adopt-a-Independent Dancer Program.

These captains will be responsible for the organization of any and all family projects devised by the FR Committee. These projects are but are not limited to the maintenance and improvement of the family webpages, the Feature Family Hallway THON weekend, the Feature Family Cards for the Dancer Bags, and the Family Shout-Out video which is played for the dancers. The primary goal of this position is to provide the committees of THON various ways to learn about the Four Diamonds Families.

This captain is responsible for providing decorations for all Family Relations events and activities throughout the year. These range from decorating for Harvest Day to the decorations for the Family Lounge in the Bryce Jordan Center THON Weekend. This captain is also responsible for creating all posters and banners needed by FR for the year. This position also heads the effort to send birthday cards to all Four Diamonds children on their birthdays which are signed by the entire committee. Additionally, this position serves as the Supply Logistics Liaison and will obtain all necessary supplies needed by members of Family Relations throughout the year. Through his or her position as the SL liaison and in conjunction with the Welcoming Captain, this captain will also be responsible for creating the welcoming baskets to be placed in the rooms of Four Diamonds families for THON Weekend.

This captain is responsible for the coordination of all aspects of Hershey Tours and Special Visitors Trips for THON captains and organization members. This position will be responsible for communicating with THON volunteers about their trips and making sure that each tour date is filled with the maximum number of students. In addition, this captain will serve as a contact for The Four Diamonds Fund and will attempt to bridge the gap between THON and The Fund. He or she will do this by facilitating THON volunteer involvement at Four Diamonds Fund events and by providing information about The Fund to Penn State students during pediatric cancer awareness events. This captain will also work on the Gold Ribbon campaign with the Administrative Assistant.

These captains will be responsible for organizing the General, Special Interest, and Commonwealth Adopt-A-Family applications from organizations as they are handed in to Family Relations. They will also be responsible for the grading of these applications and the pairing of Four Diamonds Families with the Penn State Independent organizations. These captains will be the primary contact for these organizations and will track their efforts and activities with the paired Four Diamonds Families throughout the year. They will be responsible for highlighting outstanding organizations and also penalizing organizations that don’t fulfill their duties within AAF. At the end of the year they will assist in the creation of an AAF Reference Guide for future organization leaders.

This captain will be responsible for organizing the Greek Adopt-A-Family applications from organizations as they are handed in to Family Relations. He or she will also be responsible for the grading of these applications and the pairing of Four Diamonds Families with the Penn State Greek organizations. This captain will be the primary contact for these organizations and will track their efforts and activities with the paired Four Diamonds Families throughout the year. He or she will be responsible for highlighting outstanding organizations and also penalizing organizations that don’t fulfill their duties within AAF. At the end of the year they will assist in the creation of an AAF Reference Guide for future organization leaders.

This captain is responsible for placing Four Diamonds Families in hotel rooms THON weekend and creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for each and every one of them by answering questions and providing support to them. This captain will receive hotel contracts from the Family Relations Overall and will be required to assign families to the rooms provided. This position will also support and help the Family Relations Decorator with the Welcoming Baskets to be placed in the hotel rooms for the families. Additionally, this captain will serve as the Hospitality Liaison and will work with HOS to create an organized system for family meals, the food options in the Family Lounge, the food for family meals, and the dancer meal served by families during THON Weekend.

This captain will be paired with a liaison from the Morale Committee to coordinate family involvement in Morale events throughout THON weekend. The main events that this position will help with are Kids Mail Call and the Scavenger Hunt. This captain will also facilitate family interaction in all other Morale events including random theme hours and Color Wars. Additionally, this captain will work to foster captain and committee member interaction with families and also to improve relations with other committees by extending thanks and highlighting different committees on a weekly basis.

This captain is responsible for keeping the Family Relations committee as a whole inspired and motivated. This job is accomplished through the coordination of retreats and committee activities, by providing inspiration and icebreakers during meetings, and by facilitating all FR gear discussions throughout the year. In turn, this captain will also be responsible for sharing inspiration and motivation to the rest of the THON community. This captain will also be responsible for creating the Celebration of Life video, which is played during Family Hour THON weekend.

This captain will be the main contact for all Four Diamonds Families new to THON in 2011. This position is responsible for coordinating the New Family Orientation held in January at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. This captain will also create a New to THON Survival Guide for the families and will help organize and run the New Family Tour THON weekend. Additionally, he or she will expand the Families Helping Families program which pairs veteran families with new families.

This captain will act as a liaison to the Rules & Regulations Committee and will be an advocate of R&R and the rules of THON throughout the year. This position will work extensively on the Family Pass System and will make sure the Family Relations portion of the Rulebook is up-to-date and accurate. This captain will also present aspects of the Family Pass System to R&R committees to make sure they are well-versed in family interaction. Additionally, this captain will work to promote alternative fundraisers for Family Relations and coordinate all FR canning trips.

These captains will be responsible for FR’s involvement in the THON 5K and the Family Carnival. They will also be responsible for the planning and execution of Harvest Day, THON Hoops, THON Sluggers, and the Post-THON Celebration Picnic. These positions will be responsible for alerting the families of upcoming events, organizing RSVP’s, and helping plan events that will be kid-friendly and enjoyable for all families. Additionally, these positions will set up events for both toddlers and adults during THON weekend.

This captain is in charge of organizing the Penn State Wish Program for the Four Diamonds Families during THON weekend. This position will organize the No Grown Ups Allowed Room THON weekend as well. This captain will work throughout the year to secure contacts from organizations and donations for both of these events. This captain will also develop a THON Weekend Activity Book to be placed in the family welcoming bags as well as a modified activity project to be sent to Hershey in the fall.

This captain will be responsible for maintaining and improving the Families section on the THON website. They will serve as the liaison to the Technology Committee and will be responsible for the coding of the Family Webpages and coming up with new and creative ideas to make this section more family and kid-friendly. This captain will also work with Facebook and Twitter to keep families updated and in-the-know about all THON information. Additionally, this captain will be the liaison to the Public Relations Committee. He or she will be responsible for reaching out to families for media participation and ensuring the families interest and privacy is always protected.

This captain will organize the five Adopt-A-Family (AAF) Workshops that are held throughout the year. The purpose of the workshops is to help organizations build a strong relationship with their Four Diamonds Family. This captain will also be responsible for creating a modified workshop presentation to be displayed at a CCSG Council session. He or she will be in charge of creating the AAF organizations listserv and the AAF Angel Group to provide inspiration, information, and ideas to all organizations participating in AAF. Finally, this position will organize and run the weekly AAF meetings with the Family Relation’s AAF Liaison Captains.