The Executive Board of Up ‘til Dawn, Kristen Hurley (Advisor), Zuri Regisford (President), Carolynn Carneiro (Vice President), Laura Waterbury (Teams Liaison), and Kimberly Hair (Public Relations Chair) trained for the fight months before the throw down. Carolynn and Kristen had the opportunity to visit St Jude Children’s Hospital over the summer. They were inspired to create the biggest and most exciting match against cancer anyone had ever seen!

The first punch!- The E-Board members created teams in which members of the New Paltz community were invited to train for the fight. Resident Assistants were encouraged to recruit their toughest residents to join the battle! Students involved went through an intensive training including fighting techniques (advertising and gaining sponsors), workouts (carrying heavy boxes of letters and materials), and mental evaluation (constant e-mails with words of encouragement from the E-Board. This training was so intense that volunteers became passionate about winning this brawl. The E-Board directly influenced the intense passion!

Jaw Breaker!- Finally the night of Tuesday October 27th arrived! I walked into the most exciting fight I have ever been a part of. The E-Board’s hard work created an environment which fostered the battering and beating of the enemy. The place was absolutely packed and the house was shaking with cheers. People showed pride in their team by wearing Up ‘til Dawn t-shirts and pins. It was extraordinary. Camera lights flashed, food was served, entertainment was provided, and all aspects of campus life came to join the fight. Greek life, athletics, Residence Life, clubs, Student Association, the National Residence Hall Honorary… everyone came to roundhouse kick, upper cut, and knock out childhood cancer by supporting St. Jude.

Power up!- The product of what we were fighting for arrived. A family in which had directly felt the effects of cancer spoke to the student body. This was the most influential source of encouragement the entire night. A mother spoke about her son’s struggle with cancer and the incredible influence St. Jude Children’s Hospital had on saving her son’s life. Her son stood there smiling and laughing. The arena was silent with shock. Then as the young boy thanked the crowd, a huge roar of excitement ensued!

The Final Blow!- The battle was coming to an end. By the end of the night the enemy did not have a chance to survive. The teams of fighters won their battle by writing more than 3,000 letters to their family and friends! Cancer does not have a chance against the work of The Up ‘til Dawn E-Board and the many letters written to raise money. The night won with cancer’s butt beaten badly! Kristen, Zuri, Carolynn, Laura, and Kim were the top fighters. Throughout the night, no one knew who had thrown that final punch. I needed to recognize the true heroes!

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