Welcome to Relay For Life of Rutland County!

Transcription

1 " Welcome to Relay For Life of Rutland County! We're grateful that you are part of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Rutland County! This team captain s packet will help answer questions and provide tips to make this meaningful event fulfilling and fun in the fight against cancer Relay For Life of Rutland County 20 th Year Celebration-Oldest Relay in Vermont! CVPS June 26-27, pm-8 am Creating a World with more Birthdays! Whom do I contact with questions? Ingrid Gallo~ Co-Chair (802) Nancy Mazzariello~Co-Chair (802) ext. 237 Erin Martin~ ACS Staff (802) Tanya Walker~ ACS Staff (802) gallo7673@comcast.net nancy_mazzariello@cbwatson.net erin.martin@cancer.org tanya.walker@cancer.org

2 Summary Sheet for Team Members Dates to Remember March 2, 2010: Team Captain Meeting 7 p.m. April 6, 6, : Team Captain Meeting 7 p.m. May 4, : Team Captain Meeting 7 p.m May 7, 7, 2010: Registration deadline for T-shirts: any registration after this date will not be guaranteed T-shirts. June 8, 2010: June 22, 2010: June 26, 2010: Team Captain Meeting 7 p.m Bank Night. All funds raised to date are turned in. Please see Help Relay Go Cashless document in packet. Relay For Life begins. Final event schedule will be posted online and sent to all team captains. Important Definitions Survivor: The American Cancer Society considers a person to be a survivor from the moment of diagnosis. Caregiver: The American Cancer Society considers a caregiver to be anyone who has had a direct responsibility for the care (physical or emotional) of a person who has had cancer - living or deceased. Please be sure to invite all survivors and caregivers to Relay! Survivors do not need to be on a team or stay overnight to participate.. Survivors do not pay a registration fee Rutland County Relay For Life Goals: 1. Overall we would like to raise $135,000! 2. Increase our number of teams! 3. Increase the number of survivors!

3 Three Steps Raising Money Online is as easy as Sign Up for a Relay For Life event in your community. Set Up your own personal website and provide photos and updates to everyone. Send s directly to your friends and family. Visit us online at relayforlife.org/rutlandvt The new website offers a variety of features to help you in all your fundraising efforts! Check out the fresh new home page design. Easy-to-find buttons to Sign Up and Make a Donation New social networking options, including personal blogs and fundraising through Facebook Plus.the same great, easy to use features Address book import from Outlook, AOL, Yahoo!, Gmail, and Plaxo More pre-built family & friends templates Fundraising progress page And MORE! We ve made it even easier for you, your family and friends to join the American Cancer Society s fight against cancer and help to create a world with less cancer.a world more birthdays! For more details, please visit There you can find training materials to print and links to training videos! Visit RelayForLife.org/ 2009, American Cancer Society, Inc. No

4 SIX STEPS TO RELAY 1. Form a Team and Register! a. Teams work best if there are between 8-12 members. b. Choose a name for your team. c. Team captains: Register your team online at Follow the enclosed Team Captain instruction sheet for details. d. Once your team is registered, get your team members commitment online as well. Follow the enclosed Team Member instruction sheet for details. Please register no later than May 7, 2010 and raise at least $100 to be guaranteed a Relay For Life shirt in the correct size. e. Commitment fee is $10 per person. Cancer survivors do not pay the fee. 2. Start Fundraising! f. Each participant is asked to raise a minimum of $100. g. Luminaria are sold by donation there is a $5 minimum (luminaria donations count towards your fundraising total.) h. Send fundraising s/letters to family and friends encouraging them to donate online through the secure website. i. Consider having team fundraisers (bake sales, car wash, etc.) j. Consider an onsite fundraising activity at Relay (sell food, raffle a prize, etc.) 3. Promote your Team and Team Message! k. Create a team banner for the Team Lap and decorate your campsite. l. Promote a cancer message at Relay (optional). Visit for ideas. m. your message to family and friends (i.e. Have a colonoscopy if you are over age 50; Don t forget your annual mammogram, etc.). 4. Communicate with your r Team! n. Consider holding a team meeting to plan your campsite, banner, and fundraising activities. o. Stay in touch with your Team Members - works great! p. Check the website, including the bulletin board, for posted items and updates. 5. Invite Survivors and Caregivers to Relay! q. Invite survivors and caregivers to the reception given in their honor. r. Invite survivors and caregivers to participate in the honorary opening lap of Relay. s. Survivors may participate at any level and do not have to be on a team to participate. 6. Plan to have a fun and meaningful time! t. Enjoy the entertainment and fun activities. u. Witness the power of Relay during the Survivor Lap and Luminaria Ceremony. v. Create lasting memories while helping to make a difference in the fight against cancer.

