USC Student Mini-THON Raises $41,000 To Aid Kids With Cancer

UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA - Upper St. Clair High School students didn’t just meet their goal of raising $30,000 at Mini-THON to benefit children with cancer. They exceeded it by $11,000, raising $41,098 for Four Diamonds, an organization helping cancer-stricken kids and their families at Penn State Children’s Hospital in Hershey.

Modeled after Penn State’s annual THON dance marathon event, last week’s 12-hour Mini-THON involved more than 350 high school students staying on their feet dancing and playing games.

The student-led initiative’s executive board included seniors Jack de la Parra, Andrea Mays, Rayna Recht and Brady Warmbein. In total, more than 50 Upper St. Clair High School students were involved in planning the event. Brooke Tarcson, activities coordinator, serves as advisor and faculty liaison.

To put the fundraising effort in perspective, last year’s inaugural Mini-THON raised $17,531, with 250 students participating in the dance event.

“When we first chose our goal of $30,000, I was blown away by the thought of raising that much money for children whose chance at living a long and healthy life has been put at risk,” senior Rayna Recht said in a district release. “When I calculated our final total, I immediately burst into tears. It hit me that we were going to be donating more than $11,000 over our goal for these innocent lives.”

“Our students amaze me every day,” principal Louis Angelo said. “The leadership, initiative and genuine compassion they have demonstrated throughout the last two years has been astounding.”

Plans already are underway for the third USC Mini-Thon, scheduled for April 5, 2019.

Photo via Upper St. Clair School District.