Ranked 5th BAYBEE!
Thanks to
Bethany S for getting the Invitrogen matching funds, we are now ranked 5th in the city!
Way to go Everyone!! Our total team donations are
$1,225.00.So I was remiss in reporting all that money in my last email as solely penny jar money. Some of it was from suns & moons.
Magnus P came and bought 5 more raffle tickets today. Thank him if you happen to see him!
Sara S was very kind and says she forwarded our Baja fresh email to everyone she knows in the area. I have high
apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes that Friday will be a Success for our team! The fliers have been distributed for Baja Fresh, and I'm working on putting up fliers for the raffle. Lotsa fliers going on. They're going to start calling me flier-girl.
I'm still calling around this area for a place that'll host our Krispy Kreme fundraising day. So far no luck. The gas station, Target, and Quiznos's mall area have all said no. The other WalMart may be our best option. Actually it's a sure bet, so I'm going to go officially ask after work tonight.
Doing breadmachine this Friday as time allows. I got a new Hawaiian Sweetbread mix I want to try out.
The first week of June is going to be the Parking Lot raffle, other than that we don't have anything planned. Would someone like to help me on a photo-matching fundraiser?
Thanks!
Brandy//Team Organizer
Krispy Kreme Day!
I am proposing a
Krispy Kreme Fundraiser Day.I've set up a calendar on our YahooGroups located here:
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/relayivgneugene/cal///group/relayivgneugene/?v=2&t=1148371200Let me know if you have problems accessing it. I'm asking for June 23rd to be reserved for another Bake Sale day, will let you know if it gets approved. I'm busy the weekend of June 9th, so I was hoping we could aim for
Saturday, June 24th.
This will be an all-day event held in front of the WalMart on W11th. I've got the application to set up a fundraising booth, I have the Krispy Kreme order form, I just want your feedback before I plow forward with getting this set up!
I still have the $160 from the May Bake Sale. The minimum order is 25 dozen, we order it 2 weeks in advance and go pick them up at the Clackamas Krispy Kreme location at 9950 S.E. 82nd Avenue.
Not a problem, I can run up that Friday night after work and have them ready. Doughnuts are $3.50 doz for the classic glazed, suggested retail is $7 per doz. Chocolate are $4 per doz suggested retail is $8. We could easily get, and sell, 30 dozen. That WalMart is ALWAYS packed, and every time I've seen a Krispy Kreme fundraiser at the other locations they go very quickly.
We can either use the funds from the bake sale, or ask for a department to sponsor us in doing this. All we need to bring is a table, chairs, a banner, and people to sit and sell. I'd be willing to go and do this and as many as are available can join.
I appreciate your feedback at your earliest convenience! :)
Captain's Meeting Review
Good Morning all!!!
* Bev H from Bldg J just bought $25 in raffle tickets, and $25 in Suns & Moons. Thank her when you get a chance! I'm trying to talk her into joining the team. We'll see :)
* Went to the
Team Captains' meeting last night. You are all welcome to go, incidentally, if you feel like checking it out. I'll send an announcement for next month's. It's really inspriational to hear the speakers talk about their experiences with Cancer. I like the fundraising ideas that come out of the meetings, and hearing how the other teams are doing.
Our team received a mention in the newsletter: for our blog and for our fundraising ideas. I'll scan it and send it for those who are interested.
Flo Hoskinson does a great job of putting together the Fundraising Announcement and Idea page. She's a really neat lady to talk to as well, if you should get the chance.
*There's an email list for all of Eugene/Springfield put together by Thomas Price from Country Coach. It's a yahoogroups email list just like our relayivgneugene email list. The address to sign up at is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EugeneSpringfieldRelayforLife. I'm on the list, I'll include tidbits on updates from time to time. The Relay teams have a great sense of community. It's not just a competition, we are all working towards a common goal.
* The Relay committe is looking for a team that would be willing to sell small
FM radios at the Relay. If we wanted to, we could have a department sponsor these and sell them at the event. Fro writes,
"FM radios will provide everyone at the Relay a clear transmission to all of the information being announced at the stage by tuning into a particular setting." I understand most of us are swamped with work and home life, but if anyone is willing to take on this project please email me for details! I think it could really go over well.
