Less sleep, more sports: other sleepless activities included a midnight dance and a horror flick marathon.

Garneau’s halls were not quiet Friday evening—quite the opposite. They were filled with students eager to help a cause, hang with friends, and earn fourteen volunteer hours while doing it. Over 140 students attended Key Club’s Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) sleepover. Together they were able to raise a whopping $3740.25—over one hundred bed kits—for impoverished children around the world.

Key Club arranged a few events for the evening, but kept the schedule pretty relaxed. There were movies playing in the staff room (Insidious anyone?), a midnight dance, and all-nighter sports tourneys in the gym. Not everyone chose to partake in those activities, however: some played board games, others talked with friends, and a few dedicated writers finished up their NaNoWriMo novel just short of the 11:59 PM deadline. Everyone was enjoying themselves in their own way.

It might come as a surprise that one evening has taken months to plan, even though the announcements only started a week ago. Sure, it seems straightforward—order some food, beg a few teachers, convince people to come. Doesn’t seem like a lot of work.

What would a sleepover be without copious amounts of junk food?

That’s where you’re wrong. Key Club worked incredibly hard to ensure that this sleepover was as flawless as it could be. Key Club members and executives alike spent hours traversing the city for sponsorships. It’s not the easiest thing to knock on a business’s door and ask them to give you a gift card out of the goodness of their hearts. It takes persistence, charm, and a good cause. Fortunately, we had all three.

Add in all the security and administrative issues (not to mention the paperwork!) and it’s no wonder that SCAW takes months to plan. With the teachers’ union strike this year, organizing SCAW was even more difficult. Luckily, Garneau’s teachers were willing to sacrifice an evening of peace and quiet to supervise rowdy teens for a good cause. A special shout out goes to Ms. Goldenberg for sacrificing both sleep and sanity to help Key Club run this event. However, she did say that “everyone was amazing.”

SCAW may have been rowdy, but it was a resounding success. “This has been the most successful SCAW that we’ve had in the past four years,” said Jacqueline Sue, Key Club co-president. “We raised $1200 more than ever before! Everyone should be proud of the difference that we’re making and on behalf of Key Club I would to thank everyone that attended and pledged.”

Overall, making this event happen took an insane amount of work, stress, and sleep deprivation—but was  worth it, because another hundred children will sleep easier.