2008 Woodie Awards
Students stay 'Up 'til Dawn' after raising $19k for hospital
Doug Graham
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Front Page
A group of PSU students raised $19,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - and celebrated by partying all night long.
Ashley Lopez, senior in communication, started a local "Up 'til Dawn" fund-raising campaign in the fall 2007 semester after hearing about others like it at a conference.
Lopez, along with about 180 other registered Up 'til Dawn members, held all-night letter-writing sessions twice this year.
Lopez says that Thursday night's party, which went from 8:15 p.m. Thursday to 4:30 a.m. Friday in the Weede Gymnasium, was meant to celebrate what the students accomplished in fund-raising and to honor the children treated at St. Jude, located in Memphis, Tenn.
The amount raised by the students, a total of $18,833, was revealed at 4 a.m. along with various awards.
To keep nearly 200 people occupied until the awards ceremony, Lopez and others on the Up 'til Dawn board brought in two bands, a comedian, an inflatable jousting arena, a bungie run, and even a rock climbing wall from the National Guard.
"This is nerve racking!" said Alex Phillips, junior in marketing and management, as she dismounted the rock climbing wall.
Contrasting the night's fun and games, Phillips has a more personal connection than most to Up 'til Dawn - her sister died at the age of 6 from a rare form of cancer.
"I promised my sister before she passed away from cancer that I would do anything I can to help kids with cancer and to help her dream go on," Phillips said.
Phillips says she wants to work for St. Jude after she graduates.
A girl being treated at St. Jude was planning to visit the party with her mother to tell her story, but car trouble kept her from coming.
Still, those in attendance found plenty to keep them busy. Students whizzed by on oversized tricycles, tossed Frisbees, and even played dress-up while music blared over loudspeakers.
"Ashley Lopez accosted me one day, and here I am," said Jared Smith, puffing his chest in a Superman outfit modified with an Up 'til Dawn logo.
Smith, a senior in commercial art, hobnobbed with the crowd before taking a turn on the rock climbing wall. Smith's appearance was in keeping with Up 'til Dawn's "superhero" theme.
"The idea is to be a St. Jude superhero and help fight cancer - to find a cure," Smith said.
While none of the students attending had superpowers, Phillips says that what they accomplished is perhaps more impressive.
"It's awesome to see how much money you can get college students to raise," Phillips said. "And it shows that one little thing from everyone can add up to make a huge difference."
Ashley Lopez, senior in communication, started a local "Up 'til Dawn" fund-raising campaign in the fall 2007 semester after hearing about others like it at a conference.
Lopez, along with about 180 other registered Up 'til Dawn members, held all-night letter-writing sessions twice this year.
Lopez says that Thursday night's party, which went from 8:15 p.m. Thursday to 4:30 a.m. Friday in the Weede Gymnasium, was meant to celebrate what the students accomplished in fund-raising and to honor the children treated at St. Jude, located in Memphis, Tenn.
The amount raised by the students, a total of $18,833, was revealed at 4 a.m. along with various awards.
To keep nearly 200 people occupied until the awards ceremony, Lopez and others on the Up 'til Dawn board brought in two bands, a comedian, an inflatable jousting arena, a bungie run, and even a rock climbing wall from the National Guard.
"This is nerve racking!" said Alex Phillips, junior in marketing and management, as she dismounted the rock climbing wall.
Contrasting the night's fun and games, Phillips has a more personal connection than most to Up 'til Dawn - her sister died at the age of 6 from a rare form of cancer.
"I promised my sister before she passed away from cancer that I would do anything I can to help kids with cancer and to help her dream go on," Phillips said.
Phillips says she wants to work for St. Jude after she graduates.
A girl being treated at St. Jude was planning to visit the party with her mother to tell her story, but car trouble kept her from coming.
Still, those in attendance found plenty to keep them busy. Students whizzed by on oversized tricycles, tossed Frisbees, and even played dress-up while music blared over loudspeakers.
"Ashley Lopez accosted me one day, and here I am," said Jared Smith, puffing his chest in a Superman outfit modified with an Up 'til Dawn logo.
Smith, a senior in commercial art, hobnobbed with the crowd before taking a turn on the rock climbing wall. Smith's appearance was in keeping with Up 'til Dawn's "superhero" theme.
"The idea is to be a St. Jude superhero and help fight cancer - to find a cure," Smith said.
While none of the students attending had superpowers, Phillips says that what they accomplished is perhaps more impressive.
"It's awesome to see how much money you can get college students to raise," Phillips said. "And it shows that one little thing from everyone can add up to make a huge difference."
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