*
Tab Davis reported that most teams at the
Curb for the Cure event raised $500-700 each, and they've been approved to do it again in Eugene. We didn't raise
quite that much. But I'm willing to give it another go. I'm an optimistic kinda gal. I signed our team up, and I will be there for sure. More details to come if you're willing to try it out. We're teamed with a couple of other teams this time, so we won't be going it alone, and they have professionally made signs we can use.
*
Banner spots are still available. It costs $250 for a business to sponsor a banner. It's free advertising for them, and
the money goes to the team that refers them! I have fliers available if you know anyone with a small (or largish) business who would be willing to sponsor a banner. I have a list of business that Relay has asked us NOT to contact. Please contact me for a copy, if you're thinking of contacting local businesses. Let's coordinate our efforts! If you want, we can take certain letters of the alphabet. There are a few local businesses I really support that I would like to ask. Let me know if you're interested in getting together on this.
*
Team Flag! Who would like to take on the project of creating our team flag? It needs to be 2x3 ft or 3x4 ft max. I have the specs available. Anyone could do this- they don't have to be on our team. If you know of a seamstress that would be willing, PLEASE refer them to me so we can get started!
*
Team Baton! We also need someone who would be wiling to take on the project of creating our team baton.
*
Team Campsite! Yep. This is also a competition, and we need someone who would be willing to coordinate the canopy, a table, a cooler, and whatever else we may want at the event. I have a pup tent I can bring, and an air mattress, but I really need someone to be in charge of this.
*
Spirit Points! There are also contests at the event for best baton and best campsite. No news as to whether they will be judging flags, but let's be prepared for that as well! They've requested anyone who has a golf cart available to borrow bring it for extra spirit points. They've tried local golf courses with no luck. They're trying the U of O. I think we rent ours through Yamaha NW? If you have any ideas, or have a loaner available, please leave a comment below this post, or email me and I'll forward it on to Linda Morrison, the Logistics Chair.
*
Survivors Wanted! R4L is still actively looking for survivors (defined as anyone currently living with, or having survived Cancer) to participate. Fundraising is nice but not required. No signup fee or registration. If you know of a survivor who would like to be on our team, please refer them! If you know of anyone who would feel comfortable with our team dedicating our efforts to their survivorship, please just let me know- I'm hesitant to ask as Cancer is often a very private battle.
*
Baja Fresh Day is next Friday! They will donate 20% of their sales, with flier, to our team. YAHOO! Huge thanks again to
Bethany for getting this done for us :) Email coming soon!
* Thanks also to
Bethany and
Suzanne for having
Tinker over to the
Journal Club meeting last Wednesday. We had a great turnout! In attendance,
Suzanne B, Lisa W, Allegra H, Brandy C, Bethany S, Nan A, Tami N, Courtenay H. Sorry if I missed anyone! It was really great to see so many come on their lunch breaks. The meeting was very informative. More than reaffirming that which we already knew, that Relay for Life funds cancer research, it was great to see examples- concrete numbers and details on the types of things that have been funded by the ACS.
Can you imagine a time when people didn't KNOW cigarettes were linked to cancer? I'm going to be 29 for the second time this year (shhh,) so I realize it's pretty young... but still I can't fathom a time when that information simply wasn't available. Nowadays it's a matter of denial, but back in the 50's they just didn't have any idea! ACS is in its 60th year- they funded research that led to this discovery, and consequently are funding Quit lines, getting information out to convince the public, and services and support for those who are unfortunate enough to get cancer anyway. It seems like that information has been around forever because, well, 60 years practically IS forever to a country with such a short attention span. I have a 3 year old- sometimes 6
minutes seems like forever. ;)
*
Funds update: We got $160 from the bake sale, $30 and $50 the last 2 drops I did on the penny jars plus candy bars and the Curb for the Cure, $2-$5 every time I set out the breadmaker, plus all your personal donations. Some of that was used to purchase raffle prizes, and I haven't transferred the $160 yet. Our team is now up to $705.00!!!!!! We've met our requirement to earn Invitrogen's matching donation of $500. That puts us at $1205. We are currently ranked 6th in all the teams in Eugene, and we have 'til the end of July. WAY TO GO! I will send out an update to the general email list soon. I'm permitted one email a week and I want to make them count for current events. Our fundraising goal is $5000. With a company this size, it should be cake.
