Up 'til Dawn raises money, awareness for St. Jude children
By: Beth Spencer
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: News
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Up 'til Dawn, the largest on-campus nonprofit organization, began its awareness week Saturday. The organization is trying to raise $1 million for the hospital before the end of the semester.
Increasing student involvement would boost the program's chances of reaching its goal, said Faran Saeed, executive director of the program and sophomore chemistry major.
"We're looking for people to help out all the time," he said. "The more the merrier. A lot of people know about St. Jude, but they've never actually visited it."
Reaching the $1 million mark is especially important because St. Jude has begun to feel the effects of the economic recession, he said.
"This year, we downed our budget so we could give more to the hospital," Saeed said. "Last year, they had to cut about 70 employees. This is the first time the economy has affected St. Jude."
Nikki Bussey, patient relations coordinator and senior journalism major, said the awareness week had the dual purpose of raising both funds and awareness.
"We're just trying to raise awareness and get as many people as possible to realize the recession has finally hit St. Jude, and more than ever, they need our donations and time," she said. "St. Jude runs solely on donations. Whatever insurance doesn't cover, the hospital will cover. No child is ever turned away."
Up 'til Dawn's fundraising dinner and silent auction at 6 p.m. tonight in the Michael D. Rose Theatre is expected to be the biggest fundraiser of the week, Saeed said. Up 'til Dawn will auction 200 items, including a basketball autographed by Tigers players and Texas de Brazil gift cards.
"Last year, we raised about $5,000 at the auction," Saeed said. "It's not just open to students but to the whole community."
Increasing awareness about the extended programs of the hospital is another focus of the week, said Katie Durham, assistant executive director of Up 'til Dawn and senior organizational leadership major.
"It's not just about raising money," she said. "We want to focus on the Ronald McDonald House and Target House and increase awareness."
The U of M chapter of Up 'til Dawn is one of 170 and has more opportunities to volunteer at the hospital because of its proximity to campus, Durham said.
"We're really the only ones who can actually hang out with these patients," she said. "We just want to let people know they have other ways to donate and volunteer their time.
"Students can donate platelets," she said. "It takes about three hours. They let you watch a movie and give you juice and cookies."
Finding time or extra money to donate can be challenging for some students, said Adam Wanderman, physics graduate student, especially in a tough economy.
Although she admires Up 'til Dawn's efforts, Staci Parram, senior biology major, said she didn't have the money to donate to the cause.
"Their efforts are very honorable," she said. "It's very nice to give back to the community."