Friday, February 4, 2005
Joanna Kirby got involved with the Up ’til Dawn program after her long-time friend was diagnosed with a malignant medullo blastoma, or a cancerous brain tumor. Kirby has known Jake Louis, 9, Overland Park, since he was born.
The Leawood junior also convinced 100 women from her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, to get involved with the program. Kirby said that Louis was released from chemotherapy last spring and returned to Overland Park.
“As soon as the executive board applications came out at KU, I knew I had to do it,” Kirby said.
Up ’til Dawn, a student-led program at the University, raised $51,000 last semester to help children across the world who suffer from cancer.
The program, in its first year at the University, raised money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
Nat Collins, executive director of the program, said that KU ranked ninth in the nation this year on the amount of funds raised for the hospital. Collins said that there were approximately 140 Up ’til Dawn programs at universities across the nation and that the children’s hospital already had collected $2.5 million from the program this year.
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“This program has been a life-changer,” Collins said. “It combined my love of kids with my passion for biology.”
The children’s hospital takes in more than $1 million of donations per day to operate its facility. The money goes toward providing insurance for families who cannot afford it. Collins said that the program at KU had two letter-writing activities last semester to raise money for the hospital. About 350 KU students wrote 10,000 letters to family and friends asking for donations. Students also made care packages to send away to the hospital.
The title of the program, Up ’til Dawn, represents the parents who stay up until dawn, making sure their children are all right.
Collins said that the initial goal for the organization was to raise $75,000 by the end of the school year. He said that he would try to focus more on getting more off-campus and residence-hall students involved this semester because the program is open to all KU students. Collins said that about 80 percent of the student involvement came from the greek community.
“Outside KU basketball, there’s not really something that everyone flocks to,” Collins said. “It’s really something we want the whole campus to be involved with.”
A part of the money the University raises will go to the Target House, a long-term place to stay for patients and their families, and to the Memphis Grizzlies House, a short-term place to stay for patients diagnosed for cancer.
Up ’til Dawn will host a final event on Saturday at the Ballroom in the Kansas Union to celebrate the funds that KU students gave to the children’s hospital. Kate Ayars, Wichita junior, said she was looking forward to the patient speakers at the event.
The event will also include three bands and games of Twister and Singled Out.
“I was inspired to see how many people took part in the program,” Ayars said. “I’ve never seen so many people I know get together to do such a wonderful thing.”
The event is scheduled from 6 to 11 p.m Saturday.
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