5 Creating a Team The heart and sole of the American Cancer Society s Relay For Life is the people who participate by being on a team. Creating a team is easier than you think! Here is a list of some steps you can take to put together a successful and fun team. 1. Choose a team captain. This person works with the Relay For Life Leadership Committee and the American Cancer Society to make sure the team is organized, and collects registration fees and pledge money. They also attend the team captain meetings in the months leading up to Relay. 2. Choose the team members. Walkers, runners, strollers, and wheelchairs are all welcome. Look to your co-workers, friends, family members, your church, or social clubs. Teams should have 8-12 people. Remember, at least one member of the team must be on the track at all times! 3. Register your team and pay a commitment fee of $10 per person! Registration is available online at Please contact a member of the Relay Committee if you are unable to register online. Please keep in mind, you are not officially a team until your commitment fee is paid. 4. Fundraise!!! We ask each member of the team to raise at least $100 in contributions. This can be done on an individual level or the team can hold fundraisers (a list of suggestions is included), or you can do both! Prizes are awarded to top fundraising teams and to individuals, along with incentive items which are available at various fundraising levels. 5. Name the team!! Pick a team name and build on that theme. You can decorate your campsite to let other teams know who you are and to show your Relay spirit. Prizes will be given out for most creative team name and campsite! So get crazy, and have fun. 6. Come to the Relay! Put up your tents and stay the night. Bring the family and enjoy activities, eat, listen to music, light a luminaria, and walk, run, or stroll to fight cancer!

6 Team Captain and Team Member Responsibilities AGAIN THIS YEAR! You can go to: ayforlife.org/rutlandvt to register your team, team members, and collect donations. Either register online or fill out the scannable forms. You should not do both. The only money collected on this website is by credit card. All other donations made to you will be handled in the following manner: Team Captain Responsibilities: Register your team online at Or by filling out the enclosed form. The sign-up fee is $10 per person. If you are registering via the new form in the packet, please mail them to Erin Martin at the American Cancer Society, 55 Day Lane, Williston, VT, Participants will each receive a T-shirt providing they register prior to May 7 st. After that, T-shirt sizes cannot be guaranteed. As team captain it is up to you to make sure your team is well informed of the upcoming dates for meetings and to see that each member is filling out packet materials correctly. Pass out team envelopes and luminaria bags to team members. Please make sure they record both online and offline donations on the envelope. Keep track of your members using the large team captain envelope. Ensure each team member has paid their registration fee of $10. Help your team members establish a goal for their collections. Assist any members if they do not understand what needs to be done. Set a date for team members to return their envelopes to you (REMEMBER: team envelopes are due on Bank Night, June 22, 2 but we always accept more money at the event.) TOTAL team envelopes as well as the team captain envelope. Make sure team name and team captain are listed on the outside of each team envelope. Using the website is a great tool to achieve fundraising goals. A Luminaria (candle lantern) Ceremony is held in memory and honor of friends and family who have had or have cancer. These bags are typically decorated with photos, words, or whatever one chooses. Please see luminaria explanation sheet & pricing information. At the Relay, each team member takes turns walking during the event. You bring your own food, sleeping bags, tarps and tents, and whatever else you need to get you through the night.