We have 2 more months to do the best we can, and a number of really good fundraisers coming up in which you may choose to participate. If you don't see one you're interested in, maybe the next. Just being a part of the team and wearing your button helps. Talking up the fundraisers, even if you can't participate, really helps. I would LOVE for us to get 20 teammembers. Right now we're at 11
(Welcome Suzanne B!)
On Wednesday Tinker told us that Eugene has the dubious distinction of being FIRST in the nation for highest non-profit charity to population ratio.
Thank you for choosing to be a part of this one.
Raffle!
Longish Update:
* The Curb for the Cure event was unique. Relay for Life isn't just about fundraising, it's about raising awareness. In that regard, I think this event was a success. I set up signs, got my water bottle and my lawnchair, and got more strange looks and supportive honks than I did change or donations.
What touched me were the donations we DID receive. My only solo donation was from a woman in a beat-up little sedan and a backseat full of kids. It was only a handful of change. She tearfully explained that she wanted to do more for a good cause, but it was all she had. It was so much more than most everyone else had done. It was a very humbling experience, but suddenly I was very glad to be there.
Kyia and her daughter came around 5 and helped out. I was SO Grateful for the company! They helped hold signs. A woman came a block and a half from her bus stop to give Kyia her last handful of change and take a brochure, then walked back the way she came; she had gone out of her way just to give Relay for Life about a dollar.
I was glad for the honks of support we got, and the smokers who saw the signs and were reminded enough to put out their cigarettes.
Kyia's daughter got a $5 bill from a beat-up station wagon. I got another dollar from a woman in an older truck. It was really touching that the people who gave the most were the ones who had the least.
* BAKE SALE was a gigantic success! HUGE thanks to everyone who participated! We raised about $160, had several bakers who weren't officially on the team, and TONS of customers. This was a great idea, thanks especially to the Reception Team and to everyone who helped bake. I'm not aware of everyone who brought something, but here are a few I wrote down:
Lisa W, Erin Van O, Kyia H, Ginger B, Bethany S, Emily W, Cathy R, and Nigel L. I would LOVE to send thank-you cards to everyone so if I missed anyone, would you please email and let me know? We're planning to do another one in June, so if you have any ideas on how to improve on it, let me know!
* Raffle is ready to go. If you want to check out tickets to sell, send me an email and I will route them to you.
* Tinker is coming on Wednesday to the Journal Club to give a talk on the ACS and Relay for Life. It's noon - 1pm. It'd be great if as many of us that can go. An invite has been sent and I have fliers up around campus.
* I put fliers with Cancer facts around campus in the bathrooms today :)
* Bread for the Cure is still going on MWF.
Emily is so great about updating the intranet if you're interested.
* Jules D brought up selling Krispy Kremes- we could ask a dept to sponser the initial capital, go fetch, and sell them in front of the WalMart or in lunchrooms. I don't think this would take much to get set up.
* We should have a meeting, just hang out and throw around ideas. Anyone feel like getting together this week? Sorry it's short-notice, but we could get together tomorrow at noon, before Tinker's talk, so that we can be prepared at the Journal Club meeting. Noon, Bldg E lunchroom on Tuesday if you can make it. I'll send an evite!
Upcoming Events!
I'm running out of title ideas, can you tell?
I was way too excited about what we've got going on to wait a whole WEEK before sending a new post!
*
Cheryl L. has volunteered to babysit the new batch of candy bars for sale in Bldg C for $1 each. Thanks Cheryl!!!
* THIS THURSDAY is the
Curb for the Cure event, from 3:30-6pm on the corner of 19th and Marcola in Springfield (by the Carl's Jr and DariMart.) I have the signs ready and I'll bring them with me when we meet. Wear your Invitrogen shirt if you have them, extras will be provided. Please bring a bottle of water and a snack. I will provide jars as well.
* We're ready to start selling
raffle tickets. They cost $1 each. You must give a brief information sheet about the raffle to each person buying a ticket in order for us to keep within Oregon State Lottery commission's guidelines on fundraising raffles. Huge thanks to
Dawn C. for helping work out the details!
