Up 'Til Dawn director sheds light on fundraiser

Up ‘Til Dawn, Eastern New Mexico University’s primary philanthropic event dedicated to raising money for St. Jude’s Hospital, will take place Feb. 26 in the ballroom of the university’s Campus Union Building.

According to Up ‘Til Dawn’s director Eduardo Rios, ENMU met it’s goal of $25,000 on Thursday night with a week to spare.

“I just talked to my rep and we are shooting now for $30,000,” Rios said. “I’m more than positive that we’re going to go above that.”

Rios said that this is the most the school has ever raised.

Registration and team check-in for Up ‘Til Dawn will start at 8 p.m., with the event kicking off at 10 p.m.

The event has been held at ENMU since 2010.

Rios

What is Up ‘Til Dawn and why do you do it every year?

We raised money for the kids of St. Jude all last semester and the beginning of the spring semester. This event is a ‘thank you’ to all the people that participated and took part in raising the money that we’ve raised as a school.

What do you do throughout the night?

We are playing games, we’re bringing challenges, we’re eating. There’s going to be fireworks. It’s going to be a party, basically. We are giving away prizes. There are teams of six, so they have a chance to earn points, and those points will get them a chance to earn some prizes.

What is your history with Up ‘Til Dawn?

I have been part of the executive board for the past two years, and now I’m the one in charge of it. I’ve been involved with the Up ‘Til Dawn program for the past three years.

What do you do to keep yourself awake?

I think it’s the high of the event, of the environment, of all of the people. We’re just so happy that we raised so much money. Of course, some people bring coffee. We have Five Hour Energy shots there. We just try to get excited for the event, for the games and the prizes. We’re doing this for something bigger than ourselves. We keep that in the back of our minds, that this is not for us but for the kids of St. Jude.

— Compiled by Staff Writer Eamon Scarborough