7 Team Member Responsibilities Team members register online at or by filling out the scannable form. The sign-up fee is $10 per person. If you are registering via the scannable form, please mail them to Erin Martin at the American Cancer Society, 55 Day Lane, Williston, VT Participants will each receive a T-shirt providing they register prior to May 7 st. After that, T-shirt sizes cannot be guaranteed. As a team member, it is hoped that you will be able to collect at least $100 in pledges from people or organizations. Make sure donor information is accurately entered on the outside of your envelope. Enter each donor s donation amount next to their information. If you run out of space on the outside of the envelope, make a copy of the envelope and place it inside the envelope. Before you hand in your envelope, it would be helpful to your team t captain and the RFL staff if you could convert your cash and coin donations to a check. (Most banks and credit unions have coin counting machines, so you don t even have to do it yourself!) Write the total on the outside of the envelope on the total line, If you have used additional sheets, please note it under the total line. Make sure your name and your team s name are on the top of the envelope. Deliver your envelope to your team captain before June 22,, Bank Night ight. The large envelope is used by each team member to record and store pledges and luminaria money. Please make sure they record donations accurately. Do not record credit card donations on this envelope. PLEASE DON T PUT DECORATED LUMINARIA BAGS IN THIS ENVELOPE. A Luminaria (candle lantern) Ceremony is held in memory and honor of friends and family who have had or have cancer. These bags are typically decorated with photos, words, or whatever one chooses. Please see luminaria explanation sheet & pricing information. At the Relay, each team member shares the walk during the event. Track schedule is included. Please bring your own food, sleeping bags, tents, tarps, and whatever else you need to get through the night. There will be water donated for each participant. Logistics information is included. If you would like posters to put up at your place of business, please contact Erin Martin at or erin.martin@cancer.org.

8 Mission Messaging for Relay For Life Teams Mission Possible for Relay Teams: Every team captain is urged to select a topic related to a type of cancer or an American Cancer Society program. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to devise a way to inform other Relay participants about the topic your team has chosen. Mission Message ideas for Relay For Life teams: 1. 24/7 info 800-ACS Road to Recovery 3. Breast Cancer 4. Colon Cancer 5. Tobacco/Lung Cancer 6. Advocacy 7. ACS CAN (Cancer Action Network) 8. Research 9. We Can Weekend 10. Adventure Weekend 11. Skin Cancer 12. Physical Activity 13. Nutrition 14. Cancer Survivors Network 15. Look Good Feel Better 16. Man to Man 17. Reach to Recovery 18. Hope Lodge 19. Patient Navigator Get Creative! Think Healthy! Ideas include: 1. Teams decorating your tent site with the message 2. Taking your message to the track 3. Going around to other tent sites with your message 4. Engage the survivors at Relay 5. Skits or games

9 Lighting the Way to Hope with Luminaria. What are luminaria? Luminaria are white bags that are sold by participants to their friends and family in honor of or in memory of people who have been affected by cancer. On the day of the Relay, sand is put into the bag and a candle is placed inside. The bags are then distributed around the walking track to light the way through the evening. Luminaria are a meaningful way to keep the eternal light of a loved one who has fought their battle with cancer and honor those who are still fighting their battle. 1. How do I sell the luminaria? Explain luminaria to friends and family. For the friend or family who has never seen a Luminaria Ceremony, explain to them the importance of the ceremony and its significance. This year there are options for your luminaria bag. Be sure to share this so the buyer will have the full vision of exactly what their luminaria bag will look like. 2. What is the Luminaria Ceremony? The Luminaria Ceremony takes place around 9 p.m. after all candles in the bags have been lit. Everyone then takes some quiet time to look at the luminarias and to consider the heartfelt stories behind them. The Luminaria Ceremony is another visual reminder of why everyone has joined together to support the American Cancer Society s Relay For Life. The names on all luminaria bags scroll on screens for the remainder of the evening. 3. How many luminarias do I have to sell? Each team is asked to sell as many luminaria bags as they can to help raise additional money for Relay. The total number of bags sold goes towards your total money raised. 4. Where do I turn in the luminarias and the money? On bank night, all luminarias and money collected need to be turned in. Luminaria tracking forms and luminarias need to be kept separate from the team captain envelope. All luminaria money goes into the team member envelope. 5. What is the luminaria tracking form? Every time you sell a luminaria, you must record all information on the luminaria tracking sheet. All forms have to be properly filled out in order to process credit for your luminaria total sales to your team. 6. Can I keep my luminarias to be put in front of my campsite? Yes, you may keep your luminarias. However, we ask you to please spread them out to fill in empty spaces on the Relay track. 7. What happens to the luminarias at the end of Relay? You may pick up your bags and save them for next year.

10 Track Schedule Time: 3:00-4:00 p.m. 4:00-5:00 p.m. 5:00-6:00 p.m. 6:00-7:00 p.m. 7:00-8:00 p.m. 8:00-9:00 p.m. 9:00-10:00 p.m. 10:00-11:00 p.m. 11:00 p.m. Midnight 12:00-1:00 a.m. 1:00-2:00 a.m. 2:00-3:00 a.m. 3:00-4:00 a.m. 4:00-5:00 a.m. Name of Person(s) Walking: 5:00-6:00 a.m. 6:00-7:00 a.m. 7:00-8:00 a.m.

