This coming fall, South will be bringing back a charity event called Mini-Thon, which raises money for children suffering from pediatric cancers. Mini-Thon is held among schools in Pennsylvania through a nonprofit organization called Four Diamonds. Four Diamonds also hosts Penn State’s large-scale event, Thon.
At South, a teacher advisor, Ms. Graham, and five student officers, Max Jin, Leanne Mathew, Nino Mecaj, Megha Rao, and Gianna Rottuno, will lead Mini-Thon.
The events of Mini-Thon will take place next school year, starting with a kickoff assembly on September 13. Throughout the marking period, small events, like taping a teacher to a wall or pie-ing a teacher in the face, will be held after reaching fundraising goals.
Next, the main event of Mini-Thon will be on November 7 in the gym. The event resembles Penn State’s Thon, a 48-hour dance marathon in which no one can sit down for the entire time. Mini-Thon has very similar events and the same rules but does not take place overnight, instead lasting five hours. According to Mathew, participants are standing “in unity for them [the cancer patients].”
“That’s part of Thon,” said Graham. “You can’t sit because somebody that’s suffering with cancer, they don’t have the opportunity ever to relax.”
Along with the fundraising, the main event of Mini-Thon will include an array of exciting activities.
“We’re going to have inflatables. We’re going to have food, mini games, video games…I feel like it appeals really well to the student body,” stated Mecaj.
Beyond having fun and doing good by raising money, another benefit of participation in Mini-Thon will be opportunities for students to bond and build relationships.
Ms. Graham said, “I think it’s a new bonding experience with [the students’] friend group[s]. It takes it to a different level. It helps them look at how it feels to give back.”
For students who would like to participate in Mini-Thon, specific information about signing up will be released at the kick-off assembly. There will be sign up forms to fill out, so students can assemble their teams, assign their team leader, and get involved.
