Parents looking for a night out to celebrate Valentine's Day are invited to drop their children off at Twin Valley High School (TVHS) for a Babysitting Night being presented by the Twin Valley Mini-THON Club. The event will be held on Friday, Feb. 16, from 5 to 8 p.m.

During the evening, children will be able to enjoy crafts, games and a movie. A pizza dinner will be provided. "We prefer that people register, but walk-ins will be welcome," said TVHS senior Chelsea Hurley, who is co-overall of Twin Valley Mini-THON along with junior Ashley Siv. "(Babysitting Night) is open to any age (child) that parents feel comfortable dropping off."

Chelsea said that the games and Valentine's Day-themed craft will be age appropriate. "We will have crafts for older kids and toddler age," she noted. "There will be a lot of variation so kids can pick what they want to do." An age-appropriate movie will end the evening.

A fee will be charged for babysitting. There will be separate prices for one child, two children and three or more children. Both cash and checks will be accepted for payment.

"We are hoping to welcome as many kids as possible," Chelsea said. "We will have about 20 students (volunteering), including the (club's) 11 officers. We will get more (volunteers) if needed." In addition to students, Lance Chappelle, the club's adviser, will also be on hand to provide supervision.

The babysitting event is just one fundraiser of Twin Valley Mini-THON. The club raises money for Four Diamonds, a nonprofit organization that has a mission to conquer childhood cancer. The main fundraiser of the student-run club is its Mini-THON, which is a dance marathon modeled after the Penn State THON that raises money for families with children being treated for cancer at Penn State Children's Hospital.

"We did Breakfast with Santa and a Craft Fair, and we did kids' crafts at that as well," noted Chelsea. Club members also held a Letters from Santa program, providing handwritten letters to children during Christmastime.

Club members also hold other fundraisers throughout the year, including car washes and a summertime 5K and kids' fun run/walk. During commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2023, TVHS principal Bill Clements reported that the club raised more than $53,000 during the 2022-23 school year.

According to http://www.fourdiamonds.org, the goal of the Mini-THON clubs located across the United States is to empower students to take a role in helping to conquer childhood cancer. By participating in the effort, students learn skills such as leadership, problem-solving, teamwork and critical thinking.

At TVHS, the club meets weekly to plan events and complete other club tasks. The next event will be a middle school dance in March. "It will be a mini Mini-THON," Chelsea noted.

TVHS is located at 4897 Twin Valley Road, Elverson. On Babysitting Night, parents are asked to drop off their children by the school's front entrance near the flag pole between 5 and 6 p.m. and then pick up their children at 8 p.m. For more information and to register a child for the Babysitting Night, visit http://www.facebook.com/twin.valley.313.

Those with questions may email Ashley at 25asiv@tvsd.info, Chelsea at 24churley@tvsd.info or Chappelle at LChappelle@tvsd.org.