11 TEAM CAPTAIN INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION CHECKLIST TEAM CAPTAIN CHECK-IN 1 Team captains must check-in between 11-1 p.m. on Saturday, June Team captains are expected to turn in envelopes, cash/check donations, and luminaria for all team members at this time. 3 Report any expected late arrivals for your team at check-in. In an effort to expedite the registration process, please adhere to the checklist below. Having your envelopes filled out completely will ensure accurate team information and accounting. REGISTRATION FEE 1. All of my team members have paid their commitment fee ($10) either online or by cash or check. 2. All commitment fees paid by cash or check have been placed in a separate envelope with the names of each paying member clearly marked. (You do not need to document any team member s commitment fee that was paid online by credit card.) 3. I am aware that survivors do not pay a registration fee. LUMINARIA 1. All luminaria bags sold by my team have been recorded on a luminaria tracking form and the names are written legibly. 2. The tracking sheets are clearly marked as to whether each bag has or has not been done. (Bags that are not done will be made up by luminaria volunteers at Relay.) ACCOUNTING 1. I have collected all team member envelopes. 2. All of my team members have signed the waiver on the top portion of their envelope. 3. Only donations made by cash or check are listed on envelopes. 4. Each team member s envelope lists a total of all cash and checks contained therein, on the back side. 5. I have verified the total of cash and checks in each envelope and matched it to the total listed. 6. I have listed each team member on the back of my team captain s envelope along with their cash and check donation total. 7. I have verified that there are no online donations (credit card) included in the envelope totals. 8. I have provided my team s grand total at the bottom of my team captain s envelope. 9. I have verified that my team s grand total matches the amount of all cash and checks contained in the envelopes and that no online donations have been listed.. I understand that my team s online fundraising totals have been tracked separately, by Relay accounting,, and will be added to my team s total cash/check donations at Relay.

12 T-SHIRT INFORMATION 1. T-shirts will be distributed at check-in/registration. 2. At check-in, I will provide T-shirt size information for any team members who did not register online prior to Thursday, June I understand that T-shirts, in the correct sizes, are guaranteed only to those who registered by the deadline of May 7, 2010 and raise a minimum of $100. (However, extra shirts were ordered and will be available for purchase for $15 each.) NEED HELP? HAVE QUESTIONS? Visit ww.relayforlife.org/rutlandvt or call Tanya Walker at PLEASE HELP RELAY GO CASHLESS! Your Volunteer Leadership Committee respectfully requests your assistance in helping Relay to go cashless. We ask that you convert all cash to a bank check or money order. This will reduce check-in and processing time. Of course, this request will not apply to any on-site fundraising at Relay. Important note: DO NOT convert your team/group cash into a personal check. Doing this will result in future solicitations, to you personally, at a high donor level. Thank you for your assistance!

13 Facilities Logistics 1. Tent and RV s have separate designated areas. No stakes or ropes will be allowed. Set up tents beginning Friday, June 19th at noon. Pop-up campers are allowed only in the tenting area. At registration, be sure to mark your campsite on the map so we can direct your team to your site. 2. There will be electrical hookups available for campers & RV s that have reserved in advance. 3. Please park in designated parking areas only. A map will be provided. Handicap parking is available. 4. Please help take care of the facilities and help keep them clean. Trash bags will be provided at registration. We ask all teams to bring trash to designated areas. 5. Restrooms are located inside the CVPS Building. We ask that you notify a committee member if there is a need for more paper products. Safety 1. First aid will be available during the entire event. 2. For your health, and in consideration of others, we appreciate your cooperation in promoting a tobacco-free environment. 3. Please, no bicycles, skateboards, or roller blades. 4. Please no dogs at the Relay except for service animals. 5. No alcoholic beverages are permitted. What to bring 1. Wear comfortable, lightweight clothing. Bring a sweatshirt or jacket in case it gets cool in the evening. Wear sun visors or hats for the sun, and please, above all else, wear sturdy, but comfortable shoes designed for walking or running. 2. Food to sustain your team! 3. Tents and sleeping bags 4. Decorations for your campsite such as a banner promoting your team 5. Lighters to help light luminaria bags, also flashlights and/or glow sticks 6. Lawn chairs, umbrellas, and coolers 7. Card games or board games 8. Sunscreen and bug spray