"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of
yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."
-Robert H. Goddard
A Note from the Relay For Life Operating Committee
April 2013
Hello Fellow RelayersWhat a wonderful time of the year—Relay For Life Season!! Our state is filled with multiple Relay for
Life events for the next several weekends—from the Keys to the Panhandle! It’s so exciting! What are you
doing to ensure that your communities are going to have a GREAT and MEMORABLE event experience?
From opening ceremonies, celebratory Survivor/Caregiver laps and receptions, exciting entertainment,
emotion filled Luminaria Ceremonies, wonderful food and creative fundraising. All of these can have such
an impact on the community’s perception of Relay For Life. Having a fantastic event will help you locate
potential new committee members as well, while you proactively Work the Track for our 2014 season. Be
sure to have your plan in place BEFORE your event—and always have a plan B!
Is your committee thinking about your Wrap-Up Party yet? This is a chance to CELEBRATE your
successes and provide RECOGNITION. Many events are holding Wrap Up Parties in conjunction of the
100th Birthday Celebration! Use the post event checklist provided in this issue to assist you and your
committees to plan your Wrap Up celebration.
Also, REMEMBER to have all team members complete the Customer Satisfaction Survey. This survey
is automatically sent a few days after the Relay For Life event via email to all participants registered for your
event. This gives us an opportunity to take a look at anonymous feedback regarding our events at every level.
We are always looking for ways to improve our events. Each of you has the responsibility to be sure that
teams are on the look out for the survey in their inbox.
Let’s focus on our MISSION each step of the way. We want to FIGHT BACK to ensure that we are
getting LOUD and working hard to finish the fight! Go out and support the Relay For Life events in your
communities- you can always lovely lift ideas from each Relay!
Together in the fight,
Donielle Deitz
Volunteer Chair
Florida Relay for Life Operating Committee
Upcoming Benchmarks
April
2014 Committee Recruitment
May– June
Event Wrap Up Held
Event, Team Development,
Sponsorship, Fundraising and
Operations Chairs Recruited for 2014
Key Action Items
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Fundraising! Coaching teams to fundraise
over the $1,000 mark
Event Experience Planning
Work the Track and Work the Survivor/
Caregiver Tent Action Plans– Recruit
committee members for 2014!
Wrap Up and Thank You/Recognition
Plans
The Relay For Life Event Day Experience
Something we always need to keep in mind when planning a Relay For Life event, is the participant experience. Relayers spend endless hours planning, fundraising and preparing for this
day– RELAY DAY! They look forward to it, tell their friends about it and brag on Facebook
about all the amazing things that will happen at Relay. We have to make sure we are putting in
the time, effort, and hard work to give these Relayers a great show! Let’s put ourselves in the
mind frame of a Relay participant to ensure we have the experiences of Relay day covered:
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Is there signage leading the cars in from the road? Is there special Cancer Survivor parking? Is there someone there
to help me unload my things for the evening? (This is what we should use our golf carts for.)
Is someone greeting guests, welcoming them to Relay, and handing out the event programs?
Are the Team, Participant and Cancer Survivor/Caregiver registration areas visible and in close proximity?
As the Opening Ceremony starts, do the Cancer Survivors have a shaded area to sit? Is water provided to the Cancer
Survivors? Have they all registered and been given a Relay For Life Survivor tee shirt?
Have we reviewed the Opening Ceremony scripts and met with the speakers in advance? We must remember the
participants are ready to Relay– so keep it short and impactful!
Does the Survivor Ceremony incorporate the mission and recognition for Caregivers as well?
Is there entertainment for the Cancer Survivors and Caregivers in their reception area?
Are the bathrooms close to the track with clear signage? Are we checking to make sure they are clean and supplied
throughout the event?
Does the Relay event incorporate a theme that encourages my team (and all teams) to decorate our campsite and do
onsite fundraising based around our theme?
Can the announcements/entertainment be heard at any location around the track?
Is the Luminaria Ceremony a special, silent time for all Relayers to reflect on the cancer journey? Are the lights off?
Are the candles/glow sticks the only light we see?
