Tech Students Encouraged To Help Young Cancer Patients At St. Jude's

By Whitney Law
November 20, 2008

As students rushed through Squires Student Center this week, their heart strings were pulled as they passed the Williamsburg Room, which was decorated with pictures of Lane, a 4-year-old St. Jude Children's Research Hospital cancer patient.

Students at Virginia Tech were encouraged to participate in the annual Up Til Dawn letter writing campaign by addressing letters to family and friends asking for donations to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a childhood cancer research hospital founded by the late Danny Thomas, in Memphis, Tenn.

"This letter writing campaign is essential in making sure that no family ever has to pay for medical bills, transportation, lodging while their child is receiving treatment at St. Jude," said Joy Dzurovcik, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital event marketing representative.

The executive board of the Virginia Tech chapter of Up Til Dawn, which is led by Allison Walton, a junior, marketing management major, is one of 20 collegiate letter writing campaigns across the state of Virginia.

"Last year, we raised over $13,000 for St. Jude through our letter writing campaign," said Walton, executive director of Up Til Dawn at Virginia Tech. "And we're hoping to go beyond that this year."

Virginia Tech students contributed to raising over $5 million last year, according to Dzurovcik.

Raffle incentives were used to encourage students to participate in the event.

"Students who write 10 letters are allowed one raffle ticket for various gift cards to restaurants in Blacksburg," said Tiffani Le, public relations chairperson for Up Til Dawn. "And if they write 30 letters or more they can enter the raffle to win an iPod Touch."

Lauren Steel, a junior, finance major, addressed over 60 letters and qualified to enter two raffle tickets for the iPod Touch.

In order to raise awareness of the event, the executive committee created various marketing strategies on-campus throughout the past week.

"Last Wednesday, we held a 'cancer sucks' campaign on the Drillfield promoting the event," said Walton. "We sold lollipops that had St. Jude facts attached to them to raise awareness."

In addition, a trunk show sponsored by ShopMamie, a company started by Megan Healy, Virginia Tech Delta Gamma alumna, was held on Thursday. Ten percent of the proceeds raised at the event went directly St. Jude.

According to Dzurovcik, the return rate is 20 percent with an average donation of $30.

"It only takes a few minutes to sit down and address a few letters," said Dzurovcik. "And yet, one letter can make the difference in the life of a child like Lane, who is currently fighting the battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Every little bit counts."