Carlisle High School offers many clubs and activities, but one special activity that is available to students is the MiniTHON club.

Based on Penn State’s THON, MiniTHON is a student-run club, led by student advisors senior Sarah Swahlon, senior Katie Anderson, junior Kendra Fisher, senior Beth Petrunak, and junior Maddy Fluss. Choir director Dan Schade is the club faculty adviser.

Many students join the club because they want to make a difference, like Fluss, who is an active participant in Minithon club as the Fundraiser Advisor. She had initially heard about THON from a friend and wanted to get involved herself.

“[Being apart of MINI-THON is] really awarding and a lot of fun,” Fluss stated.

Established in 1972 by Charles and Irma Millard, who lost their 14-year-old child to cancer, according to Penn State’s Faces of Philanthropy page about the fund, was designed to assist children located at the Penn State’s Children Hospital and their families “through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.”

“MiniTHON is an organization which spans across the country that raises money and awareness for pediatric cancers,” said Fluss.

MiniTHON hosts many events such as Carlisle High School’s Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, December 16, or the Chipotle collaboration fundraiser on Tuesday, December 19. The donations provide money for care, treatment, and research to end childhood cancers.

Sophomore Abigail Lindsay said, “50% of costs are donated goes directly to Penn State Hershey’s THON through their partnership with the Four Diamonds Fund.”

Students who participate in the club are expected to raise money to hit a personal goal, and they are supposed to help run all the events. As MiniTHON nears, students also walk around to lunch tables to ask for donations.

MiniTHON is not limited to Carlisle. Students in CHS’ MiniTHON are able to share ideas with students from all across central Pennsylvania. Jesse Opiyo, a former Central Dauphin student, participated in their MiniTHON.

Opiyo, a Penn State- University Park student, graduating in 2019 in Energy Engineering, said, “We would have games, dodgeball tournaments, and overnight ‘lockdowns’ to raise money with each event costing about $25 dollars to participate and it all went to Four Diamonds.”

The THON site states, that to date, more than 3,300 families have been helped by this fund and over $114 million has been donated to the fund to battle these childhood illnesses.

Carlisle High School’s MiniTHON has a $20,000 goal that they are determined to reach by the end of the year and has raised $5,360 already. The student advisors plan multiple events throughout the year to raise the money and donate to the cause.

Fluss said, “Right now [events] have only been open to students, but we hope to extend out more to the community in the future.”

MiniTHON has only just been established at Carlisle within the past few years, so many students don’t know what it is. Fluss and the other advisors hope that through the many different events and assemblies they can spark more of an appreciation for the cause because MiniTHON is for the kids.

MiniTHON will be held Friday, March 23 in the Swartz gymnasium, time TBD.