Is there activities and entertainment all 18 hours to keep all Relayers celebrating ALL night? Have we reiterated the
reasoning behind why Relay For Life is an overnight event?
Are all teams involved in the entertainment and invited to host activities throughout the night?
Does the event incorporate the American Cancer Society mission?
Are the committee members going by the teams’ tents, getting to know them and asking about their experiences at
Relay and if they would like to get more involved in the event?
Is the Fight Back Closing Ceremony empowering all Relayers to keep fighting until we find a cure, while recognizing
and thanking everyone for their efforts?
Is the final lap a victory lap that is a closing the 2013 event but kicking off the 2014 Relay season?
Are we empowering Relayers to help us improve the event by inviting them to be on the committee and asking them
to take the Customer Satisfaction Survey?
Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS)
The Customer Satisfaction Survey is sent out to all registered Relay For Life participants with email addresses a few
days after the Relay For Life event. This survey takes about five minutes to fill out and it asks questions about the
participants experience prior to Relay and during the Relay For Life event day. As committee members, we need to
promote the Customer Satisfaction Survey to all Relayers! We want our participants to be aware that this survey is
coming, and we want them to fill it out! The more responses we get, the more likely we are to see how we can
improve our Relay events.
FUNDRAISING MADNESS!!!
Some quick ideas to get help your Relay teams exceed their goals and the Relay For Life
events reach their fundraising goal before the day of the event!
What a true celebration Relay day is when we can achieve that milestone!
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Coin Toss: Get permission from the local mall to collect all the coins tossed into the
fountain for a designated time period. Be sure to have signs state that the coins will be
donated to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.
 Taco or Spaghetti Dinner: Host a Taco or Spaghetti night at your home! These ingredients are very inexpensive, and you can even get donations from local grocery store or
restaurants. Charge $10-$15 for friends and family to join in!
 Penny-Wars at Schools: Have every Homeroom class save up pennies for a given time
period. The class that raises the most pennies wins either an ice cream party, pizza
party, or something equally as fun. Here are a couple of facts that might help with
making a flyer about it...Did you know that one milk jug full of pennies weighs 35
pounds? And did you know that 30 pounds of pennies is equal to $50?
 Water Bottles: On each bottle, write “Relay For Life… You Create The Change.” Have
all participants collect spare change throughout April to place in the bottle – did you
know each bottle can hold $90 worth of dimes?
 Wait Tables: Work with a restaurant that will let you designate a specific night to benefit your team for Relay. Your team would be the waiters for the evening and would
collect all the tips as well as a percentage of that evening’s receipts. Make sure all your
friends and family eat at that restaurant during this benefit. This works especially
well at pizza parlors or hometown restaurants.
 Wishing You Well: Set up a “wishing well” at a department or store with a sign explaining that all proceeds go toward Relay For Life and a cure for cancer!
 Team Challenge: Have the top fundraising team challenge the other teams to raise another $250 online each. The teams that raise $250 or more can do something to embarrass the other team at next year’s event, such as shaving the Team Captain’s head. This
same strategy can be used for the committee vs. the teams.
Mission Based Fundraisers:
Breast Cancer Awareness: Boobie Bingo – Similar to regular bingo but players are required to yell “Boobie Bingo” when they win! During drawings for items in between
games, read a short mission moment. Prizes that seem to work well are movie baskets,
Vera Bradley, Book Store Gift Certificates, etc.
 The Great American Smokeout (GASO): Host a Grill Out: hand out info on GASO and
quit line while enjoying some yummy summer foods such as hotdogs and hamburgers,
all for a donation. More information at
http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/greatamericansmokeout/index
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Day of Event Fundraisers:
Feed your fellow Relayers: Get healthy treats and snacks, cookies, popcorn, and drinks
donated to your team, then offer them to fellow Relayers for a suggested donation.
Homemade items always sell quickly!
 Glow Gear: When the sun goes down, sell stuff that glows in the dark.
Jail & Bail: For a suggested donation, participants can have someone “arrested” and
put in a jail created onsite. For an additional suggested donation, the person who is
arrested can post bail.
