Wednesday, Greek Life is sponsoring Up ‘til Dawn from 6 p.m. to midnight in the Student Center Ballroom.
The event combines the efforts of students, staff and their community to help raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
This is the sixth year that the Eastern Michigan University community has participated in Up ‘til Dawn.
Every year the event has improved upon the previous year’s success, with a total of $36,000 raised last year.
“Up ‘til Dawn is very important to participate in because the children at St. Jude need everyone’s help,” said Katie Driscoll, vice president of External Affairs for the Panhellenic Council.
“St. Jude was founded so no child would have to die at the dawn of life, and it’s up to people like us to make sure that stays true.
Up ‘til Dawn also includes a Halloween carnival. All you have to do to gain entry is bring to the names and addresses of 35 family and friends to send letters that help promote and support donations.
The carnival will include a costume contest, pumpkin painting and a raffle for a Nintendo Wii.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN was founded by Detroit artist Danny Thomas in 1962.
Thomas started the hospital because of a prayer sent up to St. Jude, the saint of helpless causes. When his wife was about to have their baby he did not have enough to pay the bill.
Thomas then went to a local church and prayed to St. Jude saying “show me my way in life and I will build you a shrine.”
The next day he received a phone call for a gig that was paying $75.00 dollars and his career blossomed from there.
True to his word, Thomas started the hospital with the help of the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities organization.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is the most common child cancer which used to have a four percent survivor rate; that percentage is now up to 94 percent.
When new research is found, St. Jude Children’s Hospital passes on the knowledge to every hospital who wants the findings. No child will ever be turned away from the facility, regardless of if they lack insurance.
The hospital is called a campus for the fact that lodging and transportation is provided for anyone who has a child in their care.
The hospital costs $1.4 million a day to keep open, and is funded entirely by donations from various corporations and benefactors, as well as the public at large.
