UPDATE 4:31 p.m.: THON raised a new record of $7,838,054.36 and continues to bounce around the worldwide top ten Twitter Trending Topics. An @THON TwitPic of the total can be seen here.

The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, known as THON, became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter this afternoon.

THON is the largest student-run philanthropy organization in the world. It is a year-long effort that raises funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer.

You might have noticed some THON "canners" in the Pittsburgh area over the past few weeks. One way students raise money for THON is by going on weekend canning trips. Another is by "dancing" for the kids.

Each year, hundreds of Penn State students "dance" for 46-hours to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund, the beneficiary of THON’s fundraising efforts. The Four Diamonds Fund helps families offset the cost of treatment and other expenses that affect the welfare of the child. It also supports pediatric cancer research through start-up grants and the Four Diamonds Pediatric Cancer Research Institute.

This year, THON was supported by many celebrities, including Khloe Kardashian and Perez Hilton, who tweeted and blogged to followers and readers about helping the cause.
To learn more about THON, click here.

To donate to THON, click here.

To watch a live webcast of THON, click here.

To follow THON on Twitter, click here.

Please tag your THON tweets with the hashtags #THON, #FTK, and #ForTheKids to help THON trend!

Pennsylvanians who can't make the drive to Punxsutawney tomorrow to get Phil's Groundhog Day forecast can find out whether or not we will be having six more weeks of winter by signing up for a text message.
More than 15,000 people are already signed up to receive the alert since it was announced two weeks ago, according to a press release from The Pennsylvania Tourism Office.

To sign up to receive Phil’s forecast, text “groundhog” to 247365 before tomorrow, February 2. Please remember that standard text messaging rates apply. After the initial text message, participants will be invited to submit their e-mail address to receive additional PA tourism-related messages.

“Punxsutawney Phil will make history this year by text-messaging his faithful followers – a feat that was inconceivable on the first Groundhog Day celebration more than 120 years ago,” said Mickey Rowley, deputy secretary for tourism at the Department of Community and Economic Development, in the press release. “We are thrilled to have heard from 15,000 fans but feel certain Phil’s universe of followers is bigger. You have until Feb. 2 to become a part of history.”
Also, a webcast of the Groundhog Day festivities happening in Punxsutawney will be available at the visitPA tourism website here.

Groundhog Day is celebrated each February 2 in Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, which is located about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. According to folklore, if the groundhog emerges and sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
For more information:

• Check out the visitPA website here or call 1-800-VISIT PA.
• Become a fan of visitPA on Facebook here.
• Follow visitPA on Twitter here.
• Share visitPA photos on Flickr here.
• Watch visitPA videos on YouTube here. There will be Punxsutawney Phil-related videos posted.