MINI-THON RAISES $85,000 FOR THE KIDS

By: Sarah Rhine
Staff Writer

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   On March 8, the Elizabethtown Area High School held its annual Mini-Thon with the theme “One Small Step for Etown, One Giant Leap for a Cure.” Mini-Thon donated $85,766.88 in total to the Four Diamonds Fund, which helps fight pediatric cancer.

   The Elizabethtown Mini-Thon is a 12-hour standing marathon, with no sitting or leaning allowed. Participants must raise $70 or more to be eligible to participate in Mini-Thon and cover the $10 t-shirt fee. 
  During Mini-Thon, there are games, a talent show, dancing, and eating. The menu this year included pizza, chips, crackers, Turkey Hill lemonades, and water. Breakfast included doughnuts, fruit, and blueberry crumb cake. In this year’s talent show, multiple high school students and sports teams participated in a dance routine competition, which the volleyball team won. The night also held a  Mr. Mini-Thon pageant featuring many High School seniors, like Dylan Sweger, Frank Miele, and other high school seniors. Senior Cole Rice won the pageant. At the end of the night, the Mini-Thon captains held the big reveal of the total, $85, 766.88. This donation money will go to the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
  The Four Diamonds started in 1972 with Elizabethtown student Chris Millard, who was diagnosed with cancer. Before Chris died in 1972, he wrote a story about a knight who searched for the four diamonds: courage, wisdom, honesty, and strength. This story inspired his parents, Charles and Irma, to create the Four Diamonds Fund to help cover expense bills for medical, financial and emotional support for children with pediatric cancer. This fund is used at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, the leading hospital in the area for cancer treatment for children. 
  Mini-Thon draws support from the entire Elizabethtown community, including donors like The Elizabethtown Area School District Board, American Legion Post 329, White Family Dental, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown Sporting Goods, and more.