Mini-THON held their day-long event this past Friday, and crushed their goal of $20,000 in the fight against childhood cancer.
The funds go to the Four Diamonds, an organization dedicated to conquering childhood cancer by assisting childhood cancer victims and their families.
Students purchased a shirt or paid an admission fee of $10 to attend the event, which lasted from 1:20 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The event included a multitude of activities for students to participate in along with face painting and a dance to wrap it up.
The committee raised $24,239.60 by the end of the night due to their DonorDrive and other fundraising events such as stall days. It was the third highest Mini-THON total ever at B-A since the school became involved with the program in 2018.
“I’m really proud of all the students who helped bring back Mini-THON and to the students who helped in various capacities throughout the school year,” commented Shawn Hallahan, one of the advisors of Mini-THON. “It’s truly amazing to set a goal, and then see the student body take action and chip in knowing that the cause is the most important aspect.”
The last Mini-THON event took place in 2020, and halted due to COVID-19 until now. The THON coming back was largely pushed by students in the committee such as Leigha Clapper, Avah Hassler, Jenna Norton, and Ava Patton.
The event hosted a 3v3 basketball tournament, a kickball tournament that students had the chance to sign up for before hand.
The event also had tailgate games like can jam, cornball, spike ball, volleyball, dodge ball, and more. Video games like “Dance Dance Revolution” and “Guitar Hero” were also available.
Students who attended the event commented that it was a good time for a good cause, and well worth getting out of class.
“As a history teacher I spend a lot of time consuming news and details that tend to be largely negative in scope,” stated advisor Matthew Elder, ” So to be involved in something that’s so overwhelmingly positive… it was a really positive experience for me personally. Additionally, I ‘joke’ a lot about the negatives of teaching, but things like this – seeing how much effort the student officers put into this cause, how determined they were to pull off a remarkable task – really reminds me of why I love teaching,” said Elder.
Mini-THON raised over $1,700 with their first stall day in the fall, $11,209 with their Mr. Mini-THON dance, and more through another stall day.
“It was a crazy journey with tons of learning on the fly, but one that is so rewarding,” stated Hallahan. “Thank you again to all the students and staff at BAHS!”
