Woodstock Relay For Life: Lots of information at 'Relay For Life' Information Night

Exactly one month before Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser in Woodstock

Fundraising should be personal -- explain why you Relay

The Relay For Life 'Information Night' on May 13 marked exactly one month from the 2015 event in Woodstock in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.

It was a good opportunity for Oxford community office manager Jan Cunningham to stand behind a podium and talk about fundraising with the many registered participants attending the session at Fanshawe College.

“When working on your fundraising plan – make it personal and you'll raise more money. Tell your friends and family why you Relay,” said Cunningham, who added that this philosophy also works when you're not face-to-face with your hopeful sponsors.

“Add your picture to your request on Facebook and in social media and be sure to show your gratitude as well.”

Jan Cunningham and long-time Relay organizer and CCS Oxford board member John Hunt

Relay For Life (www.relayforlife.ca/woodstock) is at CASS high school on Saturday, June 13 with Opening Ceremonies planned for 6 p.m. This is actually a time change from previous years when Relay was a 7 p.m. - 7 a.m. walk around the track and the Opening Ceremony was at 6:45.

The Survivors' Lap will be immediately after an address from organizers and will begin around 6:30.

With Relay For Life now ending at midnight and with participants wanting to enjoy as many moments as possible with the lit Luminaries, the Luminary Ceremony will now be at 8:45 p.m. (instead of 10 p.m. in past years).

LUMINARY SALES

The Luminary sales drive continues at many churches and co-ordinator Marie Bowerman notes that the best place to buy your Luminary from a retail / public location would be Scotiabank. She adds that Scotiabank in Woodstock will match the donations made dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000.

At Relay, Luminaries surround the perimeter of the track to honour those who lost their battle to cancer, but also to recognize the cancer survivors who either received a clean bill of health or continue their journey to be cancer-free.

The blitz day for promoting Luminary sales will be Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23. The May 23rd date is important with the gigantic Relay Rummage Sale scheduled for the Foodland parking lot on Dundas Street. (Call the office at 537-5592 if you plan on having a table -- used articles, bake sale, barbecue, etc) On those two days, you can also purchase a Luminary at tables set up at No Frills (also a significant sponsor of the Relay food tent), Zehr's and Food Basics.

PLEDGE SHEETS

Cunningham added that the Oxford community office at 65 Springbank Ave North is a great place to pick up pledge sheets.

“One statistic we often use is that 210 Canadians die from cancer every day and we're working hard to find a cure,” added Cunningham.

“We do have a lot of fun information about Relay too, including an info sheet with a game plan about how you can raise $400 in 7 days.”

In a Woodstock Sentinel-Review story published back in December (see newspaper links below), Cunningham was already creating hype for the new format for Relay For Life.

“We are excited to be evolving and strengthening our signature fundraiser,” said Cunningham. “We’re looking to take this powerful event to the next level and leave Relay for Life participants captivated by the experience and engaged in the Canadian Cancer Society’s important work of creating more survivors every day. We are evolving Relay for Life to help raise more money to fight cancer and help people facing cancer now.”