If you are a student at Neshaminy High School (NHS), you would have to be absolutely oblivious to the world around you not to know what the club, Mini-THON, is.

However, if you are one of those few students, I’ll tell you now. Mini–THON is a student-led club that raises money to help the fight against pediatric cancer. The club is a member of the Four Diamonds Mission at Penn State Children’s Hospital. The school-wide event, Mini-THON at NHS, is a miniature version of Penn State’s THON, where students spend several hours dancing and fundraising to help find a cure for cancer. 

In the efforts of years prior, Mini-THON has been a massive success. In just the 2024-2025 school year alone, the club raised $70 956, completely crushing their goal of $50,000. One of the co-advisors of Mini-THON, Stephanie Baniewicz, shared that last year’s significant sum of donations inspired a new goal of $71,000 for the current school year.

“Our kids always surprise us, and our community always surprises us with their generosity,” Baniewicz noted. 

In order to gain more donations and push for the efforts to battle against pediatric cancer, Mini-THON members encouraged teachers to participate in Neshaminy November, formerly known as No-Shave November. In this event, teachers were put up to the challenge of lasting the entire month of November without shaving their facial hair as well as carrying around plastic buckets, encouraging those to donate. 

However, this year, the “no shave” part of this trend was in no way mandatory. All teachers, male and female alike, were invited to place a small bucket on their desk with a message saying to “Join me and Neshaminy Mini-THON in the fight against pediatric cancer.” The bucket has a small hole carved into the top for people to donate cash, as well as a QR code with a link to a Venmo so people can donate online. Teachers who raise $200 or more earn the prize of getting to wear jeans not just on casual Fridays, but on any day during December. 

Furthermore, a lot of Neshaminy teachers are using this idea and taking it to a whole new creative level. Instead of just placing a small bucket on top of their desk, some teachers have found other ways to get their students involved in the fight against cancer. Specifically, history teacher Josh Stoner came up with a plan to sell homework passes, in which all of the money he receives will go to Mini-THON. Through his efforts in Neshaminy November, Stoner has raised $345, making him eligible for the “jeans throughout December” prize. Stoner shared his appreciation for events like these and how important it is for students to engage. 

“I like seeing the kids get super involved,” Stoner said. “It’s a very good cause and, obviously, money for pediatric cancer is a good thing.”

Stoner is not the only one, either. Science teacher, Sarah Martoccio, also came up with an innovative idea to encourage students to donate: a friendly competition. And the only thing that inspires young teens more than competition is Chick-fil-A. Martoccio has put her class periods together to compete for Chick-fil-A catering for their entire class through strategizing, motivating others, and sharing the importance of the cause.

“The competition really helps with raising money…the whole point was for students to be incentivized to beat each other,” Martoccio explained.

Unsurprisingly, Martoccio’s creativity earned her $458.28 toward the fight against pediatric cancer, making her the teacher who raised the most money throughout the entire event. By creating visuals to show how well each class is doing compared to others, and giving them a grand prize that they all desire, Martoccio’s plan was a huge success.

Since you’re all on the edge of your seats, I am honored to reveal that her sixth-period class has taken home the Chick-fil-A trophy, raising a grand total of $235.01.

Martoccio didn’t just get donations out of this. Through this competition, she allowed the students in all of her classes to recognize the effects of this cause and how each and every one of them has the power to make a difference. She didn’t just inspire people to give money, but some of her students felt encouraged to go to other Mini-THON events and help in other ways. 

“It really helped to connect that real-world entity with what they were raising money for,” Martoccio stated. 

Martoccio wanted to do something out of the ordinary. She knew what would ignite a fire in her students, and used that to her advantage. Martoccio believes that in order to get more kids involved, you need to provide something for them that would really motivate them. She feels as though more teachers should do this, as not only is it a better strategy for gaining more donations, but it also has an element of fun for both the students and the teacher.

“If you just ask students for money, even if it’s a great cause, there will be some pushback on that from the kids,” Martoccio voiced. “Finding a good intention and really fostering a sense of competition is really helpful.”

Due to the amazing efforts taken by the teachers of NHS, the Mini-THON club was able to raise an astounding $5,404.58 through this event. 

No child deserves to fight the battle of cancer, and a little amount of money goes a very long way. Mini-THON pledges to dedicate all efforts to not only help find a cure for this monstrous disease, but also help to improve the children’s lives while they are sick.

“We are very lucky in our own lives, and we want to make sure that we can help anyone that needs it,” Baniewicz expressed. “We want children to have a chance at life and at a normal life as best as we can.”