THON has been part of 17-year-old Sydney Bush's life for 15 years. The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, known as THON, raises money exclusively for Four Diamonds, culminating with a 46-hour event at Penn State University every spring.
Sydney and her family, which includes her older sister, Katie, and her parents, Peter and Celeste, received the dubious honor of attending THON after a tumor was discovered in her brain when she was 2. For nearly 50 years, Four Diamonds has supported the families of children like Sydney who receive care at Penn State Children's Hospital, and it funds research into pediatric cancer treatments and cures.
"Four Diamonds pays for all the medical bills, child life specialists, meal vouchers, and gas to travel back and forth to Hershey," Sydney said. "Its main mission is to make sure the family is focusing on their child getting better."
As a Four Diamonds child, Sydney, along with her family, has been an honored guest at every THON since her diagnosis. She has also attended every Mini-THON held at Hempfield High School, beginning with its initial event in 2009. Katie stepped up the Bushes' involvement by joining the leadership team of Hempfield's Mini-THON when she began high school in 2012.
Mini-THON offers students in kindergarten through grade 12 the opportunity to join in the fight to conquer childhood cancer. In the Hempfield School District, a committee of high school students plans Mini-THON events for the middle and high schools. When Sydney started her freshman year, the Mini-THON advisers asked her to join the committee. That year, she served as public relations captain. As a sophomore she held the role of entertainment captain, and this past year, she was entertainment overall.
Sydney said she being the overall was her favorite role. "I liked having to plan all the events," she remarked. "I planned the middle school Mini-THON."
Unfortunately, Sydney never got to see her hard work pay off, as the middle school Mini-THON was scheduled for the week after schools were closed by the stay-at-home order. The high school Mini-THON could not go on as planned, either. "This year, we did a video virtual reveal (of the fundraising total)," Sydney explained. Proceeds were not as high as expected. "We usually make a lot of money at the event, so we lost all of that," she added.
When school begins again, Hempfield's Mini-THON leadership team will be chosen from a group of applicants by the advisers. Traditionally, the event's first fundraiser is a car wash in August. Sydney is hoping to add a colorful run or 5K to the fundraising calendar.
In recognition of Sydney's contributions to Hempfield's Mini-THON, committee adviser and school district library department supervisor Cathi Fuhrman invited her to apply for the 2020-21 Mini-THON Student Leadership Council. "I know that through Sydney's personal experience with Four Diamonds, her tenacity, determination, and leadership skills would be an asset to the Mini-THON Leadership Council," Fuhrman wrote in her recommendation letter. "Above all, Sydney's passion and commitment to the organization that helped save her life will be extremely valuable to the leadership council now and for years to come."
Sydney was one of fewer than 20 students who were selected for the council - more than 50 had applied - and the first from Hempfield. She and her peers will serve as advocates and leaders for Four Diamonds and Mini-THON. During the 2019-20 school year, 294 schools, representing more than 90,000 students, participated in a Mini-THON event. She is pleased to have this opportunity to contribute to Four Diamonds.
Following her senior year, Sydney hopes to attend Penn State University and major in human development and family studies. She wants to become a child life specialist, bringing encouragement and support to families and children who are experiencing cancer or other traumatic life events.
"My parents always tell me how much the child life specialist meant to me and my sister," Sydney said. "I want to give back to other families."
For more information about Mini-THON, readers may visit http://www.fourdiamonds.org/mini-thon.
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