Up ‘til Dawn has extended its registration deadline to Nov. 6 as 419 students were signed up by the original Oct. 29 deadline.

Last year, St. Thomas raised $88,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. That total was good enough for fifth out of more than 300 competing schools and as a result Up ’til Dawn awarded St. Thomas the top recruiting award for its efforts.

“We’re a pretty small school,” said senior Annie Donnellan, St. Thomas’ Up ’til Dawn executive director. “We did really well for our size.”

This year, Donnellan said the club’s goal is to raise more than $100,000.

Up ‘til Dawn is a fundraiser for cancer research and awareness and runs in coordination with St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Individuals participating in Up ’til Dawn form teams of six and each team member provides the names and addresses of 50 family members and friends for a letter-writing campaign. On Nov. 19, from 3 to 10 p.m., participants will partake in a mailing party sending out pre-written letters asking for donations.

Donnellan said the party will include a live band performance, free food and a Nintendo Wii giveaway. The Wii falls in line with this year’s theme of  “Cancer: Game Over.”

Another party will take place in the spring to celebrate the money raised and will feature more giveaways and prizes.

Participants for the actual fundraising must be St. Thomas students, faculty or staff. But many local businesses and organizations donate food and services. St. Thomas helps as well by providing donations from the bookstore and food services.

Donnellan said athletic teams do a great job of putting groups together. A competition between residence halls rewarding the hall with the most teams also helps drive team numbers on campus.

Jordan Osterman can be reached at jrosterman@stthomas.edu