Butts In A Jar: Collect and count discarded cigarette butts before the event and put
them in a large jar with an anti-tobacco message attached. At Relay, people can guess
how many “Butts in a Jar” for a suggested donation. Now it’s an educational activity,
and a fundraiser!
Gift Certificate Basket: Get gift certificates donated from local area restaurants all
included in a basket. Raise money by hosting a chance drawing for this basket.
Coffee Stop @ Relay: Different flavors of coffee for a donation. Relayers love caffeine!
Face Painting and Hair Styling: Kids love to have their face painted and hair sprayed
purple/styled up at Relay!
Post Relay For Life Event Checklist
Relay’s over...now what?
Most of you are just a few short weeks away from your Relay For Life event day! We know you are busy preparing for a
fantastic event, but let’s not forget all the important steps to be taken after your Relay event day:
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Committee Wrap Up/Rally– Utilize this meeting to take time to review the year with the committee. Review what
went well, and areas that you can improve upon. If you have not met your fundraising goal yet, brainstorm and create a plan of action to reach your goals. This meeting is also a great opportunity to invite all your Work the Track
and Work the Cancer Survivor/Caregiver Tent prospects, and discuss the committee roles for 2014.
For more information and resources for the Committee Wrap Up/Rally, review this document:
http://relay.acsevents.org/site/DocServer/2013_MTAM_Committee_Meeting-Committee_Rally.docx?docID=309148
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Wrap Up Party!!! You can promote the date of these prior to your Relay event to get the most attendance. A Wrap Up
Party is an important piece of the Relay For Life experience. This is an opportunity for you to thank and recognize
your Committee Members, Top Fundraising Participants, Cancer Survivors and Caregivers, and all your teams! You
can also highlight your Nationwide Individual and Team Fundraising Club Level achievers and the Nationwide
Grand Club members! For an entire guide on how to conduct the Wrap Up Party, please go to this link:
http://relay.acsevents.org/site/DocServer/2013_MTAM_Wrap_Up_Party.docx?docID=309149
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Last Fundraising Push– If you haven't reached your Relay For Life event income goal just yet, this is a great
opportunity to do a post event fundraising challenge! Don’t wait to do a fun challenge, do it right away when the
Relay participants still have event experience fresh in their mind. Online challenges are your best bet right after
Relay– let participants know how close you are to reaching your goal, and create a deadline to reach goal by the
Wrap Up party! Quick Ideas: Raise $48 in 48 hours Challenge! If every Relayer raises $X,
we will reach our fundraising goal!
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Sponsor Return On Investment Packages– It is critical to thank your sponsors every chance
you can, at Team Parties, at the Relay, at the Wrap Up Party, in event wide emails and by a
personal card and recognition from the committee members. We also want to make sure to
present sponsors with a return on investment (ROI) package. This package can incorporate
items such as: Relay For Life poster and pamphlet, certificate of appreciation, hand written
thank you note, participant Relay For Life t-shirt, Relay swag (a fun logo imprinted gift), a
picture of their track marker sign or banner at the Relay, Relay event newsletter, newspaper
articles written about Relay, and a 2014 Sponsorship Packet. **Note you should include all
of these items, even if the companies’ logo is not on them. This way the sponsor can see
where they can be next year if they up their sponsorship level!
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Committee Development– Now that we have Worked the Track (recruited 30-40 volunteers
who are interested in being on the committee in 2014), we need to follow up with these excited potential volunteers.
Utilizing the current committee leadership to help reach out and meet up with our Work the Track prospects one to
two weeks after the Relay For Life event is very important. We do not want to lose the momentum that Relay has created. We have willing, excited volunteers, and we want to capture that excitement and passion and turn it into progress moving forward. Ensure follow up meetings are scheduled to sit down and review the roles on the committee to
determine what may be the best fit for the volunteer and that they are invited to the Committee Wrap Up/Rally. We
want to match their personality and skill sets with the correct role on the committee to ensure we are using their
strengths to build up our committee for 2014.
