The State College Woman’s Club is a philanthropic organization that since its founding in 1894 has donated more than $700,000 to charitable organizations. The objective of the Woman’s Literary Society, as it was originally known, was to discuss “the questions of the day, social, political, literary, and artistic.”
The American Association of University Women Used Book Sale is a popular community event that raises more than $100,000 annually for scholarships and other causes. The State College branch of the AAUW started the sale in 1962.
Penn State’s THON is a 46-hour dance marathon at Penn State that has become the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. Since its founding in 1973, the event has raised more than $190 million. The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children’s Hospital is the event’s sole beneficiary.
Union Cemetery in Bellefonte is one of the oldest cemeteries in Centre County and the resting place of many of the county’s early notable leaders.The first known burial took place in 1808, and the cemetery was chartered in 1856. Beginning with five acres on Howard Street, it has expanded over the years to nearly 120 acres.
Hilda Patton Thompson was a passionate humanitarian who founded the State College chapter of the American Red Cross Motor Corps. She continued her work with the Red Cross, holding national leadership positions during World War I and World War II.