Instead of spending last Friday night relaxing or hanging out with friends, more than 350 Creighton students stayed up all night writing letters to relatives and friends for donations to St. Jude’s Research Hospital as part of the annual Up ’til Dawn fundraising event.

“Stamps, envelopes, we provided everything,” said Tracy Farrell, the executive director for Up ’til Dawn. “We suggested that [the students] write 25 letters, but we take what we can get. Every little bit helps.”

All proceeds went to St. Jude’s Research Hospital, a nonprofit children’s hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

“St. Jude is a children’s hospital for primarily cancer patients,” said Kallie Woodward, the vice president for Up ’til Dawn. “It’s run completely on the donations of others.”

St. Jude’s research is shared with hospitals all over the world, and patients are not turned away for any reason, financial or insurance related.

“It is great to know that St. Jude is helping others. Everyone knows someone affected by cancer. It is a great opportunity to have St. Jude there just in case,” said Victoria Gilbert, an executive member for Up ’til Dawn.

St. Jude’s Hospital requires $1.4 million in donations a day to house and treat its patients. “St. Jude pays for everything. They pay for the flight to Memphis, the food and the housing,” Woodward said. “The hospital takes care of everything so that the only worry for the family is their sick child.”

Up ’til Dawn is a Greek organization that sponsors fundraising for St. Jude’s Hospital. The name, Up ’til Dawn, is supposed to show how a fight against cancer is a constant, around-the-clock battle.

“Up ’til Dawn is great just because it is all student-run,” Gilbert said. “We really can make such a huge difference.”

The main fundraising event is the letter writing campaign, but there have also been car washes and a penny drive.

“This year, we hope to raise around $75,000, but we won’t know exactly how much we made with the letters until January,” Farrell said.

“This is something that affects people personally,” she said. “It is easy to take 45 minutes on a Friday afternoon to give money to this great cause.”

“Any Creighton University student can participate, although it is a Greek-sponsored organization and event,” Woodward said. “Anyone who wants to participate can.”

The event ordered 12,000 letters to help support St. Jude’s Hospital.