Reminder: All committee resources can be found by going to www.relayforlife.org/florida > Committee Resources
n your
Good Luck o
upcoming
e
Relay For Lif
events!!!
Didn’t make your Relay
For Life fundraising
goal yet?
Here’s some quick ideas to get
your teams going:
20/20/20- Raise $20 in 20
minutes on April 20th!
Poster slogans-- “You beat finals, now help us beat cancer!”
“It’s not the tests you’ll remember when you graduate.”
“You know the answer to that
test question. We don’t know
the answer to cancer. Help us
find a cure by donating!”
Ball and Chain: Participants
can pay to have someone
bound by a ball and chain.
That person then has to pay to
have it removed.
Topless Car wash: Advertise a
“topless car wash.” When people ask for a topless car wash,
wash all but the top of the car
and have them pay extra for
top half to be cleaned.
Cigarette Gram: Have someone dress up as a giant cigarette gram and sing to people
until they pay $1 to stop. It is
recommended you get someone who does not have a good
singing voice. You can also
pay $2 to have them sent to
someone else. After they finish
singing, they share a fact
about tobacco.
Collegiate Corner
Collegiate Fundraising Guide &
Collegiate Post Event Fundraising Guide
More fundraising ideas at your fingertips! Check out these fundraising
guides, with ideas and resources. Share these fundraisers with your
teams to ensure your Relay For Life event hits their fundraising goal so
we can FINISH THE FIGHT!
Collegiate Fundraising Guide:
http://relay.acsevents.org/site/DocServer/
CAC_Collegiate_Fundraising_Guidebook.pdf?docID=309156
Collegiate Post Event Fundraising Guide:
http://relay.acsevents.org/site/DocServer/
CAMPUS_Post_Event_Fundraising_Boosters_FINAL_2012.docx?
docID=309158
College To Community– Take Action with your Seniors!
We want every college Senior that has participated in Relay For Life to fill out
our transition information survey so they can be automatically connected to
their new local ACS community after graduation
What’s in it for seniors? – They are automatically connected in their new
community with similarly passionate volunteers that can help them grow their
career and provide an automatic networking circle. Drive your Relay Seniors to
fill out the quick survey here: http://relay.acsevents.org/site/Survey?
ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=79974
Congratulations to the UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA!
The Relay For Life of the University of Florida has worked tirelessly to
have their best year yet! They have been Dreaming BIG, Hoping BIG and
Relaying even BIGGER! They had a phenomenal event and are currently
projecting $17,000 over their fundraising goal!! What a great job done by
the volunteers and staff! We look forward to sharing more schools who
have reached their fundraising goals in the next issue.
Relay For Life Operations Committee
Call Schedule
National Corporate Team Partner Spotlight:
WALMART/Sam’s Club
Calling our Operations Committee
Members!! Would you like to have the
opportunity to learn and discuss your role
on the Operations Committee? Network
and share ideas with other chairs in your
same position? Ask questions and discuss
strategies with our experienced volunteers
of the Florida Division Relay For Life
Operating Committee? Here’s your chance!
Join one of the upcoming calls to have this
unique opportunity. We are offering one
more call per committee position– all calls
have delivered the same content, so there is
only need to attend one. For a listing of all
calls, copy and paste this link to your
browser > Operations Committee Training
Call Schedule:
Walmart/Sam’s Club associates are encouraged to volunteer within
their local communities. By doing so the organizations they volunteer
with are eligible to receive grants through Walmart’s volunteerism
programs;
Event Volunteerism Always Pays (Event VAP) and Individual
Volunteerism Always Pays (VAP).
http://relay.acsevents.org/site/
PageNavigator/
RFL_FY12_FL_Important_Tools_Docu
ments.html
Call in information is the same for all calls.
