For years, Ms. Pearson, a Spanish teacher at Lower Moreland High School, has been one of the faculty leaders behind the success of Lower Moreland’s Mini-THON, inspiring countless students and community members to unite behind a shared mission: fighting pediatric cancer For The Kids! Her dedication and vision have shaped a legacy of hope and change, transforming innocent children’s and their families’ lives. As she steps away from her leadership role after ten years, Ms. Pearson passes the torch to Mr. and Mrs. Segalow, who will continue this important mission at Lower Moreland. Together, the entire community thanks Ms. Pearson for her unwavering support in raising over $2 million FTK!
On December 16, 2024, I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Pearson about her legacy of leading the largest student-led philanthropic effort in our community. It was an absolute honor, and I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude toward Ms. Pearson for her decade of incredible dedication!
To begin our interview, I asked Ms. Pearson what initially inspired her to be an advisor for Mini-THON. Without much hesitation, Ms. Pearson clarified, “Well, there is a two-part answer to that question. Number one, when I started working here, I met Mr. Baron probably during my second or third year, and he was looking for a co-advisor. And he pressured me for a very, very, very long time, but I was doing my Masters, and I wanted to ensure that I finished my Masters first. However, after I finished my Masters degree, he continued pressuring me to do it, so I finally agreed to be his co-advisor! So, there was definitely that outside pressure, but I think the inspiration was going to Penn State. I didn’t do a lot of THON participation at Penn State, but just seeing how impactful it was at Penn State, I thought if it could be that impactful at a big school, seeing what Mr. Baron had created, I knew I wanted to help! I had always been involved in volunteer work and service, so I knew that this was something I wanted to be a part of. I became a teacher because I wanted to teach, but also because of extracurriculars like THON, so I knew that this would fit my skill set.” 
Moving on, I asked Ms. Pearson what she had learned from being a Mini-THON advisor, to which she replied, “I would say I have learned more than I have ever thought imaginable, for sure. I would say that the thing I loved most about Mini-THON was the students and people I got to work with. I have taught many of the Captains, but not all. So, meeting students that I never had in my classroom, I have learned so much from them and the ones I had in my classroom. I would say working with people who have a different thought process, you know. I always say that you will always learn something from someone. So, I would say that I have learned a lot from how people think and approach problems. I have learned a lot more behind the scenes of the technical side of Mini-THON, like our website, which is really interesting. But more so, I have learned that students here at Lower Moreland really want to help people; they are not selfish people. People always say that Lower Moreland is like this ‘bubble’; when people say this, I think they think that people care about themselves, but I can’t say that is true for the Mini-THON Captains and even the community. So, I would say, I think the biggest thing I have learned is that this community really does want to help others, and that is something I am really proud to be a part of.”
Segueing to the next question, I asked Ms. Pearson: Why is the mission for Mini-THON, raising money for pediatric cancer, so important to her? Quickly, Ms. Pearson responded, “I will say this: we all know pediatric cancer is not well-funded. I think only 4% of funding actually goes to pediatric cancer. That number might be a little different currently, but a few years ago, it was only 4%. Also, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer about five or six years ago, but prostate cancer is incredibly easy to treat if caught early enough, which was at least the case for my dad. After his surgery, he has been cancer-free to this very day. However, the reason that he is okay is because there is so much funding and research for a number of cancers, but not for pediatric cancer. So, about the time that my dad was diagnosed, I was going to step away from Mini-THON because I had done it for a little while, but I thought, ‘How can I step away when number one, there is no cure, but also the funding has not gone up?’ So, it felt selfish and wrong for me to step away when I knew there was still work to do. I was so grateful that my dad was okay for those reasons, so I felt like I wasn’t done yet and still had more to give.”
Moving on, I asked Ms. Pearson what some of her favorite memories are from her 10 years as a Mini-THON advisor. Laughing, Ms. Pearson replied, “There are a lot of moments that stick out to me! Being the advisor for 10 years, I have worked with so many Heads and hundreds and hundreds of Captains, including Mr. Baron, Mr. Preedy, and now the Segalows. One thing that sticks out to me is that we started the Color Run my first year, so that stands out to me, you know, working with the fire department, talking with the police, seeing the community come together; it was really cool to start that event from the ground up to see where it is now. Seeing something that has raised over $15-16,000 on something we started, I feel very accomplished.” Ms. Pearson continued to explain, “There are still former Heads that I talk to all of the time, and that I consider friends now. In terms of fundraising, though, after COVID-19, our goal wasn’t to raise money during COVID because there was such financial hardship for everybody. Still, post-COVID, we made such a massive jump in fundraising, and it has just skyrocketed since then, which has been just so incredible to see. However, it is never about the total for me, but seeing all the work, energy, love, and passion come together for the day of THON; nothing is more rewarding!”
