Penn State THON reviews fund-raising after deadly crash

THON organizers at Pennsylvania State University are reviewing safety measures and canceling an upcoming "canning" weekend after a student was killed in a car crash during a recent fund-raising trip.

The planned outreach and canning - or donation solicitation - weekend for Oct. 23-25 will be suspended, executive director Katie Mailey said in a message to the THON community this week.

And over the coming months, the student-run philanthropy organization will "conduct a full review of the safety procedures surrounding canning," the message said.

Vitalya "Tally" Sepot, a 19-year-old sophomore from Connecticut, died in the Sept. 27 crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Chester County that left six others injured.

The group of students from the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity were returning from canning - in which students solicit donations on the streets - in the Philadelphia area. THON raises money and awareness to fight pediatric cancer.

"It is our goal to address concerns raised about travel safety in the coming weeks while continuing to address all aspects of canning in the coming months," Mailey's message said. "Safety is our top priority and we will continue to uphold the duty of ensuring the safety of our volunteers.

The next canning weekend is scheduled for Nov. 13-15. Mailey said the group was "working to implement additional safety procedures" would update volunteers about that outreach weekend's status soon.

Police said the sport utility vehicle the students were traveling in swerved from the right lane of the turnpike in Charlestown Township onto the shoulder, then abruptly turned back onto the road, swerved right again and overturned. The 2004 Envoy landed upright after hitting a guide rail.

The other students suffered non-life-threatening injuries.