STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WHTM) — Holly Maitland-McKenna may have discovered THON later in life, but she’s now made it her mission to impact the lives of thousands of children through her love of swimming.

We met Holly in 2019 at her 7th annual Swim for a Cure at Penn State Harrisburg. The swim instructor and THON Co-Advisor wanted to do her part to raise money for kids battling cancer.

In 2022, Holly celebrated her 10th annual marathon swim. And she hit an incredible milestone. For the first time in event history, the 58-year-old swam continuously for 46 hours. The same amount of time the Penn State THON dancers are on their feet for the annual dance marathon.

Over the years, Holly has raised over 52,000 dollars for Penn State Harrisburg benefitting THON. The dedication of friends and family donating every single year has pushed her to new lengths. This year alone, she has raised almost 20,000 dollars.

She wanted her 10th year to be unique, not just in the length of swim, but in her end goal. Holly wanted to be named a dancer for the Dance Marathon Alumni Interest Group. The organization is the alumni chapter of fundraising efforts for Penn State THON. To be chosen as a dancer, Holly and her partner, Nisha Moorthy, needed to raise a significant amount of money for THON.

They did just that, approaching over 10,000 dollars combined ahead of the Saturday night 11:59 deadline.