Penn Township gym to host fundraiser for children with cancer

Gianna Wilkie wants her two passions — fitness and Penn State’s THON — to “stay collided” in a spin class fundraiser slated for this month.

As a Penn State student, Wilkie was highly involved in THON, an organization that raises money and offers support to families facing childhood cancer.

In 2023, THON raised more than $15 million. The funds were donated to Four Diamonds, a program which covers medical costs for child cancer patients at Penn State Children’s Hospital.

Since graduating in 2020, Wilkie has carried her passion for THON to Penn Township through various fundraisers.

The latest is Spin-In Benefiting THON, a series of four back-to-back spin classes which will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 17 at Adroit Athletics gym in Penn Township.

The event will feature four 45-minute spin classes. Registration is $20 per class. Donations and corporate sponsorships are also welcome, said Wilkie, a spin instructor at the gym.

All proceeds will be donated to THON, said gym owner April Miller.

“To be able to help give Gianna this platform to do something that is very, very important to her makes me feel good, because I want to support everybody’s dreams and endeavors that are associated with the gym,” Miller said. “As far as THON itself, there is not a better cause. Children with cancer is just so heart-wrenching, and I think it evokes emotions in even the least emotional of people.”

Snacks and additional activities — including cornhole and a bonfire — will be available at the event. Attendees are welcome to stay for as long as they would like, Miller said. The fundraising total will be announced at the end of the event.

Wilkie was a member of a THON committee her sophomore year and jumped to a leadership position as a junior. In her senior year, she “danced” — stayed awake and stood on her feet for 46 hours — during the organization’s dance marathon weekend, which marks the end of the fundraising year.

“It was the most incredible honor I’ve ever had … I wish I could do it over and over and over again,” Wilkie said. “While I was standing to support (the THON families), they were supporting me. It was quite an experience. I don’t think I could ever put it into words.”

Wilkie and Miller have set a fundraising goal of $1,000 and hope to see every spin slot filled.

The main goal, however, is to bring the mission of THON to Penn Township, Wilkie said.

“If I could even bring just a small fraction of that joy — that community, that support — out to Penn-Trafford,” Wilkie said, “I think I will be content for the rest of my life.”