From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, the students of Southern Lehigh High School participated in Mini-THON, a 12-hour dance marathon, in order to raise money to fight childhood cancers.

Mini-THON is modeled after Penn State IFC (Interfraternity Council) / Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON). The event is connected with the organization Four Diamonds, which pours all donated money into helping families affected by childhood cancers and researching for cancer cures.

“The hope is that the more money you funnel into research and trials the higher probability of a cure, and a cure for one form of cancer may be a cure for all forms of cancer,” said Mini-Thon advisor Mrs. Lauren Tocci.

In order to put the fundraiser together, Southern Lehigh works with Four Diamonds liaison, Gail Frasseta, who acts as a go-between in order to train the officers and advisor of Mini-Thon so that they can be as effective in their fundraising as possible.

The Mini-Thon campaign raised over $21,000 this year, well past their $10,000 goal. In order to achieve this, they hosted several fundraisers including stop the bop, carpool karaoke, an online donor drive, the puppy room, a Duck Donut sale, and of course, canning.

The most successful of these fundraisers was Carpool Karaoke. The idea originated with Carly and Breanne Burns, and the videos were edited by Alex Lycette and Lizzy Selman. The fundraiser, wherein teachers and students drove around campus singing to pre-curated soundtrack, was a smash-hit among students and staff alike.

The fundraising started all the way back in September and ran until the Friday before the day long event.

“It’s a symbolic gesture. You’ve worked super hard to raise the money, sure, but also it’s also showing commitment,” Mrs. Tocci said.

The students’ commitment is shown through their willingness to participate and help organize the event itself. It would seem that this cause near and dear to the hearts of Southern Lehigh students. Approximately 185 students came to dance “for the kids” at Mini-Thon, in addition to 20 chaperons and about 100 community members.

There were lots of things to keep people busy and moving while at the event. A costume contest, yard games, video game tournaments, capture the flag, ping pong, and hula hoop, to name just a few.

Students created a handprint poster, listened to family speakers, played “The Floor is Lava,” and manned a “Donation Station.”

The hard work of the event organizers culminated into a reveal of the total amount of money raised.