The Southern University Up ’til Dawn Letter WritingParty on Oct. 5 supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, attractedmany students willing to help raise funds for the facility.
St. Jude Hospital located in Memphis, Tenn.researches cures for children with catastrophic illness.
Operating essentially from public donations, St.Jude manages to run at a cost of $923,000 a day.
Teams of students signed and addressed letters tofamily, friends, co-workers or anyone they knew asking them to send donationsto aid the hospital.
“I enjoyed it, because it was for a good cause, Ienjoy taking time out to help people,” said Nadia Washington a junior fromBaton Rouge majoring in elementary education.
Southern University is the first Historically BlackCollege or University to host the community service project.
“I am glad we took the initiative to be the firstblack college to be a part of something so positive,” said Tamara McNeely ajunior from Baton Rouge majoring in secondary education.
Kimberlin Wilson George was a patient at St. Judeand she expressed how without projects like Up ’til Dawn her recovery would nothave been possible.
“I encourage them (SU) to keep it going; it is abig help,” George said.
George was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia whenshe was 2 years old and A&M Leukemia at eight.
Now she’s 30 years old and living withoutmedication.
George encouraged students to support St. Jude andresearch their own medical history.
“Find out what is inside your own heritage and whatthe diseases really are, and what you can do if you are diagnosed with it,” shesaid.
George, along with several other speakers, thankedthe students for their efforts in supporting St. Jude.
“They let you know that St. Jude really does workand you are not doing it in vain,” Washington said.
This particular program is the community serviceproject for Miss Southern University Enitra Jones.
“I hope it had a very positive effect,” Jones said.” I saw a lot of different groups come together, it definitely showed diversityand that is a great thing.”
Donations to St. Jude can be made by contactingJones, in St. Jude canisters located around the Southern University campus orat www.stjude.org.
