The fifth annual Fredonia for St. Jude “Up ‘Til Dawn” event will be held on Sunday, Nov. 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. in Steele Hall. With the Hollywood theme, “Lights, Camera, Cure!” the night will feature live music, contests, raffles, and general entertainment while students work on a letter campaign to raise funds for a hospital that provides free cancer treatment to children.
Sponsored by the student organization, Fredonia for St. Jude, the event raises money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The hospital provides free care to children receiving cancer treatment and requires donations to operate at a cost of $1.8 million each day.
At “Up til Dawn,” students will address pre-written letters to their friends and family asking for donations to the hospital. Each students is asked to bring 35 addressees to the event. Last year, SUNY Fredonia students sent out 6,500 letters which raised $25,000. This year, the group’s goal is to raise $30,000.
This year’s event is a Hollywood themed “Lights, Camera, Cure,” and students are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite celebrity. During the evening, the Fredonia State Cheerleaders, Dance Team, Orchesis, Blue Ice Step Team, Some Like It Hot and Much More Chill, and several other groups will be performing. In addition, organizers will be offering raffle prizes, contests in jousting, sumo wrestling, chicken wing-eating, celebrity look-alikes, and dressing in drag.
Fredonia for St. Jude is raffling a $200 VISA Gift Card for those who write at least 50 letters.
An Awareness Week kicks off on Wednesday, Oct. 31, when “I Scream Away Cancer,” serving free ice cream, will be held in McEwen Hall. The following day, “Shining Stars for St. Jude” invites students to sign a star and receive a hospital bracelet with information about a patient at St. Jude’s. Lastly, on Friday, Nov. 2, students will be able to have their photo taken with drag queens.
Interested students can contact Andrea Lictus, the public relations chair for Fredonia for St. Jude, at lict7494@fredonia.edu.
