Relay For Life of Greece Date: Spring, 2012 Location: Greece, NY

What is Relay for Life? An overnight community walking event to celebrate cancer survivorship, remember those we’ve lost to cancer, and fight back by raising money for the cause! The event benefits the American Cancer Society.

How does it work? Anyone interested in participating gathers friends/family/co-workers to form a team. One person is designated the “team captain.” This person acts as liaison between their team and the planning committee. They are asked to attend 2-3 team captain meetings prior to the event. At the event, teams set up a “campsite” with their belongings. This serves as their home- base throughout the event.

How does it work? Many teams choose to decorate their campsite (there is a prize for the best one)! The goal is to have at least one member of each team walking the track throughout the night. This represents the continuous fight a person faces after a cancer diagnosis. The idea is that cancer never sleeps, and for this night, we won’t either!

What happens at Relay? In addition to walking the track, we provide entertainment, speakers, food, and fun! The walk kicks-off with a CELEBRATE ceremony, which honors cancer survivors. At dusk, we take time to acknowledge those we have lost in the REMEMBER ceremony with a silent lap and the lighting of luminaria. In the morning, we encourage participants to continue the fight all year in our FIGHT BACK ceremony. Each of these ceremonies include meaningful speakers and activities.

Who Participates? Schools Churches Businesses Organizations Teams Families Friends People of All Ages Cancer Survivors Everyone! That’s why we are here to talk to you today!

How to Fundraise ONLINE – Each participant is asked to register online. By doing this, they are given their own fundraising page. From this page, they can friends and family to request donations. This will contain a link to the participant’s individual page where friends and family can enter a donation.

How to Fundraise AS A TEAM – Teams often choose to organize team fundraisers such as bake sales, car washes, garage sales, etc. Money raised at these events can be entered online as a general team donation. – There are many creative fundraising ideas on Relayforlife.org!

How to Fundraise AT THE EVENT – The fundraising does not end when the event starts! There are many opportunities to give or collect money there. – Food sales: There will be food for sale throughout the night. The profits will go toward the event. – Teams often choose to continue their fundraising at the event through snack sales, craft sales, etc.

Bank Nights In the weeks leading up to the event, the committee will host a “Bank Night.” Any participants who have collected offline donations (check & cash) can turn in this money at Bank Night to make registration faster at the event. This money will be credited to that participant or team.

Where Does the Money Go? The American Cancer Society (ACS) fights cancer on four fronts: – RESEARCH: ACS awards grants to cancer researchers. To date they have funded 42 Nobel Prize winners. Many amazing cancer treatments have come about because of research funded by ACS! (Gardasil and Tamoxifen are two well-known examples) – PREVENTION/DETECTION: ACS provides life saving education for people to take the steps needed to prevent and detect cancer in the early stages.

Where Does the Money Go? The ACS fights cancer on four fronts: – ADVOCACY: ACS Ambassadors work with legislators to promote government funded research, prevention and detection. They petition legislators for healthcare and free screenings for those who are uninsured. – PATIENT/FAMILY SERVICES: ACS has many programs designed to make a cancer diagnosis easier. These include things like Reach to Recovery, Look Good Feel Better etc. ACS also funds HOPE LODGE which provides free housing for people who are receiving cancer treatment away from home. Rochester is currently building a new Hope Lodge Facility downtown near the hospitals. This is one of three in NY State (Buffalo, NYC and Rochester)

How to Sign Up! ONLINE: – This is the Greece Relay event website and it is VERY easy to use! – Just click on “Sign Up” and this will walk you through the process. – If you need assistance the committee is glad to help!

Important Dates to Remember Kick-Off! – January, 2012 – Greece, NY, Check-In 7:15, Dinner/Speakers at 7:30 pm Participant Information Meetings – March 13, April 10, & May 8, 2012 – 8 pm, Greece Town Hall, Meeting Rooms (1 Vince Tofany Blvd, Rochester, NY 14612) Bank Night – Spring, 2012 – 8 pm, Greece Town Hall, Meeting Rooms Relay For Life of Greece! – Spring, 2012 – Time TBD – Greece, NY

Resources Want more information? – Monthly Newsletters Registration Fundraising Tips and Suggestions Track Your Progress – Questions, Comments, and Suggestions To get your fundraiser posted on the website

Questions? Relay For Life of Greece