Friday, May 28, 2010

Kids for the Cure

Kids for the Cure t-shirt contest is open!
Click here to download the 2010 Kids for the Cure t-shirt design contest rules. Children 12 and under. Deadline June 14. Sponsored by KATV Channel 7 and Burger King.

Also, save the date! First Kids for the Cure event to be held on October 3.

Have a great and safe weekend,
Jill

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Lovely (and busy!) Month of May 2010

Hi y'all!

This has been a very busy month for us all, and summer hasn't even started yet! I want to thank Jill for covering for me at last month's meeting--thank you so much. I did get to attend the latest meeting, which was last Wednesday, May 19th.

I love listening to Donna Easley talk--she began by telling us about the Arkansas Travelers' Mother's Day game. The Travelers all wore pink jerseys, which were auctioned off after the game. She was modeling one for us- If you want one, save your pennies & come next year for your chance at a stylin' pink jersey!


Note from Jill: Above, Donna (right) is sporting the 2009 jersey while I (left) was honored to be presented with the new 2010 style jersey. Thank you, Donna!!!! Below, Donna is chair of the 17th Race (2010) and I will chair the 18th Race (2011). Fun times!!!!!!!


In case you haven't seen it already, our 2010 Race theme this year is (drum roll, please):

we > me


Just think about this--we can accomplish so much more as a team than just 1 person. There is so much strength when two or more are in this together. So, how can you accomplish this? Simple: become a Team Captain. Encourage your whole team to fundraise. Volunteer. Join together as a team to find a cure for breast cancer. This year is even more personal for me as one of my "church mommas" has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. So I will be there with my church, my team, and you all to help find a cure for this disease. "Bring it on breast cancer...we've got the passion and the power to take you down!"

Watch this video from the creative minds at Thoma Thoma. Specific details about the race will be sent next week. Use this link to watch on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wGzQXTQVfs).

And we are happy to report that the Sponsorship committee is doing an outstanding job obtaining donations this year. Thanks to so many of you all, and to new Sponsors such as Go Running, that just opened up in the Heights. They will be a sponsor for the "27 minutes and under" runners so go visit the good folks at Go Running and support them. They have lots of great merchandise. Check them out when you go shopping for your RFTC gear.

Alana Harris is sending out the Team Captains Newsletter -- she worked really hard on it, and it is chock full of great information for all the Team Captains. So be on the lookout for your copy.

Such items include:
The Team Captain Kick-Off Party which will be July 18, 2010 at 2pm at the Patrick Henry Hays Senior Citizens Center in North Little Rock. "This will be a time to ask questions, visit with other team captains, learn more about activities leading up to the Race, and learn what a vital role you can play when it comes to educating people, ensuring quality care for all, and energizing science to find the cures."

New for 2010 concerning Teams Communication, announcements will be made through two methods of communication:
1) The Team Captain Facebook group! This will take the place of the 2009 Komen Captains. If you are looking for us on Facebook, the group name is "AR RFTC Team Captains." While you are on Facebook (and we know you are!) be sure to become a fan of these great pages: "Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure: Arkansas" (We now have over 10,000 fans!) and "Komen for the Cure Arkansas- 3 Miles of Men" (they have over 400 fans on Facebook!)
2) You can also follow our blog designed specifically for our Team Captains at http://arrfcteams.blogspot.com. Here you will find general team info, list of upcoming activities, and tips to help you Race for the Cure! Some of the hot topics include Fundraising Ideas, Recruiting team members, Team Captains Members, Team Captains blog, Team Captains Facebook group, Team Registration, Team SPIRIT!! and, last but not least, prizes!

We are still looking for door prizes, so please let us know if you have some that you or your group or business would like to donate.

Other news going on:
"Kids for the Cure" will be looking for a new design for this year's race. Information has been sent out to Benton schools and the LR schools. Burger King, as a sponsor for the event, will put Kids for the Cure t-shirt contest rules in their kids' meal boxes. Oct. 3rd will be the first ever event for Kids for the Cure. It will be a race of about one mile and will take place on the State Capitol grounds. More details later.

The Pasta Party people are looking for ways to have Macaroni Grill prepare the food for the party directly at Dickey Stephens Park; if you have any ideas or equipment they can borrow, please contact us. Thanks!

