Volunteers important part of Relay For Life team
The
Canadian Cancer Society’s website reports that from coast-to-coast in 2013,
there were 16,224 teams, raising a total of $46.5 million participating in Relay
For Life.
It’s
been noted often here that Woodstock was No 7 in Ontario in 2013 for dollars
raised. That’s a huge accomplishment as now the work is well underway for 2014
to retain that place in the standings or better yet – move up – and exceed
$300,000!
Woodstock
– Relay For Life is always seeking more assistance and here are some ways you
could volunteer.
Logistics.
It truly takes a small army to organize and set up the CASS track for Relay
from tents to awnings, signage to extension cords, and the building of the
stage.
Luminaries.
I think the goal every year is to sell 2,000 luminaries. If your place of
business would like to assist in selling that would be great. The luminary bags
must also have names and tributes written on them, then set up around the
track, and then taken off the track the next morning, and packed away (wooden
blocks inside bags) for next year.
Clean
Up. A huge thanks every year to both the Lions Club of Woodstock and the local
Knights of Columbus council for manpower to ‘tear down’ and clean up after a
long night. We could always use more volunteers
Physiotherapists.
Entertainment.
Relay usually has at least three musical performers, so there is live music up
to about midnight on the stage. If your band would like to volunteer, contact
Dan Henry at Heart FM (537-8040)
Survivors
Tent. Assisting in registering cancer survivors and distributing t-shirts.
Food
Tent. Our committee is lucky that many volunteers in this area contribute their
time year after year, but the more hands (wearing gloves, of course) the
better. Former Woodstock city council member Connie Lauder is pictured below.
The list
goes on and on. Contact the CCS office for more details as your name and
contact info will be added to a list and you will be contacted by the volunteer
coordinator or a sub-committee member.
Relay
For Life is grateful of its many more sponsor volunteers, including the
Woodstock Camera Club (see picture) for taking team photos and a ton of generic pictures to
be used to promote future events. After the team photos are taken, the camera
disks are rushed to Shoppers Drug Mart (in the east end) to be developed and all
the photos are returned to CASS before midnight.
Finally,
a big thanks is passed along to the CASS crew of custodians who always do their
part in helping Relay For Life: Celebrate . . . Remember . . . Fight Back
To
understand more about Relay, you can contact any committee member, call the CCS
locally, or watch one of many videos as the story can be told through pictures
and commentary.
The
first two links below of Woodstock Relay have been posted previously.
A replay
of Chuck Phelps speaking at the opening ceremony:
Comments
made from Woodstock participants, including Bill Johnson, whose son Jacob
(Jacob’s Story) died from cancer.
Here are
three more national videos:
More links:
Relay For Life
Woodstock
– June 13-14, 2014
Captain's Night
Fanshawe College (Tuesday, April 8, 6:30 p.m.), background details about registrations,
sponsorships, luminary sales, volunteering, silent auction, registering as a
survivor, entertainment, signing up for bank night, recruiting team members, and the logistics of setting up the over-night camp at
CASS.
To sign up or sponsor a participant, see:
www.relayforlife.ca/woodstock or call the Oxford unit office at (519) 537-5592. To volunteer, contact the CCS local office and you will be contacted back by a volunteer coordinator.
If you would like to contribute a story (Why
you participate) or promote a Relay team fundraiser, send details to:
mschadenberg@rogers.com.
Celebrate . . .
Remember . . . Fight Back
CONTACT:
Tracy Bucholtz
CCS – Oxford unit
fundraising
Email: tbucholtz@ontario.cancer.ca
(519) 537-5592
