Up ‘til Dawn decided to shake it up this year at their Letter Sending Event by going digital and e-mailing letters for donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The Letter Sending Event kicked off on Jan. 28 in the SUB Ballroom. Teams were encouraged to bring their laptops, tablets and as many e-mail addresses as they could. The main goal for every team member is to raise at least $100 in donations for St. Jude.

“Letter Sending was an event that I enjoyed planning. My favorite part was probably watching various businesses in the community come together in support of St. Jude,” said Karly Hubbard, a junior mass communication major.

Hubbard is the publicity chair for Up ‘til Dawn and her job is to promote the ULM chapter as well as St. Jude. She is also responsible for keeping the public updated on their organization and managing their social media pages.

Shelby Wright, a senior health studies major, is the assistant director of Up ‘til Dawn.

“I am our executive director’s right-hand gal,” said Wright. “I help run meetings, plan events and sign the checks.”

Wright said the Letter Sending Event is always a challenge to plan, but they have “so much fun that it is totally worth it.”

“We’re working very hard to make Up ‘til Dawn more visible this semester. We didn’t have much involvement in the fall and we are trying to change that this semester,” Wright said.

Hubbard said there is plenty more to expect from Up ‘til Dawn this semester, such as their biggest event of the semester – the Glow Run 5k. Registration for this event begins this month with the event taking place at the end of Spring Fever week.

“We encourage everyone to wear neon colors and bring their glow sticks,” said Hubbard. “It will be a run of a lifetime. Ready, set, glow.”

A thank you celebration for Up ‘til Dawn teams is also in the works. It’s not too late to sign up as a team. Visit  utd.stjude.org to form a team of six members.

ULM’s Up ‘til Dawn chapter has been active on campus since 2006 and Louisiana is the second state that sends the most kids to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Tennessee is number one and the location of the hospital.