This year is my FIFTH year doing Relay for Life and my FOURTH year as being a committee member. This year I am the chairperson for sponsorship again. I'm hoping that we can raise more money through sponsorship this year than last year. Last year we raised about $7,000 (which I'm told was twice what they did the year before, hence the reason I'm chairperson again - actually, I was told as long as I want to chair sponsorship, it's all mine). We raised about $85,000 for the entire event last year. That was about $10,000 less than the year before - in all honesty, I'm fairly certain that the torrential rain storm we had during Relay was the culprit because it killed a lot of the fundraisers people had planned to do up on site.
Our kickoff event is this Wednesday. It is our second annual Dancing with the Relay Stars. It's just like Dancing with the Stars, but the dancers are raising money for Relay. I have volunteered to help at the event again this year. It will be held at the Logan Rec Center again this year. We have quite a few stars dancing this year too. The USU ballroom dance team acts as choreographers for the dancers - which I think is pretty awesome. They have also arranged to have several different dance companies bring teams in to dance while money is being counted (nope, Sam's not dancing - lucky for me). We also use this event as a charity event for the food pantry. People who come and bring a canned food donation get the price of their admission reduced. Last year we were able to collect quite a few cans for the food pantry so I'm hoping we can do that again this year as well.
As for the plans I've made for my own Relay team...well, not all plans have been figured out but I'm kinda use to flying solo on this one. I know I will have team members but most of them don't sign up until about April!
**Travis had suggested two years ago that we appeal to the men. I had promised him we would do so through our raffle & our shirts last year....and then I forgot. So, to honor that promise, this year we will be "Huntin' for a Cure." We will also be raffling off something that will appeal to the men as well as the women...perhaps a fishing pole? Travis wants to raffle a gun but I'm pretty sure we won't be able to get one donated and I'm not assuming that liability!
**I'm planning to do a silent auction on the blog again this year. I would like to do that about the first week of March so keep an eye out.
**I know I will be doing a yard sale again this year. I've been collecting items in my basement since the end of the last one last May. The pile is growing out of control! If you have any items you want to get rid of and would like to donate them to the yard sale let me know. I'm more than happy to come pick items up. I'm planning to do the yard sale in early May. I know we have a dance competition one of the first Saturdays & I believe the second weekend is Mother's Day. So, I'll keep you posted on a for sure date.
**If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to my team (or register to be a part of my team), you can do so here:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=50483&pg=personal&px=2086508 I set my fundraising goal for $100 but I'd really like to beat what I did last year. Last year my team did about $1,700 & I raised about $1,400 of that. I really wanted to earn my red "Grand Club" shirt last year. I'm hoping to earn another one this year as well. That means I have to raise at least $1,000.
**If you'd like to donate but can't afford to donate money I'd love donations for the silent auction. Anything you can do helps us find a cure for this rotten disease. If you know any business owners that would like to participate by being a sponsor let me know!
**And in case you don't know, here's why I Relay:
I started to Relay in memory of my Grandma Lea. Now I have the honor of Relaying for so many others. But, to be honest, this right here is why I keep Relaying:
I Relay for my family
I Relay for my Grandpa who kicked Cancer's Butt more times than any one person ought to have to
I Relay for my Littles because Heaven forbid I ever lose one of them to this horrific disease
I Relay for my "Other Mother" who kicked Cancer's Butt
And I Relay for my friends who have kicked Cancer's Butt
Basically, I Relay because it's a way that I CAN make a difference in this very large world. It's a way for me to be involved in my community and help others who are in need. It's a way for me to honor my Grandma and the fight she made. It's a way for me to show my children the importance of caring about those around us - because in the end, we're all human.
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