As of Wednesday, about half of that amount has been raised. The community support, Swoyer said, was not a surprise given the following Kiska has.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody loves her, and she loves everybody,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Kiska is the sixth dog to be Dieruff\u2019s mascot since the tradition started in the 1960s. The last one died in February 2022, and Kiska VI replaced it, appearing at a number of school events, including football and basketball games, for four years now.<\/p>\n
![\"Dieruff](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/TMC-L-KiskaFundraiser-0604-1.jpg\")
Dieruff mascot Kiska VI poses for a picture with her owner Curt Swoyer, a member of Dieruff\u2019s Class of 1966, at an East Side Youth Center Little Huskies youth football game in 2023. (Keith Groller\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n
The students love Kiska, and even the rival teams\u2019 supporters at football games like the Husky, Swoyer said.\u00a0Cheerleaders from opposing schools will often take pictures with Kiska, who has a Facebook page<\/a> with about 500 followers, he added.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Swoyer said Kiska is still on the mend, but her personality and energy are back to where they were before. She\u2019s expected to be at the high school graduation June 12.<\/p>\n \u201cKiska has many more years ahead as our mascot, and keeping her healthy is so important to all of us,\u201d Swoyer wrote on the GoFundMe page. \u201cAny help you can give means the world to me and to everyone who loves Kiska.\u201d<\/p>\n Those who wish to donate may do so at gofund.me\/cf3f737ed.<\/a><\/p>\n