UA Greek Life members stayed “Up ’til Dawn” to raise money for charity Friday night.
Up ’til Dawn is a national collegiate fundraising program for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
The program is the UA’s annual greek-wide philanthropy event, according to Madison Kurz, a physiology junior and Director of Public Relations for the Up ’til Dawn Executive Board. The board announced Friday evening that the total amount of money raised over the year was $114,533, an increase from last year’s total of about $97,000, according to Kurz.
This is the first year the finale event was held in conjunction with Greek Sing, said Kurz.
“Greek Sing is really spirited, fun, people get really excited,” Kurz said. “We thought that gearing up with Greek Week would get the spirit and excitement of the reveal and the finale.”
The event began on a serious note with a moment of silence for Michael Anderson, a UA student and member of fraternity Phi Gamma Delta who died early Friday morning.
A dance competition between various groups of Greek members then took place, along with performances by CatCall and Black N’ Blue Hip Hop Crew.
A cancer survivor who is a patient at St. Jude’s was also in attendance. Alyssa Leffler, 3, was there with her mother, Patty Leffler. Alyssa Leffler was diagnosed with cancer when she was 1, and after being a patient at St. Jude’s, has been in remission for eight months, according to Patty Leffler.
They were present to help announce the amount of money that had been raised.
“It’s hard to believe, really,” Patty said. “It’s extremely touching and moving … [to see] a group of kids in college that are so dedicated and interested not only in raising money, but also in raising awareness for St. Jude.”
Up ’til Dawn underwent some changes nationwide this year, Kurz said. In the past, during the final event everyone involved came together to write letters asking for donations. This year, the participants formed teams and sent out emails before gathering at the finale to hear the total amount of money raised, Kurz said.
This is the second year that the UA has had a Greek Week, said Devon Zatorski, a communication and sports management junior. Zatorski said she has been involved with the planning of Greek Week since its inception at the UA, and that it is one of the few events during the year when all four greek councils come together.
Both Greek Week and Up ’til Dawn are advised by Fraternity and Sorority Programs, Zatorski said.
“The goal this year was really just to promote that community service and philanthropy within the Greek community,” Zatorski said.
