More than one hundred students plan to be “Up ‘til Dawn” on Oct. 4, stuffing envelopes and having fun while trying to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has treated more than 20,000 children since it opened in 1962, according to its Web site, www.stjude.org. Daily operating costs for the facility are more than $1 million per day, yet all patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family’s ability to pay, according to the Web site.

The non-profit hospital is one of the largest research facilities in the nation and focuses on treating catastrophic illness in children, including cancer and AIDS, Kristen Simon, St. Jude’s event marketing representative, said.

“Our biggest event, [the All Team meeting], is next week,” Katie Street, executive director of the program at UW-P, said. Student teams will come together from 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4 from in the Lundeen Lecture Hall in Doudna Hall. Students bring along 50 names and addresses and then send letters to people on their lists asking for donations to St. Jude’s. The process takes about one hour. Food will be available and music will be provided by a DJ.

“Up ‘til Dawn is the biggest fundraiser of it’s kind,” Simon said. Since its creation in 1998, over 180 campuses have raised over $12 million for St. Jude.

“I think it’s a good opportunity for college students to give back to the community, and give kids and families a sense of hope,” Street said.

It is UW-P’s first year of participating in the fundraiser.

“A lot of teams are coming from organizations, but you don’t have to be part of a team to help,” Street said. Thus far 31 teams, including about 130 students, have signed up to participate, Street said.

“This week is St. Jude awareness week,” Street said. The final for the fundraiser will be next semester where students will gather to announce how much money was raised and to celebrate with food and music.

For more information about Up ‘til Dawn, contact Katie Street at uptildawnuwp@yahoo.com, or stop by the information table at the Pioneer Student Center patio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m Thursday, Oct. 5.