Phone Number: 1.877.760.2043 & Passcode:
374011
Luminaria Chairs: Wednesday, May 1st
http://flmeeting.adobeconnect.com/
luminaria_training/
Marketing/Publicity Chairs: Monday,
May 6th
http://flmeeting.adobeconnect.com/
marketing_publicity_training/
Activities/Entertainment Chairs: Thursday,
May 2nd
http://flmeeting.adobeconnect.com/
activities_entertainment_training/
Survivor/Caregiver Chairs: Tuesday, May 7th
http://flmeeting.adobeconnect.com/
survivor_caregiver_training/
Logistics Chairs: Thursday, May 9th
http://flmeeting.adobeconnect.com/
logistics_training/
Individual VAP: Volunteers who have completed at least 25 hours of
uncompensated volunteer service are eligible to apply. Volunteers
may receive up to 4 grants* of $250 each per fiscal year and can be
applied for as an employee completes 25 hours of service. Associates
may not submit both an Event VAP and an Individual VAP for the
same organization/event, unless the volunteer hours are split. If they
have more than 25 hours individually, they can submit an Individual
VAP. Up to 4 associates per event may apply for Individual VAP.
Event VAP: Employees participating in a collective group effort with
at least 5 associates and have more than 25 hours collectively, may
qualify for the Event VAP program. An event is defined as any effort
in which at least 5 associates are collaborating to meet a common
goal, such as fundraising, participating in an event for an organization, or other functions as determined by the Walmart Foundation
(Relay For Life meetings and the event day applies!). Events may
consist of several projects over a period of time or one-day events.
Events may consist of associates from multiple Walmart Sam’s Club
or DC/TO facilities.
Grant Amount: Event VAP must consist of:
$500 At least five associates AND at least 25 hours of volunteering (combined)
$1,000 At least ten associates AND at least 50 hours of volunteering (combined)
$2,000 At least 20 associates AND at least 100 hours of volunteering (combined)
$3,000 At least 30 associates AND at least 150 hours of volunteering (combined)
$5,000 At least 50 associates AND at least 250 hours of volunteering (combined)
Working with your local Walmart or Sam’s Club can help increase
your funds raised, simply by having the employees volunteer at your
Relay For Life event, host fundraisers and attend meetings. VAP
grants are extra funds given on top of the employees who are
fundraising for the event as teams and participants.
Be sure to visit our National Corporate Team Partner website for
more information:
www.relayforlife.org/ntp
Shane Salyer: A Cancer Survivors Story of HOPE
Shane’s story: I was originally diagnosed with non Hodgkins Large B cell
Lymphoma at 9 years old when I was in 4th grade. I received chemo for a year,
missed most of my 4th grade year at school as my teacher came to my house
because I was too sick to attend school. At the end of my 5th grade year my port
was removed and I was declared cancer free!!! At the end of my 6th grade year at
12 years old I began to feel sore in my side and was tired. My doctors thought I
was just being "active." My mom insisted that I be tested and scanned. Again, I
was diagnosed with recurrent non Hodgkins T cell Lymphoma. This time the
Lymphoma came back with a vengeance and had spread to A LOT of my lymph
nodes and my oncologist said, "There were too many to count and we need to
start an aggressive treatment immediately!" My treatment was definitely aggressive. I endured 60 rounds of chemo and was hospitalized for 7 days at a time
while I received my treatments. I was very lucky that my mom and dad insisted
on testing as I was weeks away from the Lymphoma spreading to one of my vital
organs. My mom and dad saved my life.
How has cancer impacted your life? I appreciate everything in life more than I ever did before I heard the word
"Cancer." I found an inner strength I never knew existed. I truly realize what is important in life…..health, happiness,
and people that love you.
