Danny Thomas, late founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, said no child should die in the dawn of life.

NIU students have taken time to help make this happen by participating in Up ‘til Dawn, a fundraiser begins awareness week today.

Up ‘til Dawn is a student-led, student-run program hosted by colleges and universities nationwide dedicated to helping raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

NIU’s chapter of Up ‘til Dawn concentrates on fundraising through letter-writing and donation. Students form teams of five or six and all gather 50 names of family and friends who might be interested in donating to the cause, said Crystal Hoppe, assistant director of Up ‘til Dawn-NIU.

On two different nights, teams meet and prepare to send their letters. Patients of St. Jude’s also attend these gatherings to speak with team members.

The final event will be Jan. 29, when team members stay up until dawn to celebrate their months of fundraising.

St. Jude is a research and treatment center at which patients receive the latest cancer treatment. The hospital costs about $1 million per day to operate because no patient is ever turned away, Hoppe said.

The hospital also is welcoming to the patients’ families, paying for all food and travel costs, she said.

For more information, call 262-366-7290 or e-mail [email protected].