Up ‘til Dawn benefit dinner a life-saving success

TUNOMUKWATHI ASINO ASST.EVENTSEDITOR

TA725@CABRINI EDU

Lauren Lewis, St. Jude hospital’s patient of the month, is two years old. She has a tumor called neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a cancer of specialized nerve cells called neural crest cells. These cells are involved in the development of the nervous system and other tissues, according to the research hospital’s website.

Lewis is just an example of the many patients that the St. Jude hospital treats daily. The St. Jude hospital treats 180 “in and out” patients daily. The hospital has 4700 active patients. There are 60 patients in bed. It costs over $1 million a day to keep the hospital running.

“Every bit counts,” Francine Clement, a sophomore sociology major and executive director of Up ‘til Dawn, said.

Amanda Young, Philadelphia’s representative of St. Jude Hospital, echoes Clement’s senti- ments. Young explained that St. Jude hospital relies on events like these, referring to the benefit dinner held Feb. 3. Young, who was emotional while delivering her speech at the dinner, explained that St. Jude hospital does not ask patients to pay anything. If the insurance does not cover, patients are not asked to pay.If patients do not have insurance they are not asked to pay either.

Patrick Jordan, assistant director of Up ‘til Dawn, and Francine Clement, executive director of Up ‘til Dawn, both delivered short speeches.

The lightest moment of the night was when Rodney Stockett, chef of dining services, gave his appreciation speech. “I don’t care if you hug the trees…hug the rabbits, continue to do what you are doing,” Stockett said, applauding the current members of Up ‘til Dawn for their hard work.. He said there was a great legacy and the members were building on something. Stockett continued by saying he hopes that “we will

Francine Clement,far right,is the executive director of Up ‘til Dawn continue to do this year in and year out.” Stockett thanked everyone involved with the benefit dinner. The dinner was held to support the St. Jude children hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Sharon Kolankiewicz, a junior English and communication major, attended the dinner. She felt that the dinner was a great way to raise money for kids. “It is raising awareness. Before I did not know that St. Jude hospital existed,” Kolankiewicz said.

Fiona Bride, a junior science health and promotion major, who also attended the dinner, agreed with Kolankiewicz. When asked how she felt about the dinner, Bride said, “overall it was wonderful, wonderful because it is helping kids with cancer.”

The benefit dinner was a huge success and a great fundraiser for the children of St.Jude’s Research Hospital.

There were also raffles on sale for $1. The prize was a gift voucher to Starbucks, the bangle factory, to mention but a few.

St. Jude Research Hospital is a hospital for terminally ill children. It provides treatment for free. Up ‘til Dawn is one of the most successful events used to raise awareness and money. The annual nation-wide event raised $34 000 last year, according to Clement and Jordan.

The hospital’s mission is to provide unsurpassed patient care and to advance the health of children through biomedical research. The hospital was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas. It opened in 1962.

Up ‘til Dawn’s slogan is “Be a hero.”