On Saturday, a large group of students devoted their energy and lack of sleep to a good cause – to raise money for children with cancer.

Every year, Iowa State students gather at the State Gym for “Up ‘til Dawn.” Their goal is to raise money and awareness for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“St. Jude is a research hospital that treats the sickest of the sick children,” said Matt O’Shea, St. Jude representative. “We primarily cover cancers, different blood disorders or other catastrophic diseases.”

Because of their business model, the hospital depends on funds and donations to exist, O’Shea said. St. Jude costs $1.9 million a day to run since they cover their patients’ treatments, even if they don’t have insurance.

“We don’t charge families for any of the treatment they receive or for housing, travels or meals. The main focus of the parents should be the wellbeing of their children, not the finances,” O’Shea said.

For this year’s “Up ‘til Dawn”, students raised over $62,000 before the event, which is four times the amount of last year.

“That makes ISU the No. 2 fundraising university out of 105, only topped by another ISU, Illinois State University,” O’Shea said. “That’s nothing short of amazing.”

Around 1,500 students participated in the fundraiser. On Saturday, they stayed in the State Gym from midnight to 6 a.m.

“The motto of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas was that no child should die at the dawn of life, so for this, students stay up until dawn out of solidarity,” said Candice McKay, St. Jude representative.

To avoid that the students accidentally fall asleep, the event team decided to keep them awake with multiple activities. With the incentive of prizes to win, the students painted team flags and competed in various challenges.

“The challenges are trying to simulate what many of the children are going through at the hospital,” said Clayton Long, event coordinator and senior in kinesiology and health.

For example, the losing limb challenge involved finding objects blindfolded, trying to get dressed with one arm tied behind their backs and a three-legged race with a partner. Another challenge had them painting with nothing more than syringes at their disposals.

“Furthermore, we have bought around 250 cans of energy drinks, so no one will be in danger of falling asleep all of a sudden,” Long said.

Catherine McClurg, freshman in design, said she enjoyed the energy and atmosphere of the night.

“Everyone is really supportive and it makes for a really good time,” McClurg said. 

McClurg raised $260 for the cause, mainly via emails and reaching out online.

“I don’t think that staying up all night is going to be a problem for me, as a student, I am kind of trained,” McClurg said.

Three ISU football players agreed to shave their heads for “Up ‘til Dawn” as a sign of solidarity with cancer patients.

“My family has had a history with cancer, so I totally understand where their families and friends are coming from,” said Lucas Knott, sophomore in supply chain management.

Knott said he thought shaving his head was just a great way to give back to people who have gone through that struggle.

“Staying up one night for a cause like this is totally worth it regardless of the upcoming finals,” Knott said. 

“Up ‘til Dawn” also had a St. Jude patient, 17 year old Shiloh Carroll, talk about her experiences. Carroll said that in 2004, she was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Fortunately, her brain surgery at St. Jude went well and she was able to walk out without any disabilities.

“It is awesome seeing all these people come out here and doing so much for the great cause and saving lives like mine,” Carroll said. “It’s so inspiring and I simply love the university.”

Carroll said there were a lot of times when she had to stay up until dawn herself.

“I had four rounds of chemotherapy, so during that time I often couldn’t sleep, simply because I didn’t feel well or was in pain,” Carroll said. “It was really tough.”

At 6 a.m., the students could finally walk out of State Gym and head into their beds. O’Shea said that Iowa State has become a champion for St. Jude.

“The students have collectively taken the hospital under their wings,” O’Shea said. “We don’t know what we would do without their passion and efforts.”