On March 1 into the early hours of March 2, Dallastown High School students will be flocking to the high school to partake in Mini-THON in support of Four Diamonds and their fight against childhood cancers.

Dallastown’s Mini-THON has taken place since 2015 when Sarah Lytle, former Student Council president, presented the concept to Dallastown and the rest was history.

This year’s event will be the 10th Mini-THON at Dallastown High School with its chosen theme as a jungle/ safari. 

The goal is to raise $130,000; the 2023 event raised more than $140,000.

To attend this event, students must register before Feb.16. Registration can be done on Donor Drive, following Mrs. Smeltzer’s email that was sent out to students, or by clicking on this link: https://fourdiamonds.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=4025.

In addition to registering, a minimum of $50 must be raised to attend. All proceeds earned will be going to the Four Diamonds organization.

The night will consist of various types of activities for students to partake in such as swimming, dancing, escape rooms, and many more. 

Students attending are expected to maintain their endurance throughout the 12 hours of standing. 

“When people attend, we want them to know that they are going to stay up all night long and are going to stay standing,” remarked Angie Gable, the Advisor of Special Events and Fundraising Committee. “The idea is that if little kids can make it through painful chemo treatments, we can stay standing for 12 hours,” 

Four Diamonds was founded in 1972 by Charles and Irma Millard, both of whom had lost their son to an arduous battle with cancer. 

Since then Penn State’s THON has raised more than $218 million, all of which goes to guarantee that families affected by cancer never see a hospital bill.

Penn State’s THON is a 46-hour event, that’s more centered on dancing for activities. THON inspired many high schools to implement their Mini-THONs to facilitate the Four Diamonds’ goal.

“Mini-THON will always be bigger than they [students] are,” stated Shannon Werner, who is the Overall Advisor over Dallastown’s Mini-THON committees. “It’s not just about raising money, it’s about going to support the cause.”