Top stories in this newsletter ... Now, that may seem like a lot, but we believe that this new goal is totally ... You c
RELAY NEWS A monthly newsletter brought to you by Relay For Life of Garland & Mesquite
December 2016
Top stories in this newsletter
Latest Relay News
Calendar of Events
Committee Spotlight
Zeros to HEROES!
Halfway to Hope T-shirt Challenge
Happy Holiday’s everyone! Krista and Elena here again to give you a quick update on what’s going on in the world of Relay. But before we get to that.... we’d like to take a quick minute and wish all of you every happiness this Holiday Season and throughout the coming year! We are so grateful to those who have made our progress possible. It is in this spirit we say, simply but sincerely... Thank you and Best Wishes!
Latest Relay News Now that we have officially started the 2017 RFL season, there is so much we’d like to tell you! To begin with, the American Cancer Society has raised our 2017 goal from $70,000 to $80,000. Now, that may seem like a lot, but we believe that this new goal is totally attainable. And we’re going to help you all by providing you with several fundraising ideas AND by promoting your fundraisers on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. Here are some of the figures to date: • • • • •
Number of days until our event: 140 Donations received: $4,156.15 Number of teams registered: 13 Number of team members registered: 38 Number of survivors registered: 10
If you haven’t yet registered, please do so by visiting the new and improved website: www.relayforlife.org/garlandtx. Don’t forget that there’s a mobile app you can download too! The redesigned app makes FUNdraising so much easier! You can now (securely) accept in-person credit card and check donations with your devices camera, and/or utilize PayPal for easy, no-card-needed fundraising! You can even set and update your personal and team goals.
Calendar of Events Be sure to mark these dates on your calendars, folks! We’re less than 4 months to our big event and we have a TON of events coming up.
OFFICIAL MEETING DATES: • • •
Thursday, January 5th Thursday, February 2nd Thursday, March 2nd
•
•
Thursday, April 6th Tuesday, April 25th
[ Bank Night / Final Meeting ]
Each Team Captain’s Meeting takes place on the first Thursday of each month. Meetings are held at First United Methodist Church [801 West Avenue B, Garland TX 75040] at 7pm. NOTE: Please enter through the main entrance on Avenue B. The far right door will be unlocked. Did you also know that just by attending each team captain meeting, you’ll receive an entry into the Purple Canopy Raffle? That’s right! Just show up each month and receive an entry. If you win the raffle, our Team Ambassadors will even set up your new canopy the day of Relay! The drawing will be held on Bank Night. Not a Team Captain? You don’t have to be!! We welcome anyone who wants the latest and greatest news on our Relay event.
OFFICIAL EVENT INFO: One thing we forgot to mention in the November issue was the THEME for this year’s event. We are pleased to announce that the official theme for the 2017 event is “When you wish upon a cure”. If you have any ideas for decorations, please let us know! Date: Saturday, April 29, 2017 Time: 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Location: Naaman Forest High School Stadium (same as last year)
CAMPSITE INFO: Have you heard the news? We’re doing campsites a little differently than in previous years. This year, the team raising the most money by April 1st will get to pick their campsite first!! That is, of course, AFTER sites for Luminaria, Accounting, etc. All the more reason to get your FUNdraising efforts going!
UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS: Many of our teams and individuals have already begun their fundraising efforts. Here is a quick list of events that are already scheduled: Date Sat., Dec 17 Mon., Jan 9 Mon., Jan 9 Sun., March 26
Event Charming Charlie Shopping Event On The Border Give Back Night On The Border Give Back Night Car Show
Team n/a n/a n/a The Holy Walk~A~Molies
Location Charming Charlie @ Firewheel Mall 4970 N George Bush Frwy, Garland, TX 75040 1350 NW Hwy, Garland, TX 75041 Taco Casa Garland
Do you (or your team) have a fundraiser planned and want us to add it to the list? Email us the information and we’ll add it to the next issue (AND Facebook)! Be sure to check our Facebook page often – we will be using that as our ‘official’ calendar of events.
Your Leadership Team First on this month’s Leadership Spotlight is Mary Ramsey! Mary is definitely no stranger to the Relay For Life movement. In fact, Mary has an integral part of Relay since 2008 and has served on several committees including Survivor and Team Ambassador. She was also the Event Chairperson back in 2011 & 2012 and Co-Chairperson in 2010. Mary began volunteering for Relay back in 2008, after being diagnosed with Stage 1 Thyroid cancer. Then, just last year, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer. Today, she is now cancer FREE! (YAY Mary!!) Mary enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Her son has a 10 month old adorable grandson that is the love of her life! She also has two amazing nephews that she likes to spend time with
as much as possible. This year, Mary is not only heading up our Accounting Committee, she is also overseeing our Luminaria sales. Mary is asking for volunteers on the night of Relay. If you’re interested in helping out, please send us a note to our general mailbox:
[email protected].
