Penn State’s philanthropy — known as THON, short for “dance marathon” — is the world’s largest student-run philanthropy, raising more than $18 million this year. The money goes to the Four Diamonds charity, which helps children fighting cancer.

More than 200 high schools across the country hold Mini-THON events modeled after Penn State’s THON, raising money for the same cause, and a school in the Pittsburgh area is the top fundraiser for all mini-THONS. South Fayette High School raised more than $350,000 last year. They’re hoping to top that at this year’s Mini-THON event, happening on Friday, May 1.

There’s a class at South Fayette High School called “Honors Management and Marketing Applications.” But in reality, it’s where the THON planning happens. For eight months, 36 students are busy raising money for kids with cancer, all leading up to the big mini-THON event.

These months of work have helped one of the three senior Mini-THON leaders, Hannah Yeh, to learn “definitely a lot of real world soft skills: communication, professionalism, teamwork,” she says. “A lot of what we do in here is group work.”

THON photo courtesy of KDKA-TV.

The students raise money asking friends and family for donations, hosting fundraising events like spike ball tournaments and car washes, organizing a fundraiser at every sport called “Play For The Kids,” and pitching corporate sponsorships.

“We go out, call sponsors, go face to face,” says another senior mini-THON leader, Luke Gillen, and “work on selling and a lot of business aspects.”

The students get the school excited by decorating the hallways leading up to Mini-THON day, May 1. The event begins with a community event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with food trucks, inflatables and family activities. And then about 800 students will participate in the overnight dance marathon and games until 6 a.m.

“Everyone just gets so involved,” Yeh says, “and it’s really inspiring to see how many kids get involved.”

Through it all, the students learn about everything from social media marketing and t-shirt design to how to lead a group of people and how to make an elevator pitch.

Co-teacher Brandon Flannery says it sets up the students for success after they graduate.

“I think mostly because it’s real world,” Flannery says. “They’re dealing with real dollars. They’re dealing with real people. When they make that phone call, there is a person on the other side of it.”

When you walk down the school hallway, you see how much the fundraiser has grown. Starting in 2013 when they raised $3,600 to 10 years later, when they raised $336,140 — breaking the national mini-THON record. The next two years, they continued to break the record with $338,205 in 2024 and $350,492 last year. They hope to break it again this year and remain the top national fundraiser.

“Our number one goal is always to support the cause, to try to bring awareness to it,” says Mini-THON leader Paige Deklewa. “But our secondary goal is to just foster community, and I think we’ve done a really good job of that.”

The indirect lesson might be even more important than anything else they learn in school — that they can make a difference, whether it’s helping kids with cancer or whatever they’re passionate about.

“I think mostly I want them to learn the idea of empathy and how to give back,” says Flannery. “Even though we’re not in a position to maybe help the way that a doctor or a scientist or researcher could help, we can still help. And the biggest lesson is for them, they’re in a position to help, and they do.”

If you’d like to support South Fayette High School’s mini-THON fundraiser and help them keep their title as top mini-THON fundraiser in the country for the 4th straight year, you can donate by clicking here.