HAYS, Kan. -- Students at Fort Hays State University can celebrate a successful year of fundraising through Up 'til Dawn, a program dedicated to the life-saving work of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®. FHSU students raised a total of $30,127, up from last year's $28,411.

In the second year of participation on the FHSU campus, the student organization Up 'til Dawn, named after the hospital's fundraising program, asked more than 200 students at the All Teams Meeting in October to write to their friends and family.

Over the past six months the organization also hosted a variety of side fundraising events from a "washing well" (a washing machine with the lid removed set up as a collection bin on the first floor of Memorial Union) to cookie sales to raise additional funds to benefit the children of St. Jude.

Also supporting the students' efforts by becoming sponsors of the organization and it's events were the Delta Omega chapter of the Delta Zeta Sorority; The Furniture Look; Chartwells; Linweld; Domino's Pizza; Lamtos; Emprise Bank; The Soda Shoppe; T-Bones Bar & Grill; The Mall; Vanderbilt's; Maurices; the University Bookstore; Hays Academy of Hair Design; Quality Quick Lube; Pottery Works; Bildschon Haus; Bildschon Baby; FHSU's Office of the President; Walmart; Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Ellis County; Golden Belt Bank; Sherwin Williams; Taco Shop; JC Penney's; Jimmy John's; Semolino; FHSU's Memorial Union and the union's Grab-n-Go; Wendy's; and the FHSU Student Government Association.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay.

For more information on the FHSU student organization Up 'til Dawn, contact the Center for Student Involvement, (785) 628-4464, or e-mail Director Chandra (pronounced SHAN-dra) Daffer at cadaffer@fhsu.edu. St Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For more information, please call (800) 822-6344 or visit www.stjude.org.