Next, I asked Ms. Pearson how she thinks Mini-THON has positively influenced the Lower Moreland community, to which she readily responded, “I think a lot of people see the day of Mini-THON as Mini-THON, but I think what has influenced this community the most is the Captains and the Heads that spend their time from the summer until November. I think they are learning valuable life skills that they will have for the rest of their lives.” Laughing, Ms. Pearson explained, “I mean, to this day, I am still not completely comfortable with talking on the phone, whereas I will see a 17-year-old calling a business and speaking to a CEO asking for money! That is NOT something I could have done at 17 or would enjoy doing today! So, it is definitely skills like that, things like writing an email or working in a group, listening to others and not always being right, learning to listen and forgive, or taking criticism, that’s a big one too. So, yeah, I really think that students in this community are taking skills with them to help them in their personal lives and when they are in their careers.” Ms. Pearson continued, “In terms of the community as a whole, I think Lower Moreland has traditions, but I think Mini-THON is the best tradition we have. I know I’m biased, but everyone looks forward to it. I actually had parents come back to Mini-THON whose children graduated years ago, but they were still excited to come back! So, I think it is something that the community has bonded over, which has been very special!”
Next, I asked Ms. Pearson what challenges she faced as a Mini-THON advisor or as Mini-THON as a whole. Pondering, Ms. Pearson answered, “Thankfully, this community has been very supportive, the administration has been very supportive, and Mr. Preedy and Mr. Baron and I have been given a lot of freedom to do what we want, so I really am appreciative of the District, community, and administration for allowing me to really have the freedom to make the decisions I want to make. However, there have been challenges, for sure. I would say I have seen a different type of student since COVID. For sure, some years are more challenging than others in terms of motivation and work completion, things like that, but overall, those challenges seem so small when I compare them to what our goal is. In the grand scheme of things, these annoyances won’t matter. At the end of the day, we are raising money for kids battling pediatric cancer, and that is ultimately our goal.”
Continuing our interview, I asked Ms. Pearson what led to her decision to step back from Mini-THON. She explained, “It is a couple of things. Many people have asked, ‘Why?’ Number one, I think doing something forever doesn’t seem like the best idea. Ten years sounded like an incredibly long time, and I thought I didn’t want to do something forever, and I can’t do something forever. So, Mr. Preedy and I talked a few years ago about how we would step down at some point. Still, Mr. Preedy decided to leave Lower Moreland and go to medical school, which solidified my decision. Mr. Preedy was a fantastic co-advisor for me. We were both very different, so that is why we worked so well together. So, I did not want to be the advisor by myself because it is not a one-person job. I was happy with the legacy he and I created, but I didn’t want to leave when he left because then Mini-THON would have been over with, so thankfully, Mr. Baron came back and helped. So, yeah, I just feel like it is time. I have done what I have set out to do. The fact that the Segalows stepped up also allowed me to leave.”
Toward the end of our conversation, I asked Ms. Pearson if she could sum up her experience of being a Mini-THON advisor in just a few words, what words would she choose to describe her experience? With careful thought, Ms. Pearson responded, “Kids will often tell me post-Mini-THON that Mini-THON changed their lives; I think that when people hear that who weren’t deeply a part of Mini-THON they may think that is such an exaggeration, but I feel the same way: it changed my life. For one, I got to raise a lot of money for a very deserving cause. Number two, I have gotten to work with students who will do way more amazing things in this world; wow, this makes me tear up! I love teaching; do not get me wrong, I love being in the classroom, but there is a different dynamic when you work outside of school hours with students with a common goal, and I think those moments are so special. It really is the camaraderie, the relationships that feel life-changing. They really have left an impact on me, and I think that they will forever. So, life-changing seems like a pretty fitting word!”
For the final question of our interview, I asked Ms. Pearson if she could give a final message to past Captains or other student participants of Mini-THON, what would she say? Choking up, she passionately replied, “I would thank them. I am such a crier! But, yeah, I would thank them. Mr. Baron kindly put together a 50-minute video of former Captains, Heads, and parents thanking me for what I have done over the past decade, but it would not be possible without everyone. It is not just my achievement; it’s our achievement. You know, asking the students to give up so much time for one organization I understand is a big ask, but they did it, and they did it above and beyond anything I could have hoped. Reaching $1 million years ago seemed crazy, but to raise $2 million soon after that is really because of the dedication and effort of the Captains. Again, people always thank me, but it is a whole group effort. So, I would like to thank them. I don’t think you can ever say ‘thank you’ enough to people. I hope they know I appreciate them and am always here for them. Always.”
With that, I would like to thank Ms. Pearson. Your efforts have led to a beautiful legacy of hope and motivation. You are truly the epitome of a role model for so many. Ten years of dedicated work is an immense gift you have granted our community, and we are eternally grateful for that. Your contributions to Lower Moreland and the Four Diamonds organization will never go unnoticed, and your commendable impact will never leave Lower Moreland. Thank you once again for everything, Ms. Pearson! You do everything For The Kids, and this article is For You!
