Some people dance for the stars. Some dance like no one’s watching. And others, like Lancaster Catholic senior AJ Jacunski, dance for diamonds.
If the repertoire of dance is a set of selected sequences of human movement, AJ has choreographed a legacy that he and his entire family can be proud of. And this year, AJ continued to build on that legacy when Catholic High hosted its seventh Mini-THON with AJ serving as Executive Director, a position you might say he is extremely qualified for.
“My brother was a Four Diamonds child, and he lost his battle,” Jacunski explained. “That’s what motivates me and my whole family to participate in Mini-THON and help other kids.”
Jason ‘Jay’ Jacunski passed away in 2010 during his sophomore year at Lancaster Catholic after battling Burkitts Leukemia.
The following school year, Jay’s classmates rallied together and decided to organize the school’s first Mini-THON in his honor. In the Spring of 2012, members of the Crusader community came together to dance to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, or as they say ‘for the kids’.
And one special sixth grader was there in Berger Gym with his family as the community danced the night away. AJ has been to every LCHS Mini-THON, first as a student at St. Leo’s and then all four years that he’s been a Crusader. And the leadership role has always been on his mind.
His older brother, Michael, a 2015 graduate of Lancaster Catholic, also served as Executive Director during his senior year, while AJ danced as a freshman. And his sister Alyssa, a 2010 grad who went on to study at Penn State University, helped introduce her parents to PSU’s THON. Now, John, Karla and the Jacunskis are regulars during a spring weekend in Happy Valley every year, too.
“We saw firsthand what Four Diamonds does,” AJ added. “So being able to help families like our family, giving them the opportunity to just focus on their child and not worry about the bills; it’s just important to us.”
During this past summer, AJ was a slam dunk decision to attend a Leadership Retreat offered by Catholic High’s Campus Ministry department. There he learned a few valuable lessons that he has implemented in his leadership role of Mini-THON. He is also a part of Mini-THON’s student leadership council, where he worked closely with other leaders and liaisons of Mini-THONs all across the state.
“One of the main things I learned was to focus on the big picture things to help expand Mini-THON as an organization.”
Even though Mini-THON is a 12-hour dance marathon during one weekend in the spring, it is truly a year-long event in order for it to be successful. The club organizes car washes, bake sales and other fundraising opportunities throughout the school year. This year, Lancaster Catholic’s Mini-THON’s committee consisted of 125 students that met weekly.
“Because it is growing so much, we are reaching new people and raising more money. It’s less of a Lancaster Catholic High School thing where it’s just students. We are starting to get into the community more with our sponsors and it’s more of an entire community event.”
AJ is fortunate enough to have the experience of six previous events, but he admits that the event is a success because everyone buys in. This year’s Mini-THON had over ten subcommittees with about 14 chairs to help make the 12-hour event run smoothly. But it was AJ’s job to oversee every aspect of the night.
“I learned very early not to try and take it all on my own,” he confessed. “You have to use the committee or it becomes overbearing. But what I like to try and do is look at the big picture while keeping the personal connection with it and helping the committee find a personal connection with it as well.”
Lancaster Catholic’s 2018 Mini-THON raised a school-record $56,101.65 at the event in March, and to date, the school has raised over $250,000 to fight pediatric cancer.
And just like the previous six years, the Jacunski family was an integral part of the event. Only this time, they were watching AJ build on the family legacy.