Relay For Life - Legion Team

[Steve]

I know this is hot on the heels of the greatest shave, and C-Whiz has done great with some amazing support from the forum, but the relay isn't too far off , so there's not a lot of time to get organised.

Something I've thought we could do for a while is the Relay For Life. This is a chance for a group of us to come together to help fundraise for the cancer council, so I've registered a team. I've spoken to a few people who are keen, but we need more! http://www.cancerqld.org.au/events/rfl.asp

Basics are, we need a team of 15 to participate in a relay from 3pm to 9am.
They ask people to aim to raise $100 each, and $1,000 for the team. Of course, more is welcome. The Gold Coast relay is on the 31st May to 1st June, which also happens to be an away game weekend for us.

Each team is allocated a camp site, so you can bring a shade cloth, tents, banners and set up camp for the night. To keep things interesting, there's a few competitions.
Highest Fundraising Team
Okay, we'd be out of this one, some of these people spend 12 months fundraising between events.

Best Themed Team and Campsite
Basically you decorate your campsite and you can dress up the team to match a theme. Their example is Dress as rabbits - Hopping for a Cure
If we did a legion/soldier theme we could be fighting for a cure, or we could go with rugby league related, anything really, ideas are welcome.

Wackiest Hat
At midnight there's a wackiest hat parade. The biggest, brightest and strangest hat wins!

Spirit of Relay
Prizes awarded to the team/person/supporter who captures the essence of Relay.

Sunsmart Team
Awarded to the team that incorporates the best Sunsmart message in their team theme.

Kookiest Letterbox
No idea about this one! To quote, "Don't forget to make a letterbox. You can promote your sponsors by post during the event. Send ransom notes to other teams, invitations to join your team for a midnight snack or for a game of cards."


So what actually happens on the day?

Opening Ceremony
As the Relay For Life Oath is read, the faces of the participants tell a story; a personal story of challenge, strength and hope tha will drive them through the hours and laps that lie ahead.

Survivors Walk
The first lap honours cancer survivors who take to the track proudly wearing red sashes, joined by their carers adorned in green sashes. All participants cluster around the track to applaud the courage of those in red and the strength and support provided by those in green.

Candelight Ceremony
This is the defining element of Relay For Life. It is a time to remember those lost to cancer and to show support for those living with cancer. The candle tribute bags line the track inscribed with personal messages of love and support, and as they burn throughout the night, they guide and inspire tired bodies to keep on going.

Closing Ceremony
The final lap at each Relay For Life captures the sense of camaraderie by enabling all team members to walk together and reflect on their achievement. Fond memories and new friendships have ben forged under a united hope and belief. Prizes are awarded and final fundraising total is announced.


So I'm not asking for donations (of course they're welcome!), but for people to join the team. They recommend 15, but we can have more.

There's plenty of ways to fundraise, from straight donations (all donations over $2 are tax deductable), through to trivia nights, poker nights, parties, anything you can think of, really.

I know this is a lot to read, but I tried to keep it brief! If you'd like to join the team or want to ask any questions, let me know!

And just for interest, in 2007 the Cancer Council on the Gold Coast helped 194 women attend Look Good-Feel Better Workshops. 281 turbans and 82 wigs were loaned free to local cancer patients and 9 Seize the Day study awards were given to Gold Coast teenagers who have a family member going through cancer to assist with their studies. That's just some of the ways the local community has been directly helped by funds raised.

[Steve]

My personal experience with the Relay was something I couldn't have imagined.

It began early, helping the team captain set up camp in the morning, We spent the rest of the day relaxing before heading back in the afternoon for the relay.

The survivors walk was quite moving, especially seeing children making that lap. No child should ever have to suffer through cancer.

Once we got underway things lightened up. There's bands playing all day and into the night, we had fun checking out the other camps, many of which had games set up. While you must have one person carrying your baton at all times, anyone can walk, so for most of the day we were mostly in a group, often swapping baton carriers with every lap.

It got dark, and someone who couldn't join the team visited with boxes of pizza, definitely a welcome visit! We'd settled in by now, only 1 or 2 walkers. But some other visitors came and joined in, some running laps, racing around the track.

The candlelight ceremony is something I wasn't prepared for.
We wrote messages on small paper bags to be filled with sand then a candle. Then we all did a lap of the track carrying the lit candles before lining the track with them. I struggled to think of anyone I knew who'd had cancer and couldn't think of anyone. (In 2 short years, how that's changed!)
But one of my friends had lost her mother, and she struggled to hold back tears while writing her message. During the walk she completely broke down. It was such a heartbreaking moment.

Later in the night, the bands finally stop, people settle down to rest, and we were walking in pairs. Getting to know people on the team I'd never met before, and my friend who's mother had died opened up to me about it. She told me more in that night than she'd told her best friend in the years since it had happened. As sad as it was, I think it helped.

I couldn't sleep, so walked most of the night, it got cold, it rained, and by morning we were all totally exhausted, and a group member who'd not been there the whole time turned up for her morning jog, took over for us, thank god!

