The Background of Elpis
In Hesiod’s “Works and Days”, Zeus gave his wife Pandora a special box. She was instructed to keep it closed, but she had also been given the gift of Curiosity, and ultimately opened the box. When it was opened, all of the evils, ills, diseases, and burdensome labor that humankind had never known escaped, leaving Pandora only quick enough to close it and keep one value inside: Hope.
Without Hope to accompany all their troubles, humanity was filled with despair. It was a great relief when Pandora revisited her box and let out Hope, giving the Greeks the opportunity to live in prosperity once again.
The Elpis Name
In Greek mythology, Elpis stood for the personification of Hope. Throughout history, Elpis has been depicted as a young woman, usually carrying flowers or a cornucopia in her hands, a symbol of the brighter side of things, an expression of comfort in moments of weakness.
Who We Are
Just as Pandora did for The Greeks, it is Hope that we strive to build in our community. Through our philanthropy, we hope to offer in a practical way a diverse range of activities that aim to enlighten the lives of those we are committed to serve. We ultimately seek to raise awareness and offer unwavering emotional and financial support for our causes.
Where We're From
The Elpis Foundation is an organization that grows very deeply out of the Penn State University in State College, PA. The Penn State Dance Marathon, affectionately referred to as THON, is the largest student-run philanthropy in the
world that supports a relentless fight to conquer childhood cancer, benefiting the Four Diamonds Fund at the Hershey Medical Center.
THON is a 48-hour dance marathon, however, a committed yearlong effort, that has raised over $69 million since its inception in 1973. Many of Elpis’ board members and supporters built upon their fundraising endeavors out of this very special framework.
Patrick McNichol, the Founder of Elpis, continued his love and passion for THON by creating The War on the Shore in 2005. With incredible support from friends and family, WOTS has grown into one of THON’s biggest fundraisers, raising over $75,000 in 5 years, topping $20,000 for the first time in 2008, and continuing to challenge it’s prior fundraising levels every year.
Given the success and growth of WOTS, Patrick decided to expand his fundraising goals. In the summer of 2008 Patrick, along with 10 other friends, mostly Penn State Alumni, formed The Elpis Foundation.
"When they say 'WE ARE PENN STATE', this is what they are talking about" - Joe Paterno
The Elpis Foundation is a registered 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization.
