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Printer-Friendly ModeStudents stay Up 'til Dawn to raise money for children
October 29, 2007 —
SVSU students helped to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital on Wednesday during the annual Up 'til Dawn letter-writing party. Doznes of students petitioned friends and family to donate to the hospital, which treats all children free of charge.
Participants were encouraged to bring the addresses of 50 friends and family members to the party, where they would then stuff envelops with pre-written letters requesting donations to the Memphis-based research facility.
"The cool thing about St. Jude's is that it's absolutely free to all patients," occupational therapy junior and Executive Director of Up 'til Dawn Ashleigh Corlew said.
The hospital is America's thirdlargest health care charity, and is dedicated to helping treat children who have cancer and other serious diseases. Patients are never asked to pay more than their insurance can cover, and those who are not covered by insurance are not expected to pay for their treatment at all.
According to Corlew, Up 'til Dawn, which is under new leadership this year, aims to reach a fundraising goal in the $10,000 to $12,000 range. "The people who have been in it in previous years have either graduated or gone on to other things, so we pretty much started over, and I think we're doing really well considering where we are," Corlew said.
Sixty-five students were said to have pre-registered for the event, and many others who had not formally registered were welcomed at the door.
While participants worked, they were entertained by a number of live performers including the Forte dance team, the SVSU dance team, and the musical talents of sophomore social work major and Native American flutist Pat Cline.
Cline was scouted at SVSU's Coffeehouse open-mic series. He describes his style of music as a "combination of traditional Native American with elements of rock," and his story reflects his desire to volunteer at Up 'til Dawn.
"My dad is a cancer survivor, and I believe he was a St. Jude's patient at one point, so I was thrilled that they asked me to be here," Cline said. "It's a wonderful cause." Cline made an announcement that half of his CD sales that night would be donated to St. Jude's.
Among the students who arrived in teams to address letters were members of SVSU's chapter of Sigma Pi.
"We want to help kids at St. Jude's and raise as much money as possible," communication sophomore and Sigma Pi brother Shane Stout said, who noted that he and his four teammates had each managed to bring 50 addresses.
Throughout the night, participants were entered into drawings to win prizes donated by local businesses. Prizes included t-shirts, water bottles, gift certificates to local restaurants, Saginaw Spirit tickets, and movie tickets. Those who successfully completed at least 50 "quality" letters were entered into another drawing to win an iPod.
Participants will be able to track their progress and find out how much money they raised since St. Jude logs received donations under the names of individuals or teams.
Corlew and her crew have plans for a finale event where students' totals will be revealed. It is expected to be held toward the end of the upcoming winter semester, and all students who participated in this year's event are welcome to attend the celebration.