Up ‘Til Dawn is back for its fourth consecutive year on campus, with a clear mission: to end childhood cancer. Up ‘Til Dawn is a national philanthropic program run by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The annual letter writing party that kicks off the event will be held Nov. 3 in Great Hall, from 5 p.m. to midnight.”Up ‘Til Dawn’s purpose is to raise money for kids and families at St. Jude’s,” senior Maren Landers, co-executive chair of Up ‘Til Dawn, said. “If insurance does not cover treatments, St. Jude’s pays for them. That’s why donations and raising money is so important.” Junior Greta Sjolie holds the position of Teams and Recruitment Chair on the executive board of Up ‘Til Dawn. She said students may notice a change in this year’s programming. Instead of the usual two events, only one will be held.”We have the letter-addressing event, and there will be food games, and prizes,” Sjolie said. “We also have a child from the hospital come to talk about their personal story.” Teams of four will address 35 letters each to people they know or to people in the community asking for donations, another change to this years event. Sjolie hopes that the combined event will help make the program a success.”Last year each person had to gather 50 addresses, and this year we lowered the number to 35 so students don’t feel overwhelmed with the number of letters they need to send,” Sjolie said. “It’s a way to have a fun evening for a great cause.”Senior Delta Delta Delta sorority member Dana Wade has been involved with the event for a number of years. Although DDD is not officially connected to Up ‘Til Dawn, Wade said the fundraising event is special to the sorority as their philanthropy focuses on St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”I always have a lot of fun when I participate in Up ‘Til Dawn,” Wade said. “It also feels really good to know that the hard work you put in letter writing helps so many.”Senior DDD member Allyssa Cusimano has also had positive experiences with the program throughout her time at Simpson.”For the past three years, I have written Sincerely Yours letters through Up ‘Til Dawn,” Cusimano said. “Up Til Dawn is an event that is close to our heart (at Tri-Delta).” Up ‘Til Dawn is open to all students on campus.”I believe this is a good thing to participate in,” Landers said. “(Because of Up ‘Til Dawn) I’ve felt less selfish and it has opened my eyes and allowed me to see the bigger picture. I could be working on a big paper or be angry about something that happened one day but for the most part, I’ve had an easy life. I haven’t had to go through things smaller children have had to go through.” Although the registration deadline has passed, students are still welcome to come address letters at the event. For more information, contact Maren Landers at [email protected] or visit www.stjude.org.