Owls and partygoers will not be the only ones awake from midnight to 6 a.m. on Nov. 15. For one very early morning only, the University of Tampa will stay ‘Up ‘til Dawn’ because, “No child should die in the dawn of life.” These are the words by which the late actor and comedian, Danny Thomas, who founded the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 1962. St. Jude believes that no family should ever have to pay for their child’s treatment. All medical expenses including money for treatment, travel, housing and food are covered through the generosity of donors.
“The daily operating cost for St. Jude is $2 million, which is primarily covered by individual contributions,” according to the hospital’s website, http://www.stjude.org.
One of the ways that St. Jude raises the funds is through events like Up ‘til Dawn.
“I’m so proud of the accomplishments that the executive board has made thus far and know that with their passion and efforts on campus they will truly be a part of paving the way to a world where no child dies in the dawn of life,” said Emily Parker, Regional Development Representative for St. Jude.
Unlike fundraisers such as Relay for Life, participants in Up ‘til Dawn do not sell items or attempt to raise funds on the actual day of the event. Rather, it is a celebration to applaud teams after they have gathered donations for St. Jude. Participants will enjoy food catered by restaurants like Oxford Exchange and Dominos. They will play fun games that nod to activities that St. Jude has for the children.
For instance, St. Jude offers fun red wagons in place of utilitarian wheel chairs to make the hospital feel less like a hospital. In honor of this, teams can compete in wagon races during Up ‘til Dawn. St. Jude shows the kids how to paint with syringes to lessen their fear of needles, so at the event students can show their artistic side by trying their hands at syringe painting.
UT’s chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) holds close ties with St. Jude because the hospital is the fraternity’s philanthropy. TKE often supports St. Jude by attending and walks, galas and other events.
St. Jude approached TKE about helping to get Up ‘til Dawn on to campus. Tyrone “Josh” Bridgemohan, a senior accounting major and the previous Philanthropy Chair for TKE, has held a part in making that happen.
“[St. Jude] is awesome because no one ever pays for anything. They cater to kids in other countries too,” Bridgemohan said. “One thing I love about St. Jude [is] the people that work there are so caring and they pay attention to detail.”
Bridgemohan is the Logistics Director of the event and has the support of his TKE brothers as well as the executive board.
The board has been tabling in the Vaughn Center to muster participation for Up ‘til Dawn. To join, all you need is a team of 2-6 people. Each team must sign up and fundraise a minimum of either $100 per member or a total of $600 as a team by Nov. 8. The board encourages asking for donations from loved ones and people that they are close to.
“People care about people, not causes,” said Ashley Suarino, a senior and Public Relations Director and Social Media Chair for Up ‘til Dawn. “Every dollar counts.”
Due to contributions from donors and fundraising events like Up ‘til Dawn, St. Jude has had the opportunity to invent treatments that helped raise the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to over 80 percent. St. Jude continues to operate by the promise: “We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.”
“[This event] should be important to others because we all know someone, either directly or indirectly, who has had cancer,” Suarino said. “Especially as a child, that is a lot to go through.”
Bianca Lopez can be reached at bianca.lopez@spartans.ut.edu