Schools

Notre Dame, Moravian Holding Mini-THON

The mission of the Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer pediatric cancer.

The following was provided to Patch:

Notre Dame High School Student Council will hold its 6th annual Mini-THON dance marathon to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital on February 15-16.  Over 300 students from Notre Dame and Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, PA will dance, sing, compete in contests and games, eat and socialize from 7:30 pm on Saturday until 7:30 pm on Sunday, a full 24-hour period in which they must continuously stay awake and on their feet. 

Notre Dame's 2013 Mini-THON raised $67,000; this year's goal is $75,000. 

 Inspired by Penn State University's IPF/PHC Dance Marathon (THON), the world’s largest student-run philanthropy, Notre Dame’s dancers will be among 15,000 students from over Pennsylvania 100 high schools raising money for Four Diamonds, which funds clinical research, medical treatments and support services for pediatric cancer patients and their families. Most of these services are not covered by traditional health insurance plans. 

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Notre Dame is the only high school in the state to hold a 24 hour mini-Thon event; most other schools hold 12-hour or shorter Mini-THONs.

 The Mini-THON is physically and mentally grueling for participants, but many students take part during most, if not all, or their high school years.  "It's a big challenge for the kids. It's a long, exhausting night and day, but they have a lot of fun, and they learn the value of sacrifice for the benefit of something greater than themselves," said biology teacher Cheryl Fenton, who coordinates Notre Dame’s Mini-THON events.  "They're dancing for the kids (with cancer). They have to dig deep down within themselves to make it through until the end, but they know that they're all working together toward a cure for cancer, and they learn a lot about themselves in the process." In addition, students taking part in the Mini-THON earn community service hours which are needed for graduation.

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Notre Dame High School is located at 3417 Church Road, Easton PA 18045.  For more information, contact Cheryl Fenton at 610-868-1431 or cfenton@ndcrusaders.org.

 The mission of the Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer pediatric cancer by helping children being treated at Penn State Children's Hershey Hospital through superior care, comprehensive support and innovative research.  For more info, visit fourdiamonds.donordrive.com.



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