Orion High School Community Service Project Mini Relay for Life and Pre-Activities. Orion FFA Chapter

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1 Orion High School Community Service Project Mini Relay for Life and Pre-Activities Orion FFA Chapter Alyssa Zwicker Amelia Martens Craig Shehorn Melissa Fielding Sara Clifton Illinois FFA Association May 2, 2009

2 Rationale for Selecting the Project Mark your calendars because May 28, 2009 is the first anniversary of the Orion High School Mini Relay for Life. Currently the FFA officer team and committee of high school staff members are working together to develop an awesome list of activities. The Mini Relay was developed to teach students about cancer and raise money for a worthy cause. The decision to host a Mini Relay for Life was unanimous for both the FFA officer team and the staff committee. A few of the teachers in our school district are cancer survivors, so we as students have seen the effects of the disease. Today, nearly everyone knows someone who has had cancer, whether it is a family member, a close friend, or even an acquaintance. Since so many people have been effected by cancer in one way or another, we decided that Relay for Life was an excellent cause. After the decision was made, we had to ask our principal for permission to host the event and some pre-activities as well. When he gave us the okay we then checked with the other staff members in the building to see if they d be interested in helping with the event. Many of them were interested and enthusiastic about helping out and promised to assist with anything we needed. With our principal and teachers behind us, we could now begin the planning. We met twice a week for four weeks, developing a list of possible activities, the supplies that would be needed, and a schedule of events. A committee of staff members was also formed and met to discuss their part in the project to oversee things. Many meetings later, we had a finalized schedule of events. With this complete, we could figure out how we would sell our idea to the student body. We have opted to send a flyer home with each student that has a detailed schedule of events, plus some background 1

3 information about Relay for Life. In addition, we plan on putting posters all over the school reminding students of the upcoming events. The Mini Relay for Life and Pre-Activities will be read about in the announcements every day, so that students have a constant reminder about what is going on. We feel that a combination of these three media forms will reach the entire student body. Volunteers will be needed for many of the pre-activities as well as for the Mini Relay. Throughout the two-week period leading up to the Mini Relay, approximately fifteen volunteers will be needed to coordinate the events. For the mini relay, thirty volunteers will be needed, though we hope that all staff members will be involved regardless of if they are needed to volunteer or not. The two-week fundraiser will begin with an assembly on Friday, May 15, During this assembly a detailed schedule of events will be given. Students will also receive some background information and hear stories from teachers who survived cancer. The main purpose of the assembly is to get students pumped up and excited to participate in the program. The principal has also offered to shave his head again if we surpass last year s total amount of money raised. Monday, May 18 will be wear pink day. Since pink is the universal color for cancer, students and staff will be encouraged to wear all of the pink they own. Cookies for Cancer will be the event of the day and students will be allowed to purchase homemade cookies during their study hall periods. The penny wars will begin on this day and each class will compete against the others to have the most pennies by May 28. Suns and moons will also be for sale. Students will need to pay one dollar for a sun or moon. The suns represent those who currently have or survived cancer. The moons honor those who have unfortunately lost their battle. Each object 2

4 will honor or remember a person that had cancer. The suns and moons will be for sale until May 28. Caps for Cancer will take place on Tuesday, May 19. Staff and students will be allowed to wear their favorite hat in the school building for a one-dollar donation. Once the student or staff member donates, he/she will be given a sticker to place on his/her hat showing his/her support of finding a cure. Wednesday, May 20, will be the Doughnut Eating Contest. Each student will pay one dollar to attend the contest, which will take place during the last fifteen minutes of the school day. Contestants will be selected by a raffle drawing of students who paid fifty cents per chance. On Thursday, May 21 students will have the opportunity to purchase a can of pop during their study halls. Each can will be sold for one dollar. MP3/iPod day will be Friday, May 22. On this day, students will be allowed to listen to their ipods or MP3 players during their study halls if they contribute one dollar. If a student has more than one study hall, he/she must pay an additional dollar. Memorial Day is the 25 th, so there will not be school. May 26 is one of the final exam days. Staff members will provide breakfast items for sale in the commons before school on this day. Breakfast items will also be available for sale on May 27, day two of the finals. Thursday, May 28 will be the Mini Relay. At 12:15 PM, all students will go outside for relays, team building activities, and flag football. Groups will rotate from station to station. Some students will also be walking around the track. Every student will have the opportunity to put his/her handprint on a banner that will hang in the school building to show that everyone was involved in the project. At 2:15 PM, the amount of money we raised will be announced. The Pie in the Face Contest will follow the announcement. This contest will involve teachers who were 3

