Boston Pizza event sponsor for Relay For Life

February is blitz month for sponsorship

By Mark Schadenberg

While the month of February begins with a gopher counting down the weeks to spring, for the Relay For Life sponsorship committee it’s ‘go for it’ time in securing important sponsors for an important annual charitable benefit still 19 weeks away.

The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) will be marking its 14^th annual Relay For Life, June 14-15 at College Avenue Secondary School. Last year, the Woodstock event alone was ranked No. 7 in fundraising in the province with $317,000. It takes a lot of work and a lot sponsors to reach that plateau.

“February is our blitz month for sponsorship,” said sub-committee chair Bob Axon. “An impetus to be a sponsor of Relay For Life for a business is for them to gain significant visibility. Community relationships can assist in a business’s success.”

To promote the blitz month, Relay For Life announced the commitment of Boston Pizza (431 Norwich Ave) as a full event sponsor with a donation of $7,000.

Boston Pizza owner/manager Megan Porter says community involvement has always been important to herself and the restaurant’s brand name.

“It’s just the way my family is. It’s how I was raised.

“It’s also one of the reasons why I’m with Boston Pizza as this company is always promoting that we should be involved in our community,” said Porter, adding on a personal note that her mom passed away from cancer about 10 years ago. 

CCS Oxford County unit fundraising manager Josie Atkinson explains there are two important differences in any business donating to Relay For Life. Firstly, it’s the level or dollar value (fair market value), and secondly (for tax purposes) whether the contribution can be considered a need-to-have or nice-to-have gift-in-kind.

Since Relay feeds its 1,000 participants (Last year there were 87 teams, plus additionally survivors in the victory lap, and volunteers), a restaurant or grocery sponsor qualifies as a need-to-have.

At various amounts, Relay For Life sponsorship levels could include mentions in all newspaper ads, logo placement, signage around the CASS track, recognition in the program, or even a street naming in the event’s tent city map.

Other important donations for Relay For Life include media sponsors The Sentinel-Review (Sun Media) and 104.7 Heart FM. Meanwhile, Kinsdale Carriers, Swiss Chalet and Woodstock Print & Litho continue to be corporate supporters as well.

Bob Axon notes that in 2012 an Ipsos Reid survey listed the CCS’s Relay For Life as the most valuable charitable event for a company to be involved with. The study calls Relay: ‘Canada’s Most Valuable Property, a first of its kind study designed to measure consumers’ affinity and connection with a property and its impact on sponsorship’, noted the press release from the research firm, which continued: ‘To measure the ability of a sponsorship property to create an emotional connection between Canadians and the property’s sponsors, the Most Valuable Property study evaluated 100 properties through a survey of 1,016 Canadian consumers.’

Relay For Life will be hosting a registration night Wednesday, Feb. 20, 5 – 7 p.m. at the CCS office, 65 Springbank Ave. North.

The kickoff event or Relay Rally is March 20, at Quality Hotel and Suites.

The event’s various sub-committees are always looking for volunteers, not matter what expertise you may have. For example, on event day, the logistics group needs assistance in building the stage, tents and signage. If you would like to volunteer with the food committee, luminaries (1,993 sold last year at $5 each), registering survivors, public relations, entertainment, children’s area, silent auction, logistics or even coordinating the volunteers, contact Atkinson anytime at the CCS Oxford unit at (519) 537-5592.

Bob Axon can be reached at (519) 421-0806 or through email at raxon@rogers.com.

For more details on Relay For Life, contact Atkinson, or event overall co-chairs Keri Axon or Kim Whitehead (kimw_1@sympatico.ca).

The battle to find a cure is on-going: Celebrate . . . Remember . . . Fight Back is the overall motto, while this year’s Woodstock Relay theme is Carnival For A Cure.

You can register your team at www.relayforlife/woodstock, or sponsor someone on one of the teams already signed up.

This year, the Tillsonburg Relay is June 7-8 at Annandale school, while Ingersoll’s all-night fundraiser is at IDCI, June 21-22.

Pictured (from left): Josie Atkinson, Megan Porter of Boston Pizza, Bob Axon and Keri Axon.