We'll be doing the raffle tickets on a check-out system. You'll check out a number of tickets to sell, then turn the money in when they're gone for your next batch. This way we'll keep track of the number of tickets we've sold, and who sold which tickets for auditing purposes. The money from the tickets you sell will be counted towards your invidual fundraising totals.
No pressure if you're not into selling or buying raffle tickets-
reply to this email to let me know how many you'd like to start selling if you're interested. A general company email will be out shortly with a prize list and information which will also be included on the information sheets. Raffle will go through June, and is open to members of the public.
*
May Bake Sale is THIS FRIDAY! The Lobby of Bldg E will be set up and ready to go, thanks to Facilities. We'll be using jars for collection, and we'll have a suggested price list available. If you're able to bake, I recommend individually wrapping goodies in baggies or saran-wrap for portability. I will try to remember to bring paper plates and extra baggies from home to have as well. If someone else would be willing to help me remember, or bring some themselves that would be helpful!
*
Baja Fresh Day is set up for May 26th. Fliers and general email to come shortly.
*
Caffiends Day is a GO! I'm waiting to hear back from the owner as to which day will work best. She's waiting to talk to Melody about some arrangement they're making to have Caffiends here for a few hours, instead of a brief stop? Not sure about the details, I just know I'm waiting for a callback. Details coming soon.
*
Karaoke for a Cure is also in progress. A friend is helping work out the details on a venue, which was the biggest obstacle. I'm so excited this is turning from idea to possibility! More details hopefully to come.
* I'm also working on information on a
second raffle for choice parking spots. More information to come. I'm also working on a
Papa's Pizza Day in June, depending on how well the Baja Fresh day goes.
*
Do you have your letters written yet? If not, I volunteer to write them for you!
That's right- Send me or loan me your address book and I will address envelopes, print letters, and get them ready. All you have to do is sign them and stick them in the mail!
Other Group Fundraising ideas:
$ A stumper photo contest: We'd collect baby/early childhood pictures of employees along with their current picture. $1 to enter a guess. The person who gets the most correct wins a % of the collected donations, the rest to go to Relay for Life. We could do this for 2 weeks easily in June.
$ Vending Machines: We could contact our vending machine suppliers and see if they'd be willing to donate a % of their sales out of our vending machines for a month to our Relay for Life team. We could do the same with the Sunshine Deli Wagon.
$ South Park Caricatures: I've been having fun with the South Park Caricature maker on coworkers- we could offer to print and sell tcaricatures of people based on their photos, with their help, to have at their desks or on their walls for $5 each. (Cost of frame at WalMart is $2) I'm not sure of the interest in this in the company?
$ Video or Book Sale: Team members and employees can bring in their old VHS tapes, DVDs, or books (gasp- reading?!) to a mini-garage sale. We could set this up in the Lobby of E again, depending on how well the bake sale goes over?
What ideas look like fun to you? We have until July- wouldn't it be great to have something going every week, or every other week?
What we really need is for people to be cheerleaders about the Relay in their departments and buildings. Get people excited about being on the team. It isn't a huge time commitment- you do as much as you want when you feel like it or can, plus walking for an hour or so sometime in July. No problem!
I want your interaction and feedback- tell me what you think, what ideas you have, and where you are. How about a team meeting on Monday around noon? I'll send out an invite, we can "do lunch" and talk about where we are and what ideas we want to move forward with.
Anything is Something!
Hasn't the weather been gorgeous? We're so lucky to live in such a green state!
R4L Update:
* Raffle is still a go. Got $50 from the penny jars last week and was able to purchase a couple more gift certificates, as well as a neat rolling organizer. We need to have a sheet with number of available tickets, prizes, and legal stuff to give everyone to whom we're selling raffle tickets in order to keep this legal and within Invitrogen/ACS guidelines. I'm working on that sheet, I'm going to run it by
Dawn as soon as I have it done up and see what she thinks. The Raffle will go through the end of June.
* Breadmaker is going well. Not as much interest as anticipated, but it's still earned over $10 for Relay. Have settled on a MWF schedule. Reception has been fantastic about updating the Intranet with the location, bread type, and previous winner/bid.
* Suns & Moons sales are also going well.
Emily has them up in Bldg E facing the elevator.
