Pre-medical freshman Jaqui Somes sits on the shoulders of supply chain management freshman Jamie Ulanch while while building a balloon tower with teammates Nov. 15, 2013, at IM Sports-Circle. Students stayed up all night playing games, watching videos and eating to celebrate their fundraising for St. Judes research hospital.
—As students lined the hallway in IM Sports-Circle at 11:30 p.m. Friday night, a half hour before began, some yawned with bleary eyes while others radiated with excitement and anticipation.
The night was far from over for participants of St. Jude Up ‘til Dawn, who pulled an all-nighter to raise money for children with serious illnesses.
On Friday night, IM Sports-Circle was lit up with games, laughter and inspiration from midnight to 6 a.m. during St. Jude Up ‘til Dawn.
The event raised money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., which does not bill its patients outside of what insurance covers, and provides them with transportation to the hospital and housing. Fundraisers across the country help cover the cost of treatment for these children.
In order to participate in the event, students gathered a team of no more than six members. Each member needed to raise $100 to gain entry into Up ‘til Dawn.
The event was a complete flip from what had been done to raise awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the past, said Brieanne Vaillancourt, the Up ‘til Dawn MSU student organization advisor and a research technician in the MSU plant biology department. In previous years, students got together and wrote letters.
“(The executive board) figured letter writing is so old, everything is about technology now,” Vaillancourt said.
Tori Balogh, human biology junior and executive director of Up ‘til Dawn, said about 120 students came to the event and around $28,800 was raised by the end of the night.
The teams competed against each other in competitions including a balloon tower-building contest where students attempted to stack balloons using only masking tape and a newspaper fashion show.
Additionally, two volunteers had their heads shaved as part of the fundraiser. That event was entirely funded through a separate fundraiser and cost around $1,800.
“Events like this help pull the focus off of us and give us a bigger view of the world out there,” Balogh said. “(It lets us) focus less on ourselves and (more) on (those) that really need it.”
An interest in research and pediatrics drew Lynsey Felty, a human biology sophomore, to the event. Felty was the team captain of her group, Bond’s Babes, and individually raised $100 for the event. She said doing something that didn’t really fit in with her normal schedule helped make the event more unique.
“It’s being a part of something that’s really big,” Felty said.
Balogh said that despite the event being finished, the Up ‘til Dawn student organization will continue to fundraise until next spring. She said its short term goal is to gather an additional $2,200 by Thanksgiving to help children through their illnesses at St. Jude.
“If these kids can walk through cancer and smile, we can walk through anything and smile,” Balogh said.
Donations can be made by looking up Michigan State University at stjude.org.
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