Penn State football players host Thon families for Explorers Program. ‘It’s really special’

Penn State football took part in Thon weekend Saturday afternoon when the Nittany Lions hosted 25 families for the Thon Explorers Program in Holuba Hall.

The team got involved with the kids and parents in attendance — singing karaoke, racing tricycles and playing other games with the Thon children.

Whether it was new players, like 6-foot-8 offensive tackle Nolan Rucci riding around on a small tricycle, or returning veterans, like wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith getting the karaoke kickstarted, the Nittany Lions were able to bring joy to the children and families who were in the building.

The event is one of the ways the players get involved in the weekend.

“It’s really special and we enjoy it a lot,” Warren said. “Doing stuff like this, just the State College and Penn State family, the community that’s here with the school is really special.”

While the Thon Explorers Program is a yearly event for the team, it’s a special occasion for the kids involved. Penn State linebacker Dom DeLuca, who has been involved with the event in years past, said that’s a major part of the joy in taking part for the Nittany Lions in attendance.

“It’s just a great occasion,” DeLuca said. “We get to make these kids’ day and make their year by doing this and just hanging out for the day, it’s a great feeling just to understand their story and everything they went through. Just for us to be here and make them happy, and take a little bit off their shoulders, it’s just awesome.”

As DeLuca said, it also allows the team to show new teammates what the program is about. The Nittany Lions will be introducing plenty of new faces to the team, between the freshmen who enrolled early and the team’s transfers who joined the program in February, and have to acclimate those players to the culture of the program.

This is one of the chances the returning Nittany Lions have to include their new teammates in something that isn’t about football, and an opportunity to interact with both the community and their peers.

“I think being able to do stuff outside of football and being with each other as a team in a great stage like this and being with these kids and their families will help make them feel more comfortable around all of us,” Warren said. “That’s only going to help them progress as they keep going.”