Participants in the Mount Union Area High School auditorium take part in CHAMP 2022, the last time the event was held at the school. CHAMP will return to Mount Union again in 2026.
By DELANEY RONK | Journalism Student, Mount Union Area Senior High School
Mount Union, Pa. — Huntingdon County’s high school dance marathon, known as CHAMP, aspires to break the $1,000,000 mark this year.
Creating Hope and Making Progress (CHAMP) was founded by Jeremy Crouse and is a philanthropic event that occurs once a year in Huntingdon County. CHAMP began in 2014 when seven kids in the county, who were later known as the “Spectacular Seven,” were battling cancer. Crouse, a Mount Union alumnus, shared his motivation behind creating CHAMP, “Penn State’s THON was what inspired me. I wanted a way to unite our county through student leadership and to help those in need while doing it. I pitched the idea to the Planet LoveJoy team, and everyone was on board. That is when we started to reach out to the different schools to get buy-in.” Since then, CHAMP has united students from every high school in Huntingdon County, all working together to support families in need.
Over the years, the program’s impact has only continued to grow. It allows students to step into leadership roles, build communication among captains, handle fundraisers, manage conflict, plan events, and budget finances. These are qualities that not only make the event successful but also shape young individuals with traits that last a lifetime. All of these efforts have helped CHAMP grow into something that means a lot to people across the county. To date, CHAMP has helped over 100 families and raised more than $800,000.
That continued success is something Crouse takes great pride in. When asked what CHAMP means to him personally, Crouse explained, “I never expected CHAMP to become a county staple. I figured it would last a few years and be done, but the students behind CHAMP, along with their advisors, never stop. It is a friendly competition. It is helping those in need. It is uniting the community at its finest. I am so proud to be part of something that is larger than any one person.”
CHAMP 2026 is set to take place on February 27, 2026, at Mount Union Area High School. It is expected to break more records and change even more lives. The energy around the 12th annual event is full of excitement. Crouse commented, “The Mount Union captains and advisors who are hosting CHAMP this year are focused on winning both trophies and have done well so far with raising money. I am excited to see what they put together. Every year the standard gets set a little higher.”
To help meet the goal of raising $1,000,000 in total funds this year, each school and its captains are working harder than ever to ensure that this target is achieved. Fundraising for CHAMP has become year-round, and all participants and advisors volunteer their time. Everyone who contributes does it for the love of their school and community.
Without the help of everyone in the community, the yearly event would not be possible. Crouse elaborated, “The year we started CHAMP, if you would have asked me if I thought we would ever disperse $1,000,000 to county families, I would have probably laughed. We have been blessed by everyone in the county because it takes everyone to make CHAMP special. Outside of the thousands of people, churches, and businesses donating money, we also have Sheetz and all the local pizza places giving us food. WILDSIDE Productions volunteers their DJ services, 707 Photography volunteers for pictures, and Colonial Florist donates flowers.”
CHAMP is a completely donation-based organization and relies on the support of local businesses and community members to cover its expenses. The funds raised throughout the year are fully distributed to recipients. Every donation makes someone’s life a little bit easier. Anyone who would like to help CHAMP continue its mission can find donation information below.
Venmo: @champhco
Paypal: champhco@gmail.com
Checks payable: CHAMP/Planet LoveJoy
Send to: CHAMP/Mount Union HS, c/o Steph Hancock Stains, 706 North Shaver Street, Mount Union PA 17066
This article was published as part of Ms. Dimoff’s Journalism class at Mount Union Area Senior High School.
Leave a Reply