ASUA officials are recruiting six-student teams to shake and groove all night long at the first ever dance-a-thon to benefit St. Jude Children's Hospital.

Sign-up sheets are available this week for students who want to participate in the UA's first Up 'Til Dawn on April 23.

Up 'Til Dawn is a nationwide event organized to raise money for cancer research. It is completely funded by donations.

"It's really important that students give back to the community as a whole," said Associated Students of the University of Arizona Sen. Sara Birnbaum. "It's a great opportunity for students to show the community all the good things they do."

Chelsea Good, Up 'Til Dawn coordinator, said her goal is to get 75 teams involved.

The St. Jude Children's Hospital is funded solely through donations to help find cures for children with cancer who have been told they will not survive, Good said.

"St. Jude is the last resort hope for children; in order to keep going, they need money to continue helping children and their families," she said. "It is a good cause."

In addition to dancing, students also participate in a letter-writing campaign.

Each team member must come up with 50 addresses they can use to write letters requesting donations. Pictures of patients are sent along with the letters.

On March 10, there will be a mandatory team meeting and letter-writing campaign in the Student Union Memorial Center, featuring a DJ, food and a raffle.

A patient from St. Jude Children's Hospital will speak to the volunteers about how donations can save the lives of children like her.

Each team must also pay a $50 registration fee, which will be donated to the hospital.

Teams that attend the letter-writing event and have the required number of addresses can then participate in the dance-a-thon on April 23.

The event is an all-night party with a DJ, food and prizes that include basketball tickets and gift certificates.

This is the first year that the UA has teamed up with St. Jude Children's Hospital.

"It's been really successful at other campuses of our peer institutions, so we hope to have it successful here too," Birnbaum said.

Students can participate by filling out a sign-up sheet.

Sign-up sheets can be picked up at the ASUA offices, located above the UofA Bookstore.

Students should participate because every donation helps save the life of a child, Good said.

Students can contact Chelsea Good at 907-0792 for more information.