Youngstown Guinathon features live music for first time, featuring Gabbie Hanna
For the tenth year, Guinathon is back in Youngstown, with live music performances for the first time since the event’s inception.
Junior Madelynn Hanna is the family relations manager for Guinathon, Youngstown State University’s Dance Marathon fundraiser for Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley.
Guinathon is happening from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Feb. 21 in the YSU Rec Center.
“Guinathon is a way to help families who have children who need help, and then it’s part of something bigger called Dance Marathon. Almost every campus and a lot of the major ones have their own version of dance marathon,” Madelynn said.
Madelynn’s major is in human resource management, and her minor is in international business.
“This year we have raffle baskets, silent auctions, food, games and performances from local artists TJDUB and Gabbie Hanna,” Madelynn said. “ TJDUB has a lot of people that support him and that’ll bring some more people in that wouldn’t normally know what this is. It’s free entry and free food.”
There will also be games to play that cost $1 per ticket, and the funds raised will go directly toward benefitting Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley.
“We’re really excited for the event,” Madelynn said.
Madelynn is originally from New Castle in western Pennsylvania, growing up with one brother and five sisters.
Gabbie is one of her sisters, who first rose to fame on Vine and became an internet personality who gained nationwide attention for her videos.
“She’s really happy she’s been given the opportunity to use her platform to be able to help such a good cause,” Madelynn said. “If it was for anything else, I wouldn’t go out of my way to ask her, but it’s for the kids. We’re really glad to have her come to our event. We’re hoping that it gave it a little more exposure, and she’s volunteering her time both of them so very exciting.”
Gabbie moved to LA and lived there for a decade, according to her sister.
“I wasn’t around her as much then, and when she moved back to Pennsylvania recently, it’s nice to be around her again,” Madelynn said. “She started doing stuff on the Internet when I was growing up, so it was always around. She knew what YSU was growing up. She went to school in Pittsburgh.”
In 2022, Gabbie made headlines for an expansive series of videos that had her viewers concerned for her mental health and was criticized for comments on mental health.
In 2023, Gabbie took a yearlong digital hiatus that ended in March 2024.
Now, Gabbie is focused on music, metal health awareness and announced a new career as a YMCA instructor in their western Pennsylvania hometown.
Guinathon 2026 won’t be Gabbie’s first time on stage; she performed at the New Castle Music Festival in 2024.
“This year, we have a lot of new stuff in the works that’s never done before. We have a really big charity concert planned for the fall of next year, which we received a $5,000 grant from the Cafaros for,” Madelynn said. “
