Charge Through the Night for St. Jude is an up-and-coming student-run organization whose mission surrounds fundraising and increasing awareness for St. Jude Children’s Hospital within the university community.

This past Tuesday, the organization hosted their No More Chemo Rally—one of their major fundraising events for the semester. The Peterson Auditorium in the Bergami Center was loaded up for a night of “FUNdraising,” with the incentive set in place that if their goal was reached, some of their executive board members would shave their heads in solidarity with those undergoing cancer treatment.

The event opened up with events and logistics manager Brisa Velasquez, a sophomore international business management major, providing a presentation on the No More Chemo party hosted by St. Jude whenever a child completes their final round of chemotherapy. She explained how the fundraising taking place at the University of New Haven will be applied towards helping more kids have that celebration.

The evening’s fundraising goal was $400, yet by the next morning, the total raised was clocked in at $1745. Their fundraising total for the semester is over $5000.

Jeremy Wilson, a sophomore biochemistry major, is the events and logistics chair of Charge Through the Night. He said, “I joined St. Jude because I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I also want to make sure that no one has to worry about being able to afford to take care of their child.”

Wilson is one of the members who vowed to shave his head if their fundraising goal was met. He opened up about this decision, saying, “I am shaving my head in support of St. Jude’s and to show that I support the children through their journey.” This is his first time shaving his head for the cause. He will be joined alongside Justin Coviello, DEI chair and senior communication major, who has shaved his head in solidarity of childhood cancer prior to this semester.

Wilson also discussed how he spreads awareness on campus, saying that he does such “through social media posts and telling people. I plan on supporting the mission by raising as much money as possible to help the families and support them in any way possible.”

Charge Through the Night has also alluded to more No More Chemo Rallies being hosted in the future and have encouraged the student body to keep an ear open for even more events in the coming semester.