Why is the quote on the back of the 2012 Cancer Survivor Tee Shirt so important to you? Did this shirt impact your life
and your battle with cancer? “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the
rain." The 2012 event was my 2nd Relay and little did I know I was very sick at that Relay as I unknowingly had my
Lymphoma battling my body again. I was asked to speak at the Cancer Survivor/Caregiver dinner to talk about my first
experiences. When I received my "purple survivor" shirt and read the quote on the back, I realized this summed up the
last two years while I was sick. I never crawled in a corner and felt sorry for myself, I cried…..only once when I learned
about my Lymphoma. I simply made the most out of my entire first experience with cancer. I made many friends along
the way; nurses, doctors, Camp Boggy Creek councilors, and other cancer survivors. I was also Relaying that for my special friend Cindy Fettig (my reading teacher at the time) as she had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I
brought Mrs. Fettig to the Survivor/Caregiver dinner and wanted to share my experiences with her. She was very reluctant as the news of her cancer was so new and she had just started her LONG road to recovery. I delivered my speech to
a room full of Cancer Survivors and Caregivers, but in my heart I was speaking directly to Mrs. Fettig. I told her that I
would hold her umbrella for her during the storm because she needed to get out there and dance and celebrate life as
we have both been given a second chance at living. Little did I realize
that we both held each others umbrellas throughout the next year and a
half. I finished Mrs. Fettig's reading class in 6th grade but the friendship
and bond that I have made with her will last a lifetime.
How has Relay For Life changed or impacted your life? I have become
very passionate about spreading cheer and hope to people affected by
cancer. I know in my heart there will be a cure. I absolutely love speaking to people about my experiences and to let them know that they aren't
alone in this battle.
What is your favorite thing about Relay For Life? My favorite thing about
Relay for Life is the HOPE that it brings me that one day there will be a
cure for this dreadful disease called cancer.
Relay Online Update
Statistics show 40% of online income is raised within 2 weeks of the event date!
As your event approaches, utilize your Relay For Life online website to fundraise and achieve your event goals.
Work with your Online Fundraising Chair to include fundraising best practices, online challenges, success
stories, upcoming news, fundraisers and top online performers on your website.
Get your teams’ and more participants online!
If you haven’t already, get all your teams online! Have Team Captains register their teams and participants of
their team online. The more participants your teams have registered online, the more online fundraising your
teams are capable of! Once they are registered online, it’s best for them to customize their Personal Web page
by sharing their Relay story, by adding a photo or by posting a personal message on their blog. The online tools
in the Relay Dashboard will walk them through the rest of the ways the website will help them achieve their
fundraising goals. It’s simple to use and easy for your teams’ friends and family to give donations online!
Relay is Mobile!
Encourage participants to install the new Relay For Life mobile application on their iPhone or Android device
and challenge them to send emails from their Relay Dashboard. The mobilization of the Relay For Life website
not only allows for participants to view all webpages on their mobile devise, but now also accepts registrations
and donations through a smart phone or tablet. Anywhere you have a wireless or data connection, you can
register people on the spot or accept secure credit card donation with the help of a smart device! To learn
more or to install the mobile application, go to http://www.relayforlife.org/learn/mobile
Online Trainings:
The next Online Training is on April 8 @ 2pm. Online Trainings are available every month and are open to
Online Volunteers and Relay Online Staff only. The web-based trainings review the basics on configuring your
website, sending coaching emails and updating web pages.
Access the link below for Online Training Call In and URL Details. http://relay.acsevents.org/site/
DocServer/CY13_RFL_Online_Fundraising_101_Additional_Training_Date.pdf?docID=286487
Make sure you are promoting the Nationwide Individual and Team Fundraising Clubs and the Grand Club
Recognition programs. These programs will help excite your teams to reach new heights by achieving fundraising goals along the way– and earning some pretty cool prizes!! We encourage you all to promote these at every
Team Party, recognize those who reach a new level at your Relay For Life event and highlight those who have
reached each level at your Wrap Up Party. To review all the flyers and requirements, please visit the Florida
Relay For Life page > Committee Resources > Important Tools and Documents >
Team Development Tools and Resources
http://relay.acsevents.org/site/PageNavigator/RFL_FY12_FL_Important_Tools_Documents.html
Cancer Control
During tough economic times, people need the
American Cancer Society more than ever. Have you
considered volunteering this spring? With just a
little time, you can do a lot of good – and you’ll help
save lives while fulfilling your own. In fact, National
Volunteer Week, April 21-27, is an ideal time to get
started! We need additional volunteer Road to
Recovery drivers in our communities. Call
1-877-901-2862 or email [email protected]
to find out how you can become a Road to Recovery
Volunteer Driver!
