Fundraising should be personal -- explain why you Relay
By Mark Schadenberg
The
Relay For Life 'Information Night' on May 13 marked exactly one month
from the 2015 event in Woodstock in support of the Canadian Cancer
Society.
It
was a good opportunity for Oxford community office manager Jan
Cunningham to stand behind a podium and talk about fundraising with
the many registered participants attending the session at Fanshawe
College.
“When
working on your fundraising plan – make it personal and you'll
raise more money. Tell your friends and family why you Relay,” said
Cunningham, who added that this philosophy also works when you're not
face-to-face with your hopeful sponsors.
“Add
your picture to your request on Facebook and in social media and be
sure to show your gratitude as well.”
Jan Cunningham and long-time Relay organizer and CCS Oxford board member John Hunt
Relay
For Life (www.relayforlife.ca/woodstock) is at CASS high school on Saturday, June 13 with Opening
Ceremonies planned for 6 p.m. This is actually a time change from
previous years when Relay was a 7 p.m. - 7 a.m. walk around the track
and the Opening Ceremony was at 6:45.
The
Survivors' Lap will be immediately after an address from organizers
and will begin around 6:30.
With
Relay For Life now ending at midnight and with participants wanting
to enjoy as many moments as possible with the lit Luminaries, the
Luminary Ceremony will now be at 8:45 p.m. (instead of 10 p.m. in
past years).
LUMINARY
SALES
The
Luminary sales drive continues at many churches and co-ordinator
Marie Bowerman notes that the best place to buy your Luminary from a
retail / public location would be Scotiabank. She adds that
Scotiabank in Woodstock will match the donations made
dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000.
At
Relay, Luminaries surround the perimeter of the track to honour those
who lost their battle to cancer, but also to recognize the cancer
survivors who either received a clean bill of health or continue
their journey to be cancer-free.
The
blitz day for promoting Luminary sales will be Friday, May 22 and
Saturday, May 23. The May 23rd date is important with the
gigantic Relay Rummage Sale scheduled for the Foodland parking lot on
Dundas Street. (Call the office at 537-5592 if you plan on having a table -- used articles, bake sale, barbecue, etc) On those two days, you can also purchase a Luminary at
tables set up at No Frills (also a significant sponsor of the Relay
food tent), Zehr's and Food Basics.
PLEDGE
SHEETS
Cunningham
added that the Oxford community office at 65 Springbank Ave North is
a great place to pick up pledge sheets.
“One
statistic we often use is that 210 Canadians die from cancer every
day and we're working hard to find a cure,” added Cunningham.
“We
do have a lot of fun information about Relay too, including an info
sheet with a game plan about how you can raise $400 in 7 days.”
In
a Woodstock Sentinel-Review story published back in December (see newspaper links below),
Cunningham was already creating hype for the new format for Relay For
Life.
“We
are excited to be evolving and strengthening our signature
fundraiser,” said Cunningham. “We’re looking to take this
powerful event to the next level and leave Relay for Life
participants captivated by the experience and engaged in the Canadian
Cancer Society’s important work of creating more survivors every
day. We are evolving Relay for Life to help raise more money to fight
cancer and help people facing cancer now.”
2014
Sentinel-Review recap story
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