Finding Cures. Saving Children.

Are you ready for the biggest event of the year here in Chico? On Nov.5, we’ll pack Acker Gym with thousands of Chico State students, all for a good cause.

Up ’til Dawn is a letter-writing campaign at which students write to their friends and family on behalf of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The recipients of these letters are asked to donate to St. Jude to provide world-class treatment and hospitality to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, free of charge. St. Jude couldn’t do any of this without donations, which is where Up ‘til Dawn comes in.

Up ‘til Dawn is a competition between over 250 college campuses to raise money for the hospital. As many of you have heard, Chico State does pretty well in comparison to everyone else. So well, in fact, we’ve won five of the last six national championships and raised over $1.28 million in the last 11 years.

In addition to saving lives and promoting Wildcat pride, students at the Nov. 5 event are eligible to win some great prizes including a trip to Memphis, an iPad, and even free spring tuition. All students need to do is show up prepared with addresses of friends and family members. —Michael Kenny,  Marketing

 

Also, prepare for a rewarding experience…

Up ’til Dawn is an experience truly unique to Chico State. It is a movement that has become a tradition in the past decade, and a movement that I was proud to join as a freshman. I joined the Database Committee, and three years later, I serve as the co-chair of this very same committee.

I joined Up ’til Dawn because I wanted to make a difference. This movement is one of the programs that Chico State is known for. My mom lived in Memphis, where St. Jude Children Research Hospital is located, and when she heard about this event, she was extremely excited for me to become a part of it. My mom used to volunteer at the hospital, and she said that there was nothing better than seeing the smile of a child’s face at St. Jude. Her volunteerism pushed me to volunteer here, and I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I’ve made here at Chico State.

This event is important to me because I truly believe that no child should die in the dawn of life. I believe that every child should have the chance to attend college. I love going to the events here at Chico State, because I love seeing the unity among students to end this awful disease. I’ve been a person to get involved, and what better cause than helping to support a wonderful hospital whose ultimate goal is to end childhood cancer?  —Kim Macintosh