Next up, Mini-THON

Grace Tadajweski l Editor-In-Chief

After student council members unveiled the total raised for the American Heart Association last Friday, Mini-THON members are readying to reveal the total amount of money raised for the Four Diamonds Fund today.

The annual Mini-THON will take place today from 2:30-10 p.m. Mini-THON is an opportunity for schools to raise money to fight childhood cancer while creating a night that students will enjoy.

“Although I am stressed with finishing up the final details of our event, I am mostly excited for people to see the entire Mini-THON put together,” said senior president Olivia Gerhart. “Most of the committee has been staying after school every Monday preparing, and it will be a great feeling to see people enjoy what we put together.”

The event features a jungle theme along with various activities such as a bounce house, craft room, board game room, scavenger hunt, sport tournaments, activities in the new gym, and therapy dogs. Additionally, pizza, walking tacos, soft pretzels, and Hershey’s cookies will be available.

“I am most excited for the jungle-themed bounce house and the tournaments that students can play against each other,” said sophomore event committee leader Katie Idgunji.

Like Idgunji, Gerhart feels a similar excited anticipation for the athletic events. The event will hold tournaments for volleyball, dodgeball, gaga ball, and floor hockey.

“I am excited for the tournaments,” said Gerhart. “Last year, I reffed them, and it turned out to be one of my favorite moments of the night. We also have therapy dogs coming in to visit, so I’ll enjoy hanging out with them.”

To attend the event, students must raise or donate $50. Although students could preregister, students can also register at the event.

“The hardest part of planning the event was having a lot of moving parts being completed by many different people and trying to bring all the ideas together into one complete night,” said Idgunji.

In an effort to donate as much as possible to the Four Diamonds Fund, the committee heavily relies on business donations to run the event. However, it was difficult for the group to find businesses that wanted to donate.

“The hardest aspect about Mini-THON was getting all of our ideas to work in real life,” said Gerhart. “Everyone was creative in coming up with events, games, and food, so it was a challenge in getting all the pieces to fit.”

Last year, the event raised $13,187.54. This year, the committee created a goal to raise $20,000.

“I am hopeful that we will reach our goal of $20,000 because we have had a lot of fundraisers this year to try to reach our goal,” said Idgunji. “I am excited to see the students faces when they see how much we raised because hopefully it will be an improvement from last year.”

On top of the donations gathered from students attending the event, the committee raised money through a Kid’s Night Out event, hosting a Five Guy’s community night, and selling Farm Show milkshakes.

“I am excited to reveal the total because I think it will be a shock to everyone compared to last year’s,” said Gerhart. “It’s amazing to see the school come together to raise money for a cause so important in many children’s lives, and it touches my heart to see the support for the foundation so close to me.”

This year is guidance counselor Sarah Gebhard’s second year advising the club. When Gebhard was in college, she volunteered at Hershey Medical Center, so she took on an advising role now to help the same positive cause in a different way.

“(I am excited to see) just lots of participation,” said Gebhard, “Hopefully, we get a lot of students.”

Adviser Chris Heister also took on the role last year and has since enjoyed the responsibility. Heister believes that the event will be fun for both students and Mini-THON committee members.

“I don’t know if I could be any more prouder of specifically our officers and all the work they’re putting in,” said Heister, who is a learning support teacher. “I’m excited to see everything that they did come together.”

The event currently has over 70 students registered, and the committee members are still hoping for more to register.

“I love going to Mini-THON every year and just having fun with my friends for a good cause,” said senior Lily Young. “My favorite activities are probably the volleyball and dodgeball tournaments and gaga ball. I’m also excited to see how much money CCHS has raised for the Four Diamonds Fund. The committee members have put in a lot of work, and I’m excited to see what the outcome is.”