Students gathered to sign paper cutouts of pumpkins, leaves and turkeys to raise money for… Students gathered to sign paper cutouts of pumpkins, leaves and turkeys to raise money for sick kids at the first annual Up ‘Til Dawn Harvest Fest.

Up ‘Til Dawn is a new student organization whose goal is to raise at least $50,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a hospital that specializes in researching and curing catastrophic diseases in children.

“We’re trying to get everyone on campus involved in one huge fund-raising effort,” said Jessica Stroth, resident assistant and member of Up ‘Til Dawn executive board.

The Harvest Fest was, in reality, a membership drive for Up ‘Til Dawn. Stroth and the other executives urged passing students to sign up and become part of five-member teams. These teams will then have all year to raise $500 for the organization.

Some fund raisers Stroth planned include a Krispy Kreme doughnut sale, a car wash and a 5K run.

On March 28, Up ‘Til Dawn will have its grand finale in which all the teams come together and celebrate a year of fund-raising. It will last 12 hours, Stroth said, from that night until the following Saturday.

Stroth said that in addition to music and dancing, children from St. Jude’s would be there to share their stories. Stroth plans to hold the grand finale in the Petersen Events Center.

Since its establishment in 1962, St. Jude’s, located in Memphis, Tenn., has treated over 19,000 children, including 45 from Pennsylvania, said Wendy Nave, a St. Jude’s representative present at the event.

“St. Jude’s is not just a hospital in Memphis,” Nave said. “It’s a research hospital.”

Nave said that St. Jude’s shares its research with hospitals around the country, including UPMC. St. Jude’s is currently working on an AIDS vaccine and better ways to treat tuberculosis in children.

According to Nave, research conducted at St. Jude’s has dramatically changed the way many childhood diseases are treated.

“The cure rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia since 1962 jumped from 4 percent to 86 percent,” she said.

Nave said she was pleased with the effort Up ‘Til Dawn is putting into its cause and that its support is appreciated.

“We wholeheartedly support it,” she said. “They’re doing a great job not only raising funds, but also promoting awareness for the hospital.”

Executive board member and resident assistant Ashley Peters appealed to the student body to get involved.

“We’d like to get every campus organization involved in some way,” she said. “If you’re looking for a good community service organization, this is the one to get in.”