A total of nine cards stood between the students of Stroudsburg High School and their efforts to change the lives of those battling pediatric cancer. The students grew anxious as each card was slowly flipped to reveal a jumble of numbers. A roaring cheer resounded throughout the gym as the total of $52,742.16 was uncovered as the final amount of money raised for Mini-THON last year.

Mini-THON is a scaled down version of Penn State Universityai??i??s THON. At the college, their goal is to raise awareness and money for children with pediatric cancer through a 48 hour dance marathon. SHSai??i??s Mini-THON donates all of their proceeds to THON, which is reduced to 12 hours to accommodate high school students.

Because of the large sum of money that was raised last year, the Mini-THON committees have a lot of work ahead of them in 2016. In order to reach their goal of $60,000, the students have worked to raise money and spread knowledge of Mini-THONai??i??s purpose since the early months of the school year.

ai???It’s about having fun, but in the end it’s really about a nice sum of money for the charity,ai??? said adviser Mr. Andrew Kurnas.

Mini-THON is a student driven event headed by Kurnas and carried out by multiple students in different committees. Each committee handles different aspects of the dance marathon and is made up of both upper and lower classmen. The committees and their adviser work closely to make Mini-THON the best it can be.

A Mini-THON is considered successful when a lot of money is raised for the cause. Ai??This, of course, requires great student participation. A large part of the money raised is done by the students who participate in fundraisers and sign up for the actual event. Every person can make a difference.

ai???Working with people who are this young, who can see the value of working hard to help someone for nothing in return, is inspiring,ai??? said Kurnas.

Those involved in running Mini-THON wish to include the rest of the school in their efforts. In order for the event to reach its full potential, student involvement is crucial. To join a committee, students should see Kurnas or senior Adam Deschriver, junior Michelle Joyce, and sophomore Kelsey Deschriver.

ai???It’s a really great cause,ai??? said Joyce. ai???It helps a lot of kids with pediatric cancer and their families. No one should have to go through that, especially kids.ai???