By Crystal Luong
Staff Writer
Pepperdine is catching the next wave of philanthropy through Up ‘Til Dawn, the newest student organization to impact campus culture. Up ‘Til Dawn’s goal is to raise $50,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, with the support and efforts of student teams for the next three months.
As director of Up Til’ Dawn, junior Kyle Packham, junior anticipates a great future for the club. “We want to get faculty involved. We want to get people from the community involved, and we particularly want students to get involved,” Packham said. “As long as we can get the groundwork off this year, I hope it will grow and grow and become a tradition here.”
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the nation’s largest center for the treatment and research of pediatric cancer and other childhood catastrophic diseases. On average, St. Jude actively treats 4,000 children from across the United States and the world, at any given time. The non-denominational institution is also the only designated childhood cancer research center by the National Cancer Institute.
To carry out its goal of supporting St. Jude’s, Up ‘Til Dawn is actively recruiting fundraising teams among the residence halls and campus organizations of Pepperdine. The E-Board’s aim is to recruit 50 teams of six people. Each team in turn has a set goal of $750 to fundraise by any means and uses of the resources available. Upon registration, a team is required to collectively make a $50 deposit to ensure commitment to the cause and all the proceeds are donated directly to St. Jude’s.
According to Packham, the time commitment for each member is dependent on personal choice. He advocates that everyone become involved by any possible means.
“Most people at Pepperdine are very busy people,” he said. “It’s hard for them to find the time to help out, but that’s what’s really unique about this program because we can take help in any manner you can give it, whether you have a little bit of time, a lot of time, a little bit of money, or a lot of money.”
Up ‘Til Dawn receives staff support from St. Jude’s and in return is required to host two standard events that are features of chapters of the club at colleges throughout the nation. The first event is a letter campaign in which all the teams gather and write letters to friends, family and acquaintances to request donations. The second event is a grand finale, scheduled to take place Jan. 31 in the Sandbar. At the grand finale, all members of Up ‘Til Dawn will celebrate their achievements through food, music and entertainment. A formal philanthropic check will be presented to St. Jude’s at the event.
Packham’s initial exposure to Up ‘Til Dawn was at a national greek conference.
“It made a huge impression on me,” Packham said. “I came back to Pepperdine and I thought it would be a great way to bring together both Greeks and non-Greeks because there is a lot of philanthropy. Out of any philanthropy I’ve ever heard of, how can you say no to children who have catastrophic diseases who are about to die? It’s one of the greatest needs of money that I could ever think of.”
Researchers at St. Jude’s are striving to identify cures and prevention methods for diseases that will increase the chances of survival for a child. St. Jude’s treatment protocols, since its establishment in 1962, have brought survival rates for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent to better than 70 percent overall.
The first Up ‘Til Dawn team meeting is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 13 in the Waves Café. Those who are interested in becoming a part of the club can e-mail pepperdineuptildawn@hotmail.com for more information, or call Dave Dockrey at ext. 3308. Registration paperwork for teams can be dropped of in Up ‘Til Dawn’s mailbox for student organizations, or in Box #1181.
October 31, 2002