Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life Survivor Chair

Transcription

1 Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life Survivor Chair ROLE The role of the Survivor Chair is to celebrate and recognize those special people who currently have cancer or who have survived cancer at some point in their lifetime. Every Relay For Life starts with an Opening Ceremony, immediately followed by the Survivors Victory Lap. Survivors are cheered on by participants as their names are read and they walk the first lap around the track. The Survivors Victory Lap gives survivors an opportunity to: share and celebrate success in their battle with cancer give hope to people living with cancer and their families thank everyone who helped them through their cancer experience A small and meaningful reception should also be held to honour cancer survivors, their family and friends, either just before or after the Survivors Victory Lap. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES invite cancer survivors from your school community (students, family, friends, neighbours, etc.) to participate in the work with teams and participants to encourage them to invite people they know who have been affected by cancer distribute Survivor Registration Forms to survivors interested in attending the keep track of survivors who register and keep them informed about details coordinate the Survivors Reception (keeping in mind the budget set by the finance committee) organize Survivor check in on day read the Survivors Victory Lap speech immediately following the Opening Ceremony read survivors names as they walk the first lap and students cheer them on thank survivors for participating read the Survivors Victory Lap speech Page 1 of 11

2 TOOLS FOR SUCCESS These tools are provided (on your Relay 101 CD) to help you coordinate your area successfully. Survivor Registration Form Survivors Victory Lap speech Survivor Registration List Survivor t-shirts and ribbons will be provided to you by your Society Coordinator approximately two weeks before your. You will be responsible for making the necessary arrangements for the Survivors reception. Make sure you speak with the Entertainment & Activities Chair to combine donation asks and to the Finance Chair so you know how much you have to spend on the reception and any recognition items for the survivors. Some other items you may need: list of the registered survivors decorations coffee, tea, water and juice snacks and refreshments (i.e. festive cake, fruit tray, etc.) safety pins for the survivor ribbons name tags thank you card or small gift (e.g. a flower) for each survivor INVITING SURVIVORS Sometimes, inviting cancer survivors to your may seem intimidating or you may not be sure how to go about asking them. Keep in mind that the goal is to celebrate cancer survivors. Once you explain what Relay is about, most survivors are quite honoured to be asked. Getting started Ask teachers, school staff, and administration if they know of someone who has faced cancer. Ask family and friends if they know someone or if they would like to walk in honour of someone they know. Talk to participants. They are often involved in Relay For Life because of a personal connection to cancer. Hand out Survivor Registration Forms and ask people to ask their families, friends, neighbours, etc. Page 2 of 11

3 SURIVIORS VICTORY LAP Every Relay For Life starts with an Opening Ceremony, immediately followed by the Survivors Victory Lap. Survivors are cheered on by participants as their names are read and they walk the first lap around the track. The Survivors Victory Lap gives survivors an opportunity to share and celebrate success in their battle with cancer. This part of the ceremony also gives hope to people living with cancer and their families. It is also an opportunity for survivors to thank everyone who helped them through their cancer experience. The music in the Survivor s Victory Lap should be uplifting and energetic. Survivors Victory Lap song suggestions: I Run For Life Melissa Ethridge Natasha Bedingfield Unwritten Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston - When you Believe Gloria Gaynor or Diana Ross I Will Survive R. Kelly The World s Greatest Suzie McNeil - Believe Diana Ross or Marvin Gaye - Ain t No Mountain High Enough Tina Turner - Simply the Best Page 3 of 11

4 SURVIVOR CHAIR TIMELINES Use the following chart to keep track of the important items you need to complete. Please note this is a suggested guideline only and may vary by school. 10 weeks before 8 weeks before Set a goal for the number of survivors you would like to have at your. Promote the Survivors Victory Lap and reception at the Relay Rally kick off. Encourage students to invite people they know who have been affected by cancer. 8 weeks before Insert your information on the Survivor Registration Form. Print off copies and have them available in a central location. You can find the Survivor Registration Form on the Relay 101 CD. 7 weeks before Create a drop box that can be put in the main office (or a central location) for people to hand in their completed Survivor Registration Forms. 6 weeks before Work with the Awareness Chair to promote the Survivors Reception and Victory Lap. Continue promoting survivor recruitment to participants and the school community. Page 4 of 11

