Garnet Valley High School hosted its 9th annual mini-THON “A Ticket to the Cure” this past weekend. A total of 316 students stood for 12 hours and helped raise an incredible $65,385.18 towards finding a cure for childhood cancer.

      The night began at 7 pm on Friday night and continued through the night until 7 am on Saturday morning. There were carnival games and stands such as darts, mini-golf, ball toss, and a hammer bell lining the hallway as participants arrived. There were events planned for the participants on the hour; human foosball and human Hungry Hungry Hippos took place in the gym, while many students from Garnet Valley performed for their peers and competed in lip-sync battles. It is already difficult to stay up for twelve hours at a time, but those running the event tried to keep the participants engaged and having fun!

     The community was invited to participate in the fun from 7 pm to 10 pm. During this time, various baskets were raffled off and there was face paint stands, kissing booths with Hersey Kisses and a room with puppies because why not? Rasheed Bailey, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, signed autographs and took pictures with all proceeds going mini-THON. Garnet Valley students donated their hair to help make wigs for people battling cancer and hair loss. Community hours ended with the participants and family taking part in the Lemon Shot Challenge in memory of Brielle Barber, a beloved child in our community who sadly lost her battle to cancer last year.

     Mini-THON is put together every year by our student council; they work tirelessly from the end of one mini-THON to the next, trying to make a schedule, registering people, finding businesses to donate, etc. Without the Leadership Team, mini-THON would not run as smoothly as it does. The Leadership Team would like to thank the teachers and staff who volunteered as chaperones and helped the student council setup and/or clean up the event. They would also like to thank all of the teachers who donated to any students’ personal fundraising goals. Your contribution aided many students in being able to attend Mini-THON and stay up all night and stand up to pediatric cancer. A big thank you to the administration and the school’s principals. They have consistently aided the Leadership Team in their efforts to make Mini-THON safe, fun, and meaningful and another huge thank you to all of the students who danced at Mini-THON and worked so hard to raise their minimum of $100 and the many of you who stepped up and exceeded that minimum amount!

Below are some pictures from the night!