It’s hard to put into words what is going on inside my head right now, but I’m going to try anyway.

I have been incredibly fortunate to work with the Greensburg Salem Mini-THON crew over the past 5 years, and while there have been plenty of ups and downs, today I’m at an all time high (albeit incredibly sore!!!) from last night’s event. To those of you who have ever helped to put on an event like this, I think you understand first hand the feelings – but what I feel most of all right now is thankful.

And at the risk of forgetting somebody, I’m going to attempt to thank those who’ve played a large role in this process.

It starts with our Leadership Team. These young leaders have taken on a monumental task for their Senior Project. They put in countless hours into what (hopefully) becomes a passion and a life’s lesson like very few others. To Elsa and Sam, you took something on and we had NO IDEA what it would become. You have built a lasting legacy – and not many people can truly say that about their lives. You did it by 18. To Isabella, Joey, and Katie – you picked up that torch and made it yours, incorporating events we still do to this day. To Abby, Kevin, Emmie, and Chloe – you took that torch and took things to an all new level. To Malia, Daj, Keara, Allie, and Natalia – $50,000??? Enough said! And to Erika, Jalen, Ryan, Cavan, and Alexis, I have to admit that I doubted your lofty goal. I thought there was NO WAY you could do this, and I feared what a failure to meet that goal might entail. As of yesterday I felt this way. But you showed that goals are MEANT to be lofty. And I’m proud of you. It was so incredibly nice to see so many of our former leaders last night. I’m proud of each and every single one of you.

To Leigh Anna Hilbert at Four Diamonds: we can’t possibly thank you enough for showing us the way. You’ve championed our kids at all times, and this is appreciated.

To the Greensburg Salem Community: THANK YOU! Man, this is a tough one.

To every single business that has contributed generously over the past five years. To those who have been with us from Day One, making a commitment to the KIDS and our kids.

To those who’ve driven by and put a quarter or a dollar into a can.

To those near and far who hit that Donor Drive link and helped us out. Contributions came to us this year LITERALLY from all over the country, and globe, for that matter!

To those who’ve come to a Pancake Breakfast or a Movie Night.

To those who took part in a Silent Auction or came to Community Hours.

To those who ever bought a 50/50 ticket or took part in our Back to School Tailgate and got your buttisimos whooped at Cornhole by the Wotus’ or Zillis.

To those of you who have withstood our social media onslaughts of post after post and still made a donation.

To those of you who are demonstrating to these kids what COMMUNITY means. In the words of my friend Jayson Lillie, “Greensburg is rich with great people and it is continuing in our young people. This community is anything but ordinary. It’s exceptional.” Spot on.

To John Flaherty, who posted a link to an article on Facebook 6 years ago about the Mini-THON your daughter was spearheading at Pine Richland. While Elsa had an idea of what she wanted to do, seeing this in person at PR really changed the game for us.

To our Administrators who’ve okayed almost everything – and I’m sure held your breath at times when we told you “this will work.”

To our Teachers who dress up as fairies and delay class to count coins and bring your children to our events. You’re the best.

To our Custodians who have stayed overnight after a long week to help us out.

To Tyler Tech, who used his knowledge to take our footprint to a new level. Once Tyler’s archived livestream is available, I’ll link to it here.

To Ripcord Productions, who has gone WAY above and beyond what anybody could ever expect.

To our Art Department for volunteering their talents to help with incredible signage and their leadership with the National Art Honor Society, who have just absolutely crushed Face Painting for us.

To Jessica at Downtown Greensburg Project, who has championed our cause. Jess has worked tirelessly to promote our City. Check out the things she’s doing, please. To the Trib as well!

To our Teachers who “chaperone.” Thank you for being so giving of your time.

To the young ladies who so generously donated at least 8 inches of their hair. This is the DEFINITION of sacrifice. And I can assure you that you’re even more beautiful today. So impressive.

This pic is missing one, but thank you to these young ladies for helping young girls who have lost their hair due to this disease.

To Tina Jobe and Tara Dulkis and their helper extraordinaire, Sheri Gongaware – what you help us with is worth way more than money. You’re professionals and we thank you. I’ve had the opportunity to witness a young girl with cancer receive a wig made from a donation. I’ll never forget that.

To the boys who also had their heads shaved as a sign of solidarity for those who are afflicted with cancer.

To Doug Prentice and Lisa Mankins, our guest speakers. Your stories and bravery show us why we do what we do. We are so thankful for your demonstration of what it means to fight.

To Dave Trout and the Trout family. We’re always thinking about you.

To our students who danced, and fooseball-ed, and hungry hippo-ed, and stood, and human bowl-ed, and zumba-ed, and danced some more. We hope that you also had some fun while doing what you do. You’re inspiring. You help your classmates and others in times of need.

I mean, c’mon now, you know you want to do that!

To the young lady who gave me 45 cents and apologized because you didn’t have more and wouldn’t be able to eat lunch if you gave me the rest in your pocket, know that you are appreciated and that you have helped every bit as much as anybody else. And know that you restore faith. And know that I shed some tears with your name on them (even thought I don’t even know your name).

To the parents of our Leaders. Know that we understand the sacrifices that you have made to make this work. You’ve sold 50/50 tickets, created caricatures, flipped pancakes, stood in the rain and snow, manned a concession stand for 12 hours (multiple times), and so, so much more. I’m sure that your children don’t fully understand what you’ve done to help them, but we do. And they will, eventually.

Lastly, to Matt Boe. Your passion for this project is evident. I think back to when you were a Freshman in English 9 and I will freely admit that I didn’t envision working alongside you or looking up to you as I do. Just as our Leaders have created a legacy, so have you. I’m proud of you and proud to say I work with you. I get WAY too much credit for being a part of this. It’s your baby, and you’re the man.