Office of University Communications 

Up 'til Dawn celebration wraps up year of fundraising

SPRINGFIELD — Wrapping up eight months of fund-raising activities, Missouri State University students celebrated a successful first year with Up ’til Dawn, a program committed to raising money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The celebration took place Jan. 26 from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at McDonald Arena.

Missouri State students raised more than $108,000 for St. Jude — double the average amount for a school in its first year of the program — and currently the university is ranked third in the nation out of 180 participating schools.

Up ’til Dawn Chief Director Emilie Franke said her goal in initiating this program was to create a philanthropy that would unite Missouri State’s greek community.

“Greek organizations already do a lot of philanthropy, but one thing we were really missing was a Greek-wide effort,” said Franke. “We can do things together that really make a difference on this campus and in the world.”

Franke said the organizers of Up ’til Dawn wanted to start a program of philanthropy in the fall, in order to not compete with the annual Relay for Life. They believed Missouri State could support both programs.

“It’s been an outstanding year. I got to go to St. Jude for the Up ’til Dawn conference, and after you visit the hospital, you’re in a whole different world,” said Franke. “They do so much and it’s so well-run. You can’t have a bad day when you‘re helping kids with cancer. It’s so fulfilling.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is renowned world-wide for its dedication to finding cures and treating children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. The hospital never charges for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and uninsured patients are never required to pay for treatment.