Diamond hands done at Mini-THON presented in the hallway.
Mini-THON is a program that started at Penn State University to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund, which helps study and find cures for childhood cancer. Last year was the first year York Suburban contributed, and it was a huge success.
This year, Mini-THON will be held on February 20 and 21 from 9:00 pm to 7:00 am. It is an overnight event with the goal to keep students energized, active, and thinking about children in need of help.
Last year, York Suburban raised over $28,000. Event organizer Oliver Good said, “We set the bar very high last year… it would be amazing to surpass that total.” Good also noted that anything York Suburban can do to help the children would be a great help.
According to the York Suburban page, the goal for this year is $25,000. With less than a month to go, only 23%, or $5,731, of that goal has been reached as of January 28.
Good also expects more attendees compared to last year, rising to roughly 250 to 300 students and teachers. As of Jan. 28, only 189 students and teachers are registered online.
Most activities are expected to be the same as last year’s, according to Good. He said, “The general consensus from last year was that Minithon was a success, so we will not be reinventing the wheel here.”
Attendees should also expect sports tournaments, games, dancing, and food.
What mini-THONers can expect differently this year is a wider selection of competitions and games. There is also an extended “Family Hour” where “students will be doing a lot to help brighten the holidays for the children who are receiving treatment at Hershey Medical Center,” said Good.
There will also be a new tradition that York Suburban will start this year. It is called “The Wall of Champions.” Good advises mini-THONers to bring a coat, as this tradition will be done outside.
There is one more activity new to mini-Thon this year: “we will have a battle of the classes to determine which class has the most school spirit and enthusiasm to push their team to victory,” said Good.
Last year, York Suburban exceeded expectations, and with the students’ pride and compassion, it was easily done once again. This year York Suburban raised $44,274.85. With this year’s total almost double the previous year’s, it only makes sense that next year, Suburban will exceed once again.