There is no doubt that Mini-THON is the main fundraising organization at MTHS. This is great, but it overshadows most other fundraising attempts at MTHS. There are more causes and organizations that need fundraising and an increased presence at our school.
Every year, Mini-THON hosts the Powderpuff game (where junior and senior girls play football and football players are the cheerleaders), the Showcase, the Snowball Dance and the main Mini-THON event. They also sold shirts, ran a bake sale and organized No-Shave November last year. At the end of the 2023-24 school year, Mini-THON raised a total of $74,546.81 for Four Diamonds. So far this year, Mini-THON has sold pins and been featured at sporting events.
Mini-THON raises money for pediatric cancer through Four Diamonds, an organization based out of Penn State Hospital that supports children with pediatric cancer and their families. They fund research for cures and treatment and pay for medical bills. This is an incredibly important cause, and it is amazing that Mini-THON can raise so much money. However, there are additional relevant causes that also could use fundraising.
The American Childhood Cancer Organization states that 0.35% of people under 20 have or will have cancer. Compare this statistic to the 15.1% of adolescents (ages 12-17) who have had a major depressive episode. Even excluding children and young adults, mental health issues are 50 times as common as cancer. Suicide is also the second leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States, with cancer coming in fourth.
We should fundraise for causes that are directly relevant to our school. Some fundraising events directly support Township families in need, including those battling cancer. That’s great, but most other charity events (such as Mini-THON) do not directly support MT students. Cancer is important, but mental health is a much more relevant issue among teenagers. More diverse fundraising that supports a greater variety of more relevant causes is needed at MTHS.
Four Diamonds is a great organization, and I’m glad Mini-THON has been able to fundraise large amounts of money for kids with cancer. However, there are many other organizations that the school can fundraise for. For example, The Trevor Project is a non-profit organization that provides mental health support and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth. Although we don’t have a Trevor Project club at MTHS, this organization is very relevant to our school, so there could be a club or event around The Trevor Project or a similar organization. In addition, MTHS has many mental health awareness clubs like Aveidum and Morgan’s Message that could have an increased presence at the school. Mini-THON sets a great example by hosting events, selling shirts and pins, fundraising frequently, and being well-known throughout the school district.
I would like to see a more diverse selection of fundraising events with similar prominence to Mini-THON. More clubs and fundraising events at MTHS would be beneficial to our community and our school. There are additional relevant causes, like Aveidum or The Trevor Project, that also need the awareness and fundraising that Mini-THON has. Mini-THON raises money for a good cause, but it should not be the only good cause.
