Cabrini Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held the second annual Mitch Kline Cav-A-Thon on Saturday, March 23 from 6 to 10 p.m. in the Dixon Center. The unofficial total revealed to have been raised was $13,174.79.
This dance marathon raised awareness and money for children suffering with pediatric cancer. After surpassing their $10,000 goal, SAAC is donating 95 percent of the money to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) while the other 5 percent is going to The Cabrini Fund.
The event featured DJ Frank Criniti, performances from the cheerleaders, dance team, step team and Cavalier Dance Company. There were also games such as water pong, corn hole and spike ball. A few prizes were also raffled off such as a trip to Wildwood, Phillies tickets, a Keurig and much more.
Cav-A-Thon featured a pair of four-year old ambassadors at the event. Rylee Crowley, from Upper Township, NJ and Jaxon Butkus, from Williamstown, New Jersey. They are two pediatric cancer patients at CHOP who attended the dance marathon.
Senior Ryan Brong was the master of ceremonies at this event. He has been with Cav-A-Thon since the start.
“Two years ago, after a SAAC meeting, one of our fellow SAAC reps, Britt Runyen, brought up the idea of starting a dance marathon. Myself and Steve Halko, another saac rep and alum, turned around then with Britt to come up with a plan to put the event in action,” Brong said. “We met with administration members launched a promo video at the end of the 2017 school year. And then last year we had our first event.”
This event was organized to not only make an impact on kids with cancer but also to unite to school for one common goal. While the event was started through SAAC, it is in no way an ‘athletics’ event. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do at Cabrini, you can be part of Cav-A-Thon.
“The school as a whole can rally behind the mission of helping these kids and in turn, bridge any gaps between groups at the school as well,” Brong said.
Besides Brong, Jess Huda, SAAC Director and Cabrini Assistant Director of Athletics and Recreation, has been a part of this event since the beginning. She has been on the forefront of this event and also believe it is not just for athletes.
“I think so many people think it’s only for athletes or only athletes attend, but that’s not the case. We had plenty of non-athletes leading our committees and playing a huge role in the event,” Huda said. “We want the campus to know it is for everyone, but the idea just got started with athletes. The event itself is a celebration of the money raised throughout the year. It takes a bit more work than the ones people were involved with in high school, but the concept is the same. Hopefully we can continue to have success and more and more people will want to be involved.”
The Cav-A-Thon was named after former softball coach, Mitch Kline. Kline passed away from cancer in September 2016.