The Arkansas Affiliate has won another award! From the Wesley Chapel United Method Church comes the "Outstanding Womens Service Award". Awesome! What dedicated folks we have--you all get gold stars.


Finally, don't forget to mark your calendars for Sept. 12! Arkansas Skatium on Bowman will host their annual fundraiser for Komen, Skate for the Cure, by showcasing up and coming talents from the ice skating world. The cost is $10 to get in, with $8 going to Komen.

So much info, but so much fun! Thanks again to Jill for covering for me last month.

Peace and Hugs,
--
Judi
royalpinkbeatle@gmail.com

p.s. Don't forget Ropin' 4 a Cure at Smith Arena in Rose Bud this Saturday and Sunday. Click here for details.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

April 2010

Sorry for the delay in reporting to you on the latest Race Committee meeting. It has been crazy!

The meeting was held on Wednesday, April 21, and started with tears and laughter with the showing of the 2009 Race video. You can access it here. You might want to have your tissue handy.

Donna issued a challenge to have 10,000 "people who like us" (fans was much easier to type) in Facebook by the end of April. If you're a facebooker, please join us at Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure: Arkansas.


Melissa and Wade with Thoma & Thoma were our special guests today.


They have been working with Donna on this year's theme and have lots of exciting plans. The theme, you ask?


The grants luncheon took place on March 31. $1.2 million were given to 24 grantees. Sherrye also reported that UAMS has been given a Promise Grant from national in collaboration with several other organizations to give a "vaccine" to women considered high risk for breast cancer. Is the CURE around the corner?????

Committee Reports:

Online Fundraising is working on the Hot Pink Heroes Luncheon, t-shirts and prizes.

E-Chair - please let Ann know if you have anything to communicate. Angela is looking for stories about interesting people for the blog.

Sponsorship has certainly been busy recruiting new and returning sponsors for the Race. Channel 7 will be on stage this year. Thanks to Thoma & Thoma, we have a beautiful color sponsorship brochure this year, and we have added some special sponsorship opportunities. A new addition this year is a Kids for the Cure sponsor, Burger King. This announcement was made by Ann Brown in costume.


Another new sponsorship this year is the Block Adoptions. This sponsorship provides the company/organization/individual with a 3' x 5' banner of their logo in the intersection of their designated block. The cost is $1000. Let us know if you are interested.

Kids for the Cure is working on a new event this year--an actual race for the kids! We don't have details yet, but this will NOT be on Race Day. Kickoff of the t-shirt contest will take place at Dino Dash and we will be contacting school art teachers to encourage them to have their students participate.

Training Program - Tbyrd promises that participants will do the race at a whole new level. Walkers to joggers to runners to racers. They will work on both health and fitness. The 6-week program will begin just after Labor Day and will meet at War Memorial Stadium on Tuesdays and Thursdays with one Wednesday. There will be a $10 fee.

Three Miles of Men has also issued a Facebook challenge to have 400 "people who like us" by the end of April. Again, if you are a facebooker, please join us at Komen for the Cure Arkansas- 3 Miles of Men.

Put a Fork In It is looking for new and returning restaurants to participate. Also, KFC currently has a promo with their Buckets for a Cure. For every pink bucket, they will donate 50 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. A KFC in Lexington, KY painted their store pink. You can also go to www.bucketsforacure.com and post a breast cancer story or message.

Executive Director Report:
Sherrye reported that BreastCare has less money for their program. We are working on public policy......
Kelly Kreth received the National Co-survivor Award.
The Travs will once again auction pink jerseys at their game on Mothers Day at Dickey Stephens Park.

The meeting closed with Donna presenting door prizes to Melissa and Wade--no, not the crown.


I know that Judi's reports are more exciting, but she was unable to attend. Pray that she is healthy and available for the next meeting.

Jill

Friday, May 7, 2010

Mother's Day Weekend Events

Plans for the weekend?

If not, check out the Diamonds and the Travelers games this weekend. Both are doing something to benefit Komen!

The Arkansas Diamonds Arena Football Game
Saturday, May 8th
7:00 PM
Verizon Arena, North Little Rock
A portion of ticket sales are being donated to the AR Affiliate

The Arkansas Travelers Baseball Game
Sunday, May 9th
2:00 PM
Dickey Stephens Park, North Little Rock
The players will be wearing pink jerseys that will be autographed and auctioned - with all proceeds benefiting Komen.

Happy Mother's Day,
Jill