Meet Diana Breedlove, the Online & Social Communications Lead for Relay For Life of Garland! She grew up in north Garland but calls Wylie home with her husband, Joe (also a Garland native), and her two teen boys, Brendan and Justin. Diana’s first participation at an ACS event was the Relay For Life of Wylie in 2012, after being diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer earlier that year. She joined the Garland Relay the next year and has been on Team Wounded Warriors ever since. Unfortunately, her win over cancer was short lived as she was diagnosed with metastases to several areas of bone in August 2016. She is currently undergoing her second round of chemo. Diana is very passionate about Relay For Life, raising awareness and funds to find a cure for cancer.
Zeros... to HEROES! During a recent training conference, Krista and I learned that nation-wide, there were over 200,000 people who registered to participate in the 2016 Relay For Life season and yet didn’t raise any money to the cause. If they had just raised $100, the American Cancer Society would have received an addition $21 million dollars! WOW! In our own Relay community, we had over 200 people who did not raise any money. That’s $20,000 we missed. So this year, one of our main focuses is going to be on FUNdrasing. Actually, it’s to help YOU with YOUR fundraising efforts. That’s the whole reason we’re here, right? We raise money to end the fight against cancer. We raise money so that we can ALL celebrate more birthdays. We raise money so that our loved ones don’t have to suffer through treatment. Yes - we know it’s tough asking people for donations. BUT – we’ve put together a list of things to keep in mind when you’re talking to potential donors: •
The worst thing that can happen is that someone could decline to make a donation. But, if you don’t ask – how will you know? You can never know who has been touched by cancer – maybe that person is just waiting to be asked to help fight back!
•
When discussing donations, let them know how their support can contribute to the fight against cancer. It’s estimated that more than 1.6 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed this year. Their contribution could save a life – including their own.
•
If someone you ask is unable to make a monetary donation, ask them to help in another way. Maybe they could bake and sell cupcakes or host a garage sale and donate the proceeds to your team. Or perhaps, they could just spread the word about Relay to their family and friends.
Raising $100 can be easy if you break it down into small pieces. Here is a list of super easy fundraising ideas that can help you on your way: −
Provide a service like baby-sitting, car washes, lawn mowing, or house cleaning.
−
Ask friends, family and co-workers to dedicate a luminaria in memory or in honor of a loved one in exchange for a donation.
−
Use silly photos, memes, etc. to get creative with your fundraising through social media. Just because cancer is a serious topic, doesn’t mean raising awareness has to be!
−
Think of something you and your friends already enjoy doing. How can you make it into a fundraiser? How about bowling or a poker tournament and ask for donations as admission.
−
Try the Dime Challenge. Fill a water or soda bottle full of dimes and once full, you should have about $100.
−
Utilize the Hope 100 Fundraising Activity. Just print out a copy and have people select a box, donate, and sign their name on the box. Once you have all the boxes filled in, you’ll have exactly $100!
−
Are you a DIYer or love to make crafts? Pinterest has millions of ideas for easy crafts to make and sell. With the holidays just around the corner, selling your handmade goods will get you to fundraising goal in no time!
Halfway To Hope T-shirt Challenge Did you know that there is an AWESOME t-shirt fundraising challenge going on right now? The RFL Halfway to Hope Challenge is simple: Register for the 2017 Relay For Life of Garland & Mesquite Event and raise a minimum of $50 before December 31st to receive a limited edition, purple HOPE t-shirt. There is still plenty of time! Speaking of T-shirts... we know everyone out there loves their RFL t-shirts (I know I do!!). However, after reviewing the number of ‘zeros’ from last year- we, as a committee, have made the decision to revert back to the rules on the Hope Club (participant/event) t-shirts. As a Relay For Life participant, you MUST raise $100 or more for the American Cancer Society. By fulfilling your commitment to the cause, you will be recognized as a Hope Club member and will receive the 2017 Relay For Life event t-shirt. To be clear, if you raise $50 by December 31st, you’ll receive the purple Halfway to HOPE t-shirt. If you raise $100 or more before our event in April, you will also receive the Hope Club t-shirt. The more you fundraise, the more you’re rewarded! Check out the list of Nationwide Individual Fundraising Club levels and items!
How can you help? - Visit our Facebook Page and give us a “LIKE.” - Invite your friends and family to also “LIKE” our Page. - Engage in our FB posts. Each time you LIKE, SHARE and/or comment on our post(s), there’s a chance that the post could also show on your friends newsfeed. If they also LIKE or SHARE that post, then it could reach THEIR friends and family... and so on... and so on... We could literally reach hundreds, if not thousands, of people with your help.
Contact Us! Have any questions? Need to get in touch with someone on the leadership team? Here’s how to contact us: Via email:
[email protected] Relay For Life website: www.relayforlife.org/garlandtx On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RelayForLifeGarlandMesquite/
