On Thursday, April 13, Carlisle High School will host its fourth annual MiniTHON dance marathon. CHS Periscope talked to the fundraising adviser for the MiniTHON club, senior Lizzie Neumann, about the event and what students can expect, as well as what happens behind the scenes of the event.

MiniTHON is not only a massive dance marathon that students can participate in, but it is also a fundraiser that aims to raise thousands of dollars to benefit the Four Diamonds fund, which helps children suffering from cancer. How does the MiniTHON club tackle both event planning and raising money for the cause?

We spend all year planning a single day event, which tries to make a fun environment that students will want to come to, not only [to] raise money for the Four Diamonds fund, but also to support our committee join[ing] together, enjoy their day, and come together for a single day to look above their personal issues and fight to find a cure for something bigger than high school students.

Many schools across the state participate in MiniTHONs of their own. What sets Carlisle’s event apart from theirs?

 I think it’s not necessarily what sets us apart from other MiniTHONs, I think it’s just the fact that we do participate in something that’s not only bigger than our school, it’s the entire state, surrounding states, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges. This is my hometown, this is where we all live, and it’s something that we can participate in to be a part of something bigger.

What should students who are new to MiniTHON expect to happen on the day of the marathon?

This year, we are doing it during the day, so if they raise enough money, they can get out of their afternoon classes. They should expect lots of food, lots of fun, [and] different clubs throughout the high school are going to be sponsoring events, like senior class council is going to be doing a fashion show. We’re going to have Wingin’ It, and Coffeehouse during dinner. We’re bringing in lots of outside organizations, like REACH, Ethos Fitness, just a lot of fun activities. While this is supposed to be For the Kids, it’s supposed to be fun.

 How did you get all these organizations to participate?

We just reach out, and even though this is our fourth year and we’re still pretty new, you start to form those bonds. Last year was REACH’s first year coming to our MiniTHON, and I honestly think that was the highlight of my night, and of everyone’s night. Of course, Wingin’ It has been here every year, and Mr. Bigelow, who was the Junior class council advisor, used to plan the fashion show, but now he has moved up to Senior class council.

 As one of the advisers of the MiniTHON club, what part of the event are you most excited about?

I typically plan the menu, [so] I think I enjoy just watching people eat all the food, especially when there’s leftovers, because then you know you did your job by making sure everyone was fed and no one was hungry.

You just said that you were in charge of fundraising. How have you gone about fundraising?

In my description as the fundraising adviser, I plan fundraising activities like the pancake breakfast. We just recently had a sub and pretzel sandwich fundraiser, which raised over $2,000 for the committee. [laughs] Yeah, it was over 800 subs and sandwiches. It was pretty exciting.

What is the biggest challenge for you as an adviser of the club, and how do you overcome it?

I think the biggest thing is, well, any activity is going to deal with it, is the people who don’t sign up or sign up late, or the people that will come right at the event. We can’t technically account for them, and same for the pancake breakfast. People that come and pay at the door, we can’t really account for them, so it’s just like a balancing act of how much you think somebody will consume and how many people you think will show up at the door.

What goals does the MiniTHON committee have for this event?

Just to get more faculty and students involved. We are doing it during the day, instead of overnight, in hopes that more students are able to come. I know a lot of athletes couldn’t come because they had games the next day, or practices. We only have a handful of faculty, like Mr. Schade, who’s the adviser; Mr. Bigelow, Mr. Fahnestock, Mr. Henry, Mr. Ran.

What are some of MiniTHON’s plans for next year?

Just the ongoing goal is to get more people involved, have more people know what it is. It’s not just, “Hey, one hundred dollars to get out of class”, it’s “go out and raise money,” because a lot of people are willing to donate, especially since you’re a high school student trying to raise money for a bigger cause. Four Diamonds, MiniTHON, and THON are all names that a lot of people have heard of.

What’s the best part of MiniTHON?

Just having the leadership role has taught me a lot about my personality traits and dealing with other students, dealing with people my own age. I think it has taught me a lot of skills, as well as it has gotten me connected and very passionate about a charity. I’ve never personally been affected by it [cancer], but I’ve been touched by so many people because I am a part of MiniTHON.