5 SURVIVOR CHAIR TIMELINES - PAGE 2 6 weeks before 5 weeks before Keep a file of the completed forms. Arrange for a survivor or someone who has been touched by cancer to speak at your. Keep track of registered survivors using the Survivor Registration List. Coordinate this with the Entertainment Committee. 2-4 weeks before Plan the Survivors Reception including location, decorations, beverages and snacks. Don t forget to book space close to the track so survivors don t have too far to walk to the Victory Lap. 2-4 weeks before Provide survivor registration numbers to the chair. 2-3 weeks before 2 weeks before Call all registered survivors to thank them for registering. Remind them about times and details. Work with the Volunteer Chair to recruit volunteers to help greet survivors and organize the reception on day. Work with the Registration Chair to confirm all materials you will need for survivor check-in on day. Follow up with potential survivors who have not yet registered. For example: tables, chairs, signs, etc. Page 5 of 11

6 SURVIVOR CHAIR TIMELINES - PAGE 3 Follow up with your survivor speaker. Confirm date, time and location of your. Choose songs that are appropriate for the Survivors Victory Lap. Confirm any food donations. Purchase required items for the reception. Make sure you speak to the Finance Chair to stay within budget. Make sure you have enough survivor shirts and ribbons. Prepare name tags for each survivor. Practise your Survivors Victory Lap speech. Attend the organizing committee meeting. Set up the survivors check in area. Make sure you have printed off a list of registered survivors. Have volunteers add anyone who shows up but was not registered. Page 6 of 11

7 SURVIVOR CHAIR TIMELINES - Page 4 Organize volunteers to greet survivors and show them to the reception area. Make sure volunteers and survivors are having a good time! 15 minutes before the Opening Ceremonies begin, lead survivors to the track area. Have all survivors stand (or sit) near the start line. After the opening ceremonies, read the Survivors Victory Lap speech. Invite participants to line the track to cheer on survivors or follow in behind cheering them on. Read survivors names as they walk around the track. Use the registration list for names. After the lap, thank survivors for attending the. Invite them to stay as long as they d like. Page 7 of 11

8 SURVIVOR CHAIR TIMELINES - Page 5 Work with volunteers to clean up reception area. Post Return left over materials to your Society coordinator. Provide feedback and list of survivors to your Staff Advisor. Page 8 of 11

9 SURVIVOR CHAIR TIMELINES - PAGE 6 Add any additional action items in the space provided and be sure to update this as you go. Page 9 of 11

10 HELPFUL HINTS Here are some helpful tips and suggestions to keep in mind while you plan for a successful. Make the survivors who attend your feel welcome, special and celebrated! Relay For Life is about honouring survivors and celebrating that cancer can be beaten! Start the Survivors Reception minutes before your. Invite family and friends to walk with the survivors so they have support throughout the whole lap. Encourage participants and volunteers to line the track and cheer survivors on the whole way around! Keep in mind that some survivors may have difficulty walking or may even use a wheelchair. Before your, make sure there is clear access from the parking lot, to check-in, to the reception and out to the track. Try to minimize the distance they will have to travel. If the Opening Ceremony is long, have chairs available for survivors to sit down. Decorate them and designate them as survivor chairs so participants don t sit in them. Follow up with survivors after your to thank them for coming and ask for their feedback. GREAT IDEAS! Every school has a unique Relay For Life. Here are some things that other schools have tried that may work for your school too! Add your own ideas as your committee plans how to make this your school s best ever! Play upbeat, celebratory music to keep everyone going during the Survivors Victory Lap. Create a banner for all of the survivors to sign at the reception. Have them carry it as they do their lap. Page 10 of 11

11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Can I walk with a survivor or walk to represent someone I know who has faced cancer? Yes. If a survivor would like family and friends to walk with them, it should be encouraged. If a survivor would like to participate but is unable to make it, a family member or friend is welcome to walk in honour of them. What if we are having trouble recruiting survivors? Sometimes it can be difficult to get people to confirm that they can attend your. Be patient and follow up with any potential survivors to make them feel welcome. Survivor registration tends to happen last minute, so be prepared with extras just in case people show up without registering. Remember, you don t have to have dozens of survivors to make your a success. One person beating cancer is reason to celebrate! What if we only have one survivor? There is no minimum or maximum number of survivors you need to run the lap. Even if you have no survivors, participants should be encouraged to walk the first lap in honour of cancer survivors and people they know who have faced cancer. What if we don t have enough survivor shirts and ribbons? Contact your Society Coordinator. If it is a few days before your, they may be able to send you extras. If it is day, keep a list of survivors who did not receive a shirt. Your Society Coordinator will send you extras after the to give to anyone who didn t receive one. QUESTIONS? Not sure what to do next? Do you have questions about your role or how to complete something? 1. Ask your Staff Advisor for guidance or help. They can probably point you in the right direction! 2. Talk it over with the committee at your next meeting. Others may have some great ideas or input to share. 3. Contact your Canadian Cancer Society Coordinator. We re here to help and support you! You can reach us by calling Page 11 of 11