I'd gone into the relay thinking, "This will be fun!" and it was! But it was also a lot more, and one of those life experiences that I'll never forget.

[DIEHARD]

Steve brought this idea up to me a couple of months ago and I think it is fantastic.

I would especially like to do it for MoeJoe (Shawn). And the irony is he was also a Cronulla fan and the event is staged when the Titans play the Sharks AWAY.

I know we have a lot of other reasons to do it, such as Doug's son. And I'm sure there are unfortunately a lot more other instances that fans have been touched by cancer that they would like to walk for.

Count me in Stevo. I also talked to Goatus about this a while ago and he is in as well.

[Steve]

That's great.
Just need another dozen now!


With Moejoe's slip slop slap message, the Sunsmart Team award is something we could aim for.

Also, have had staff from an art website that sells prints and tshirts offer to help out, so that could be a big plus.

[titanstattman]

I did this walk last year here on the coast at evandale with my sisters work it was just a great night got to meet alot of great ppl and rised alot of money i think all up we rised about $12,600 so it was a great night and i walked nearly all of the hours but every 2 laps was a refill of the glass .

For this year i would like to join ur group for the walk.

[Steve]

You're definitely most welcome to join us, Doug.

$12,000 is a great amount to raise, I'll be happy if we manage $1,000!
Sounds like we might need some hangover cures for the morning!

[GCT_89]

i would love to join, its for a great cause......

ive just never been any good at raising money......

so count me in as interested atm..........

what weekend is it?

[Steve]

It's on 31st May to 1st June, an away game for us!

I'm not terribly good at raising money either, but any amount helps.
$100 a person I think is an achievable goal too, although I know I didn't get that much the year I did it!

[titanstattman]

To me its not always about raising the most money its also about being part of the raise to show ur surport to the ppl who have been touched by cancer or are going thu it now by just being part of it can get other ppl like friends and other familey members to get involed.

[Steve]

To me its not always about raising the most money its also about being part of the raise to show ur surport to the ppl who have been touched by cancer or are going thu it now by just being part of it can get other ppl like friends and other familey members to get involed.

That's spot on. The funds make a real difference in people's lives, but it's also about raising awareness, and I think the walk itself helps people. It's beyond my ability with words to describe how, but I've seen it first hand, and it really does help.

[C-Whiz]

Hey, if I'm free I'll be in for this. I won't really know until it gets closer, but I could still help with awareness and fund-raising. As can anyone else who can't actually attend.

[DIEHARD]

It's also a coping mechanism. And a celebration of beating it and giving hope to others. But also a chance to remember the ones we sadly lost.

And I'm sure Steve can vouch for how moving it is and you can learn alot about life from the stories of others, he definitely came away from last year's event a different person and has been the first to suggest us doing this for months.

[Steve]

Hey, if I'm free I'll be in for this. I won't really know until it gets closer, but I could still help with awareness and fund-raising. As can anyone else who can't actually attend.

That'll be awesome.

I have some receipt books already, unfortunately they only give you 2 to share around, but if anyone collects any donations I'm sure we can sort something out.


So far from the forum we've got C-Whiz, GCT_89, titanstattman, DIEHARD, Goatus and me. I've had 3 friends so far say they want to help. And remember, it is a family event, friends and family are more than welcome.

[Steve]

This is coming up quickly!
For those who want to be involved, I need to fill in a registration sheet. This requires name, address, email, phone, etc. Also shirt size. They also ask if you're a cancer survivor and if so, if you will be participating in the survivor's walk.
It requires a signature, so I'll have to bring the form to a game.
Unfortunately I won't be able to make saturday's game, next one for me is the Broncos.
To help cover the administration costs and the tshirt that everyone receives, there is a $10 per person registration fee. This is to ensure all money raised goes to help people rather than paying for the relay.

I need to get the form in as soon as possible to get the ball rolling. If you like you can PM me your details and I can fill it in for you, then you just need to sign the form when I see you.

The GC relay is aiming for 100 teams, and so far we're at 69. The fundraising target is $180,000 and so far $45,000 has been deposited. Hopefully we can add to that.

Also, if you've recruited any friends and family let me know. We don't have a big enough team yet!

[Steve]

Fundraising from the event makes a real difference on the Gold Coast. In 2007:
202 Breast Cancer patients were seen by trained Breast Cancer Support Volunteers.
363 nurses participated in the Oncology Nurses Group Cancer Education courses.
110 Childcare Centres were recognised for their Sun Protection practices under the SunSmart Early Childhood Centres Program and 51 schools were involved with the National SunSmart Schools Program.

In the recent newsletter, there was a guide on how to raise $150 in 10 days.
Probably a few small things we could all do.

Day 1: Put your own $10 in

Day 2: Ask your partner for $10

Day 3: Place a container at your local store or caf?

Day 4: Ask two of your co workers for $10 each

Day 5: Ask three friends for $10

Day 6: Ask two relatives for $10

Day 7: Ask a neighbour for $10

Day 8: Ask two people from your local church or community group for $10

Day 9: Ask your boss for $10

Day 10: Ask another neighbour for $10