By Saktisri Gowrishankar and Jeffrey Heng, Staff Reporters
As the gymnasium’s doors swung open on Friday night, students and teachers flooded the vicinity in support of the cause printed on their blue T-shirts: conquering childhood cancer.
Every March, Conestoga’s Key Club and Student Council host one of the most attended school fundraisers of the year. Mini-THON is a four-hour event for people to dance, play games and indulge in refreshments. The Mini-THON planning committee’s goal is to spread awareness and fundraise for Four Diamonds, an organization whose mission is to raise money for pediatric cancer research.
“I really am passionate about the cause, and it’s a great way to bring the school community together,” said senior Kavya Patel, one of the eight overall Mini-THON chairs overseeing the event.
The evening kicked off with Conestoga’s drumline performing to boost the crowd’s spirit. The planning committee set up and ran various activities in the wrestling, small and large gyms, including face painting, bingo and a multitude of sports, like volleyball, badminton and basketball.
“I like the sports,” junior Siyona Deb said. “It’s really nice that there’s no time limit on the sports compared to the other things, and you can play anytime you want.”
The night has been one of Conestoga’s most successful Mini-THON events with more than 300 guests attending, the largest turnout in school history, and $22,653.03 raised for Four Diamonds, the most Conestoga has raised by the end of a Mini-THON event.
“It’s definitely better than previous years,” Patel said. “We’ve already passed the total (donations) that we announced last year at Mini-THON and the number of people attending as well.”
All refreshments were free to attendees who bought a ticket, which they purchased during the days leading up to the night or at the actual event for $20 with the early bird discount or $25 at the regular price. The menu included pizza, chicken wings, salad, cookies and bottled water.
At 8 p.m., guests participated in a Zumba dance class, grooving along to songs such as “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” and “Uptown Funk.” The Mini-THON overall chairs, joined by a few other students, announced the top donors along with the record-breaking total at the end of the night.
“It’s a really fun experience,” sophomore Josh Jacob said. “It’s great to feel that we’re supporting children who need it.”
Check out some photos from the event below!
Saktisri Gowrishankar can be reached at [email protected].
Jeffrey Heng can be reached at [email protected].
