IrishTHON Raises Over $4,000 for Local Cancer Organization
On January 31, Central Catholic students and staff raised $4,021 at IrishTHON, a student-led fundraising event and an evening of fun and fellowship. Students raised money through sponsorships from families, friends, and alumni donors. All donations go directly to Catching Up With Jack, a local organization committed to helping kids battling cancer as well as supporting research to find a cure.
Senior John Rudski is a member of the IrishTHON Core Team, which plans the event, comes up with the theme, sets up and decorates, supervises the evening’s activities, and arranges for speakers to address the attendees. “I’ve been involved with IrishTHON for three years, and I feel like it’s the biggest and most direct way to reach out through Central Catholic to serve the community and make the most impact,” he explained. “It’s a great way to connect our students for an evening of fun with a purpose.”
Senior Lauren Bishop wanted to be a member of the IrishTHON Core Team because her brother, Kevin Bishop (Class of 2021), started the event when he was a student at Central Catholic. “It’s a great cause and it’s student-led, which means we can really make a difference,” she said. “I am proud of the impact we are making and hearing personal stories from some of the families who benefit from the money we raise shows how much we can help change people’s lives.”
“I wanted to get involved with IrishTHON to help kids in need, and because having cancer is life-altering for the entire family,” said senior Christian Kynard, another member of the IrishTHON Core Team. “It was inspiring to hear from the speakers, and it makes you realize that this can happen to anyone. I wanted to raise as much as we could to help people in our community, and it makes the CCHS community stronger.”
The students invited two speakers to IrishTHON to talk about the importance of the fundraising event. Brady and Katie Fineske, the founders of Catching Up With Jack, were at IrishTHON to share their story with the students. After their son, Jack, lost his battle with pediatric brain cancer in 2015, the family decided to view their loss as a way to not only raise awareness for childhood cancer, but also to support the families who would soon go through the long road of hospital treatment they had experienced themselves. They are beyond grateful for the support of the Irish Nation in their efforts to accomplish these goals.
Corri Stanley (Class of 2003) is a former Central Catholic teacher and head girls’ basketball coach whose son Colton fought T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. She spoke about the impact of childhood cancer on her family, the support that they received from Catching Up with Jack, and how that moved her to start the Colton Strong Kids organization.
Students who attend IrishTHON receive a wristband to wear during the event. At the end of the evening, senior members of the Core Team gather the students to cut off their wristbands as a symbol representing their accomplishment. “Since we stay on our feet throughout the entire event the way medical staff members stay busy and on their feet during a shift at the hospital, the cutting of the wristbands is like the end of the shift,” explained Kynard. “It represents working hard and reaching your goal.”
CCHS students created the IrishTHON in 2019 as a way for Central Catholic to do more community outreach, not only for our surrounding neighbors, but for the city of Toledo as a whole. Since its inception, the event has raised over $57,000 to help local families.
Anyone who still wishes to donate to this worthy cause may do so HERE.
