Montgomery Elementary hosts annual Mini-THON
Students, families and staff at Montgomery Elementary School hosted the 4th Annual Mini-THON to benefit the Four Diamonds Fund on Feb. 6 at the Montgomery Township Community and Recreation Center. The Mini-THON is based on the Penn State Dance Marathon, the largest student-run philanthropy in the nation, where dancers and organizations raise money for The Four Diamonds Fund. The Four Diamonds Fund offsets the cost of treatments not covered by insurance for children battling pediatric cancer. It also helps with emergency expenses and supports the medical team that cares for children with pediatric cancer at the Hershey Medical Center. It funds research through the Four Diamonds Center for Pediatric Cancer Research and Pediatric Cancer Experimental Therapeutic Programs.
A group of about 15 Montgomery teachers and staff chair members having been working hard behind the scenes since shortly after the finish of Montgomery’s third Mini-THON event in February 2016. Tasks to get this event running range from recruiting sponsors for food to feed the students, setting up donations, planning other fundraising events, and prioritizing student safety, to collecting and organizing registrations and T-shirt orders. Many Montgomery Elementary staff members were on hand during the big day to help coordinate activities to keep the children engaged and safe. In addition to the event on Feb. 4, Montgomery has been holding additional fundraising initiatives for the Four Diamonds Fund since September including staff luncheons, grade-level quarter challenges and a “Designer Bag Bingo” in November 2016.
During the 4th Annual Mini-THON, students were expected to stand for the entire length of their event. There was a DJ for dancing as well as other activities including “minute to win it” challenges, obstacle courses and an assortment of games. The North Penn High School Dance Team even joined in on the fun by leading a Zumba class! Students in kindergarten through third grade participated in Mini-THON activities from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Students in grades 4 and 6 took over from 3-7:30 p.m. A grand reveal of the total amount raised for the Four Diamonds Fund took place at 7:45 p.m. Montgomery Elementary was overjoyed to announce that they raised a total of $38,561.49 for the Four Diamonds Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research and Pediatric Cancer Experimental Therapeutic Programs.
While several high schools across Pennsylvania hold their own Mini-THONs, Montgomery Elementary is one of only a handful of elementary school across the state participating in this event. Over the past three years, Montgomery Elementary families and staff have raised over $116,000 for the Four Diamonds Fund.