Operation Smile

​Haddonfield Memorial High School held its annual Volleyball Marathon Friday January 29. This year marked the 24th year for this great event. The Marathon was hosted by Operation Smile and supported by donations of food and drinks and chaperone time from the supportive HMHS community. Participating students signed up during lunch in the cafeteria and agreed to raise money for the event. One hundred and forty students attended the event and raised a total of nearly $8,000. The money raised will be distributed among various charities such as the Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation, the Brooke Mulford Foundation, and the Global Cause Foundation. Students showed up at the gym doors at 8pm and stayed the entire night until they left at 8 am the next morning. Students were assigned to teams in advance of the event and played round-robin style all night long. Students also danced to great music, talked and laughed and had an all-around great time. The one word most often used to describe the entire night was “exhilarating.” Of course! After all, we are talking about a marathon of fun and friends and a good cause. Amazingly, most of the students weathered the night without falling asleep often with the help of plenty of food, coffee, and energy drinks. In the end, it was an amazing event and a great experience for everyone who participated with many recommending the event to friends who did not attend. That is a very good recommendation because next year will be the Volleyball Marathon’s 25th year so rest up and plan to be there – it is sure to be quite an event.