* Curb for the Cure event is NEXT THURSDAY! Our "corner" is 14th & Marcola in Springfield, right by the Carl's Jr. Bring your Invitrogen shirts if you have them, and extras for those without. We'll have to get together to make signs next week- maybe Tuesday at Noon? Bring butcher paper if you have any- I'll bring some large card stock from Bi-Mart and borrow Birdie's markers. So far I have a solid from
Bethany and a tenative from
Kyia- no one else has responded.
It's happening Thursday, May 11, 2006 from 3:30 PM-6:00 PM - if you can even come for a half hour to support the team, or just help make signs,
Anything is Something and will be appreciated.
* Bake sale is Friday, May 12th (yup- the very next day.)
Lisa W. in bldg C has offered to bake, as has
Erin V.O. from bldg H and myself. Store-bought goodies are okay if any of you are able to bring anything in to donate. I'm recommending pre-packaging them in plastic baggies. I'll have a sign available with suggested donations, but marking your baggies (especially if your treat is particularly exotic or especially nummy!) is a good idea if you have the time. I'll try to have baggies and paper plates available on the tables for people to use as well.
* Baja Fresh day is happening in June- Baja Fresh will donate a % of their sales, accompanied by fliers we'll be handing out, to our Relay for Life team. Thanks to
Bethany for putting this together! More information as this develops- I'm picking up the fliers and having last minute discussions with the owner this Friday.
* I'm working on a Caffiends day as well- operating similarly. Have not heard back from the owner, however- she may be inundated with requests. The worst she can tell me is "no," so I will keep trying. If it doesn't work out with Caffiends, perhaps the Sunshine Deli Wagon would be willing to help out our team.
* Tinker from the American Cancer Society will be attending the Journal Club on Wednesday May 17th from Noon to 1pm. I will put up fliers for this after the Bake Sale (switch them out.) I believe she'll be speaking on the ACS and the Relay for Life. It'd be great if you could make it! Thanks again to
Bethany for setting this up!
* I'm working on a Karaoke for the Cure event with my friend on the Semperian team. I have the ok from the ACS. Having a hard time finding a venue- Gateway Mall representatives said their owners have only approved the Shriner's Muscular Dystrophy charity for fundraising on premises. I am waiting on a callback from Valley River. We'd like to keep it in a family-friendly, well-known establishment. I've asked
Kim V from shipping if she'd EmCee the affair. If I can't find a professional karaoke DJ to donate their time and equipment, she said she'd be willing to bring in her setup as well. I'm excited! It may not happen, but if it does I think it would be well worth the time and effort we invest.
* I sent out an email to friends and family when we first started this R4L- I'm sending out a paper letter with an update to everyone I know. Have you done this yet? It's listed as the top fundraising method by the ACS. It's non-invasive and informative. People can support you in this effort if they want, and are able, or they can just cheer you on. Either way, it's good to get the message out. And again,
Anything is Something.
If you have any ideas or would like to help out with any of these, please contact me at my work email address, or just reply to this email.
I have not heard from my Aunt in Washington who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in December. I wrote to her a month ago, but I suspect she is busy.
I got a call yesterday that my Uncle from another branch of the family is in the hospital with an advanced form of an extremely rare type of cancer. He has tumors on his liver, his eye, lungs, and my cousin was not sure where else when I spoke to her. I may go visit tonight or tomorrow. Today the doctor is supposed to give him some kind of time estimate. They can't do anything for him since it's in and around his major organs. He is 52.
This whole Relay thing has taken on a new urgency for me. Kim V has a history of cancer in her family as well. As she put it (I'm paraphrasing, this was a week ago, but it was hilarious!,) "I'm not so much donating money to a charity as I am investing in my possible future!"
She cracks me up :)
Doing something, anything, is better than doing nothing and waiting. If no one tells you this today, you are appreciated! Even if you "only" raise $5, it's $5 more than they had. That's $5 to go in a grant for a research company to buy (maybe some of our) research tools to help find a cure. Huge Thanks to you for being a part of this team and doing what you can! Huge thanks to the people donating- buying cookies, sticking their change in the penny jars, buying Luminarias to remember a loved one.
Thanks to you for any and every little bit that you do-
Because Anything is Something!
