Abington Senior High School Mini-THON Raises Over $29,000 to Combat Pediatric Cancer

Abington Senior High School hosted its very successful Third Annual Mini-THON this month.  The Mini-THON, a fundraiser to combat pediatric cancer, raised over $29,400. Staff members Ms. Dawn McGee, Mr. Mike Zanetti, Ms. Kelly Miller, Ms. Casey Shapiro, and Ms. Melanie Yocku guided and supported student organizers Brian Agnew, Johnny Brandenburger, Brittany Levy, Karli Meller, and Caitlin McCalister along with 200 committed students and dozens of committed faculty and staff members.

The money raised supports the Penn State Hershey Hospital’s Four Diamonds Fund, which is committed to conquering childhood cancer by funding innovative research and supporting children and families impacted by the disease. Four families who are connected to the Abington school community and have been impacted by cancer shared their personal experiences with the students at the Mini-THON. The families thanked our students for their service and asked them to continue the important work of raising awareness and funds.

Additionally, the following faculty and staff volunteered their time on Friday night: Nicole Callahan,  Carol Capps, Jodi Haasz, Veronica Johnson, Jess Levin, Ian McMilan, Jon Morrissette, Brad Palmer, Laurie O’Connor, Taylor Shrunk, Pam Smith, Tim Sorber, David Turetzky, Todd Vaccaro, and Tony Viscariello. Former student, Matthew Simmons, donated a large portion of his noon to 10:30 PM DJing services. In addition, a dozen faculty and staff members donated baked goods and other food items.

Modeled after the Penn State Dance Marathon, “Four Diamonds Mini-THONs” originated in 1993 and empower students to learn about event management and philanthropy by joining in the fight against pediatric cancer. Last year, 100 schools like Abington held Mini-THON’s and raised a combined $2.1 million for Four Diamonds. The Four Diamonds’ mission is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children being treated at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.