Manheim Township Mini-THON is a student-run organization dedicated to raising money to support the fight against childhood cancer. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been collected and donated to aid the cause, with last year’s fundraising effort’s exceeding $70,000 through various events.

To encourage students to attend their annual event and design a campaign image, the Mini-THON team selects a theme and structures each fundraiser around it. Previous themes include “Blast Cancer Out of This World,” “Crush Cancer” and last year’s “Say Goodnight to Cancer.”

This year’s theme is “Wave Goodbye to Cancer,” a beach and ocean inspired concept. Themes play a large role in community engagement. According to Bill Wang, the Donor and Alumni Relations Committee Head, themes are chosen to “keep things fresh so the students have something new to look forward to every year. Our t-shirt designs, social media posts and event decorations are all based on the theme concept.”

The selection process for the 2025 theme involved careful deliberation, with other potential contenders such as Neon, Jungle and Rodea. Ultimately, the committee decided on “Wave Goodbye to Cancer” due to its unique aesthetic appeal and how it stood out from previous themes.

“We landed on ‘Wave Goodbye to Cancer’ because of our unique aesthetic visions for the decorations and designs as well as its distinction from recent past themes,” Wang said.

Mini-THON kicked off this month with the Chipotle Fundraiser on the Sept. 29 from 5 – 9 p.m. Support the fight against cancer at upcoming events such as the Powder Puff game in November, the Four Diamonds Showcase in January, and the Snowball Dance in February.