WKU students gathered inside Diddle Arena on Saturday, March 25 from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. for the Midnight on the Hill fundraising event to play games and raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“It’s a six hour event where we play games and have fun, all while raising money for St. Jude,” John Downey, Midnight on the Hill advisor, said. “We spend the whole year fundraising and then have our big finale” 

Throughout the night, many different events were offered to keep up the energy of the event. 

“We have a smash car, silent disco, dodgeball, minute to win it games, karaoke, tug of war, raffles and dinner, just to name a few,” Abby Cox, executive director of Midnight on the Hill, said. 

Around 600 people attended Midnight on the Hill this year and participated in these activities.

“[There are] just a lot of different fun activities to keep everybody’s energy up throughout the six hours,” Downey said. 

Throughout the year, Midnight on the Hill hosted events and benefit nights to raise money for the hospital. They had benefit nights at restaurants like Raising Cane’s and Donatos and hosted events such as a volleyball tournament. 

Leadership for Midnight on the Hill is separated into four different committees, which all help the organization run smoothly.

“We have a fundraising committee which takes care of fundraising from participants and also fundraising from sponsorships and donations,” Cox said. “Then we have a PR Committee, which is in charge of all social media. An events committee, which puts on the entire event, they plan the games, and make sure everything runs smoothly. Then we have recruitment, who’s in charge of getting people to sign up.”

Last year, Midnight on the Hill was able to raise $85,300 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

“Our original goal [for this year] was $80,000 which we already surpassed, which is amazing, so our new goal is $100,000,” Cox said. 

At midnight, organizers of Midnight on the Hill revealed the total amount raised. Throughout the year, they were able to raise $145,478.50 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This amount is thousands more than last year and surpassed their overall goal.

News reporter Izzy Lanuza can be reached at [email protected].