From 9:00 PM Friday, February 23, to 7:00 AM Saturday, February 24, 530 York Suburban High School students danced, ate, and played their way to generating over $85,000 for families impacted by childhood cancer. The 2018 Mini-THON achieved record breaking success raising $85,720.18, engaging 60% of the student body (20% increase over 2017’s Mini-THON), and utilizing over 90 adult volunteers. Seniors Abbey Probert, Katie Hill, and Kennedy McKee coordinated the event that benefits Four Diamonds, an organization dedicated to conquering childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Children’s Hospital.
A highlight of the evening included the return of Mr. YS. Winner Jake Taylor wowed the crowd with his show-stopping reenactment of Patrick Swayze’s iconic dance lift with Jennifer Grey (portrayed by fellow senior Ben Salazar) from the film Dirty Dancing. Dancers also flocked to the puppy room (!), competed in a wing eating contest, volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, and cornhole tournaments, and enjoyed pool time from 1:00-3:00 AM.
Volunteer Helen Heidler, Director of Whitsons School Nutrition, stayed most of the night to facilitate the essential ’round the clock food service to keep participants fueled. Students enjoyed sushi, pizza, Chick-fil-A, walking tacos, and many other generous community contributions. YS alumni Alden Funkhouser and TJ Platts, owners of FnP Productions, donated their time and talents to provide spectacular sound and lighting – energizing the crowd throughout the evening.
York Suburban’s Mini-THON is a tradition experiencing its fifth year of phenomenal success. The compassion and commitment of students, staff, and volunteers needed to produce such incredible support for Four Diamonds reflect the best of our York Suburban community and its unique culture of encouragement and giving. We are YS PROUD of YS Mini-THON!
