Meet Steph: 2020 Rick Funk Award Recipient

Stephanie Galetta is a fifth year senior studying Kinesiology with a minor in Organizational Leadership. She’ll be graduating in May 2020 with her certification in Fundraising and Advancement as well. 

Throughout her undergraduate career, her involvement in THON has remained steadfast. She began her THON efforts through Club Water Polo as a freshman. Growing closer and closer with Club Water Polo’s Four Diamonds Families, Steph decided that she wanted to contribute more to the organization for them and for all Four Diamonds families. As a sophomore, she made the huge leap to becoming one of Club Water Polo’s Primary Chairs -- meaning she would oversee all aspects of Club Water Polo’s THON involvement, including family interactions, fundraising efforts, and all logistics. In one year, Steph and her co-chair were able to increase Club Water Polo’s fundraising total by 48% allowing the organization to be in the Top 10 General Fundraising Organizations for THON 2018. ​​

After THON 2018 as an organization Primary Chair, Steph decided that she wanted to utilize her knowledge and experiences to help other organizations with their own THON involvement. She became the Organization Fundraising Coordinator for THON 2019 on the Development Captain Committee. In this position, she supervised a team of organization liaisons, collaborated with top fundraising organizations, and led workshops for all organizations to ramp up their THON efforts. She did so, all while continuing to be a Primary Chair for Club Water Polo. 
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Steph put the icing on the cake as a dancer for Club Water Polo in THON 2019. She shares that her favorite THON memory is from Family Hour during THON 2019: 

As a dancer for my organization, I found my mind in a limbo: trying to balance the flood of raw emotions brought out by the family speakers while also trying not to think about the sharp, shooting pain I was feeling in my ankles. I stood swaying arm-in-arm with my fellow dancers, co-chairs, and our two Four Diamond Families when the Dameshek family took the stage. Immediately our group tensed up, as Emilia Dameshek and Britt endured the bulk of their treatment together in 2012; Emilia was Britt’s best friend. I will never forget the glazed eyes and steady flow of tears rolling down the Wagners’ cheeks as they watched their dear friends speak on behalf of their bereaved child. Natalie Dameshek, Emilia’s mother, mentioned a friend named “Britt” and immediately the Wagners’ steady tears turned to weeps. In that moment, the physical pain I had been feeling immediately vanished as I was wholly consumed by the need to be there for Britt and support the Wagners in that moment.” 

After THON 2019, Steph found herself wondering what post-graduation would be like. More often than not we find our true callings in the way that we spend our free time -- doing what we’re most passionate about. Through her dedication to THON, Steph realized that maybe turning her passion into a career would not be such a bad idea. That is when she interned for Penn State’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations in the Office of Annual Giving. 

Continuing to pursue her passion and what sets her heart ablaze, Steph turned her extra academic semester into an extra year in order to obtain her minor and certification in what she enjoys most: pushing non-profit organizations forward. 
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Staying an extra year to give herself a jump on her dream job, ultimately meant another year to be involved in THON. For THON 2020, she became a Social Media Captain on the Public Relations Committee. In this role, she eloquently told THON’s story on various social channels, executed brand integrity, and supported THON’s mission evoking emotion of THON’s supporters across the globe. 

Steph’s dedication to THON and the advancement of non-profit organizations is unmatched. The spirit of inspiring the volunteers around her to do more and work harder makes her an ideal recipient of the Rick Funk Leadership award. As her nominator for the Rick Funk Scholarship Award said, “You can feel the passion with each interaction that you have with her, whether it is about a fundraiser or a social media post. When watching her interact with families, it is evident from the first ‘Hello,’ that something special is about to happen.”

Congratulations, Steph! Thank you for all that you do, FTK!

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In 1996, the Rick Funk Leadership Award was established by the Dance Marathon Alumni Interest Group to honor the longtime Penn State THON™ advisor for his ten years of leadership, commitment, and service. Today, the scholarship lives on as an outlet for THON Alumni to recognize and support exceptional undergraduate THON volunteers like Steph.