Written by Keira Sieber MUAHS Reporter
February 27 was a night of milestones, emotions and celebration across Huntingdon County. After originally starting as a mission to help seven local children battle cancer, CHAMP, now in its twelfth year, has eclipsed the one-million-dollar milestone.
CHAMP set the ambitious goal of passing the one-million-dollar mark soon after the conclusion of last year’s fundraising. Not only did schools and students across Huntingdon County reach their goal, but they also smashed through the goal with a record setting $259,631.54 raised.
CHAMP was started to help seven children fighting cancer in the community, these kids came to be known as the “Spectacular Seven”. In the twelve years since its inception, CHAMP has grown not only in the amount of money raised, but in the number of families helped.
This year, CHAMP announced that 23 beneficiaries would receive help in their fight against cancer. These 23 recipients include both children and adults. Isabella Boyd, Abby Sholly, Lincoln Duvall, Ellie Kirsch and Sylus Fellman make up the list of children helped by this year’s CHAMP. The adults that CHAMP’s funding will help this year incudes Herbert Cave, Sharon Long, Jerry Heidel, Tara Whitsel, Greg Pine, Daniel Whitsel, Sam Warner, Tammy Mills, Sherry Honstine Miles, Lori and Ronnie Shehan, Chad Brower, Renee Hess, Laurie Parker, George Edgerton, Todd Norris, Heather Irvin, Chad Scott and Alyssa Starr.
This year, Mount Union hosted the danceathon that wraps up the CHAMP fundraising year. Mount Union hosted many interactive activities for the students such as dodgeball, tug of war, lip syncing, basketball, volleyball as well as serving dirty sodas as a way to continue earning extra funds for the families.
Mount Union was not only able to celebrate hosting CHAMP for the first time in five years, but was able to take credit for breaking milestones and records of their own.
CHAMP offers two trophies for school to compete to earn, these are the CHAMP Cup and the Spectacular 7 Trophy. Mount Union became the first school ever to win both trophies in the same year by raising the most total money and the most money per student. Mount Union also raised over $96,000 for the families in need, smashing the previous fundraising record by a single school by almost twice the previous record and making up over a third of total CHAMP fundraising.