Woodstock Relay For Life: Relay For Life

Opening the curtains

By Mark Schadenberg

It’s time to open the curtains or cut the ribbon – to officially unveil the newest promotional vehicle for Relay For Life in Woodstock.

Scissors please !

Understanding the limitations of both Twitter and Facebook for length of content, but most certainly realizing the importance of internet and social media to promote the Woodstock event (June 14-15 at CASS), now is the moment to introduce our committee’s blog site.

This space will serve many functions, including featuring stories written by committee members discussing why they participate in Relay For Life, plus updates on how you can volunteer or join a team (www.relayforlife.ca/woodstock), along with specific requests for areas of volunteering. For example, the logistics crew always needs extra hands on the day of the event as the stage must be built, tents to be raised, signage posted, and of course requiring volunteers with the ability to construct the walkway arch for the start-finish line. People with electrical and construction background can contact Janet Bragg (See list below of email addresses).

Team recruitment chair Beth Boulard last week noted that the team total is currently (as of March 28) at 44 so far and that’s an amount trending above the pace to exceed last year’s total of 86. The goal for this year is 87 as our committee has adopted both the local theme of Carnival For A Cure, but is also promoting a provincial participation ‘Power Of One’ effort – i.e. have one more team, invite one more person to your team, one more volunteer, one more monetary pledge, etc. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu2NgqNPK1s)

The sponsorship committee has reported a lot of good news so far -- the addition of several new business / corporate supporters, including the No Frills grocery store on Norwich Avenue.

Related events, including the Cooking For The Cure breakfast at Swiss Chalet on Saturday, June 8 (8 – 11 a.m.), will be talked about in this space. Don’t forget about the FUNdraising day on May 11 at Zellers / Foodland parking lot.

You will also read about luminaries (10 p.m. is luminary ceremony), the Survivor’s Victory Lap (7 p.m.), the Fight Back Zone, planned entertainment and guest speakers, and a preview of the Boston Pizza menu.

In other words, there are many reasons to visit: www.woodstockrelay.blogspot.com on a regular basis.

We look forward to seeing you on June 14.

BACKGROUND INFO

To learn more about Relay For Life in Woodstock, plus background information on Oxford County events in Ingersoll (June 21) and Tillsonburg (June 7) as well, be sure to read other posts on this site. Updates will appear in this space as June 14 approaches, including reminders about captain's nights at Fanshawe College (April 18 and May 15, 6:30). To sign up or sponsor a participant, see: www.relayforlife.ca/woodstock or call the Oxford unit office at (519) 537-5592. If you would like to contribute a story or promote a Relay team fundraiser, send details to: mschadenberg@rogers.com.

COMMITTEE CONTACTS

Kim Whitehead

Relay For Life: co-chair

Email: kimw_1@sympatico.ca

Keri Axon

Relay For Life: co-chair

Email: keriaxon@gmail.com

Mark Schadenberg

Public relations committee

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

Twitter: markroyallepage

Beth Boulard