Think about people you know who put everyone
else first and their own health last. Encourage them
to schedule – and keep – doctor appointments and
recommended screening tests, and to live healthy
lifestyles. Tell them you want to see them put themselves first, so they can celebrate more birthdays
and special occasions with you and other loved
ones. Learn more about steps you can take to help
your family and friends stay well by visiting the
American Cancer Society’s Web site at cancer.org
or by calling 1-800-227-2345 anytime, day or night.
How do you feel about working on your birthday?
As people spend more and more time at work, the
odds that we will be working on our birthdays is
going up. No matter whether you prefer to celebrate
your birthday at the office or take the day off, the
American Cancer Society wants to help make that
choice for as many birthdays as possible by helping
you make your workplace healthier and make
healthy choices while you’re on the job.
One way to stay healthy at work is to reduce the
amount of time you spend sitting during the day.
This can be a challenge as more of our jobs rely on
computers. But limiting the amount of time you’re
sitting down can help maintain a healthy body
weight and reduce the risk of certain cancers. It
can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the
elevator, walking to visit coworkers rather than
sending an email, or choosing a restroom or printer
that takes a few extra steps to reach.
Of course, that added exercise won’t have its full
effect unless you also pay attention to what you’re
snacking on during the day. Take a look at the
offerings in your vending machine; do they include
high-fiber and low-fat options? If not, try to bring
fresh fruit, low-fat milk, or salads from home.
Reminder: Don’t forget to start using the Relay Nation to
share ideas and resources for your events!
Getting started:
• Go to Relayforlife.org/relaynation
• Log in using the username and password you used when
signing up for your Relay For Life (it syncs with your
Relay For Life page)
• Complete your profile • Search for groups to join or create
your own! • Start or join a discussion
RelayForLife.org /
r e l a y n a ti o n
A South Florida Relay For Life Team of Excellence, Team Healing Spirits shares their story:
Karla Yugovich and Heather McAllister have been
co-captains for the Healing Spirits Relay For Life team for
the last three years. Cancer has touched their lives with the
loss of Karlas’ father and Heathers grandfather to cancer.
Karla's mother (pictured second from the left) is a 13 year
cancer survivor and is fighting back through Relay For Life!
Here’s how they have been so successful in their own words:
Each year, our team consists of at least 10 members, which
is a healthy size for us to accomplish our goals. Over the last
two years, we have raised $15,000 or more!! Over the past six
years we have raised a total of $45,000 for the American
Cancer Society. We are happy we can give back and do
something about this disease!
How do we do it? We each have a goal and raise our funds individually by using the Relay For Life website,
Facebook, and asking our neighbors, co-workers, friends and family. As a team, we plan a few large fundraisers every year. We keep in mind that every event/fundraiser is a success because every dollar counts and
brings us closer to our goal. Our most successful fundraiser is our bowling event we host every year. We are
able to raise $5,000 or more that night for the past three years. We invite teams and local community
members to form a bowling team (5-6 people) and charge $25 each person which includes bowling, food and
refreshments. This annual event continues to grow because it is a fun night out for co-workers, families and
friends and our team works hard to personally invite all community businesses to get involved!
At the Relay For Life event, what we find most fun for us is being creative with our booth. We carry out our
theme and decorate appropriately. There is such great energy the night of the Relay. It is so inspiring for us to
see Cancer Survivors in remission, those Cancer Survivors currently battling and honoring those we have lost.
To build a successful team we keep good communication between the captains and the team members.
Holding team meetings 1 time per month gives everyone the opportunity to share ideas and also allows us to
determine who will be responsible for our upcoming fundraisers. We like to review what we think worked and
what didn't work and what we would do to improve upon the future fundraisers. Getting to know your team
members is important. You can then tap into what their strengths are, so you know how to delegate jobs to the
correct person. Some things we delegate are: creative marketing and decorating, making phone calls, sending
e-mails, going to businesses asking for gift cards, donations and so-on. The hard work and dedication from
every member of our team is what makes us successful. We love to Relay and know that raising funds is how
we will FINISH THE FIGHT!