5 willing to be pied. Students will be allowed to buy chances to pie a teacher in the face, the previous two days at lunch. Following the Pie in the Face Contest, our principal will hopefully get his head shaved, depending on the amount of money we raised. Ice cream sandwiches will be handed out to each student before the final bell. Our overall goal is to get the entire student body involved. We want to unite the student body in the fight against cancer. We also hope to raise $3,000. 4

6 Objectives We believe that the Mini Relay for Life and activities leading up to it will: Increase the student body s awareness of cancer. Raise $3,000 for Relay for Life. This money will then be used to fund cancer research. Promote healthy lifestyles as a way to prevent cancer. Unify the student body as everyone works together to help the same cause and make our principal bald. 5

7 Target Audiences The Mini Relay for Life is a school project, so the largest audience is high school students. A month before the Pre-Mini Relay Activities were set to begin, surveys were distributed to the student body regarding the types of fundraising activities that they would most likely participate in. Each student was asked to select their favorite activity from a list of ten. Based on those results, we took the top five activities and decided to focus our efforts on organizing them. The results are as follows: The survey was very useful, as it provided us with a list of activities that students would actually participate in. This made the fundraising process much easier since we knew what we needed to do to make the event a success. 6

8 Key Messages The use of different types of media communication, the involvement of local businesses, and the administration of our high school, along with the support of the student body and organization of the FFA officer team and high school staff committee for the Mini Relay for Life and Pre-Activities hope to emphasize the following key messages: Cancer is a life-threatening disease that effects everyone. Whether it is a family member, a close friend, or even an acquaintance, everyone knows someone who has had cancer. By leading a healthy lifestyle, the risks of developing certain types of cancer may be minimized. When we all work together, we can accomplish great things; it just takes a little dedication and determination. 7

9 Media Resources The media is a very important resource that we can and will use to promote our cause. We will utilize several types of media to spread the word about our Mini Relay for Life and Pre- Activities. With the help of the media, we hope to increase involvement, attract sponsors, and develop community support for the event. Radio A news release announcing our event(s) will be sent to the following radio stations: WLLR FM Targeted Audience: ages Coverage Area: the Quad Cities and surrounding areas B FM Targeted Audience: ages Coverage Area: the Quad Cities and surrounding areas WKEI 1450 AM Targeted Audience: ages 40+ Coverage Area: Henry County, Illinois In addition to airing our press releases, a few of the stations have offered us radio spots, so that we can provide listeners with more information. The stations have also promised to provide us with coverage during our events. We feel that this will lead us on a path to success because everyone listens to the radio. Television Two local news stations will be ed a press release for our Mini Relay and activities. Both KWQC and WQAD will be invited to attend our Mini Relay for Life. If the stations attend 8

10 and air stories on our event, over 400,000 people will learn about our efforts and hopefully get inspired enough to help our cause. Newspapers News releases will be ed to three local newspapers including the Orion Gazette, the Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus, and the Henry County Farmer, before the relay. After the relay, one of our members will write an article for each of the papers summing up our success. Internet The internet will also be used to reach an even wider audience. An announcement about our Mini Relay for Life will appear on the Orion School District website, the Orion High School website, and the Orion FFA website. Since many students spend a significant amount of time on Facebook, a separate page, or group, will be created exclusively for Relay for Life, this way we can keep everyone updated. Other Promotional Media To publicize our cause even further, we will use a wide range of other media forms. Brochures: Nearly seventy-five brochures will be printed and distributed to local businesses and potential sponsors. The brochures will promote and explain our project and will provide our key messages and objectives. Hopefully they will spark interest and drum up some sponsorship for us. Flyers: Approximately 350 flyers will be printed and one will be given to each student in the high school. The flyers will contain specific details regarding the Mini Relay and activities. A schedule of events will also be included and the FFA officers names and phone numbers will be listed for the convenience of their classmates who may have questions. 9

11 Posters: One hundred posters will be made and hung in businesses, churches, and other public buildings around Orion and in a few of the smaller surrounding towns. These colorful, eye-catching posters will feature photos from last year s Mini Relay and a schedule of events. The posters will get our message out even more. Displays: Two-trifold poster displays will be exhibited in the Western District Public Library in Orion and in the Orion High School Library. The displays will feature photos from last year s Mini Relay, as well as a detailed schedule of activities. About twentyfive brochures will be present at each display. Chargergram: The Mini Relay for Life and Pre-Activities will be highlighted in the school announcements, the Chargergram. With constant reminders, it is our hope that the student body will get excited about the Mini Relay for Life and Pre-Activities and get involved. 10

12 Budget Media Resources $175 Brochures Flyers Printing Costs Supplies $180 Pop Doughnuts Ice Cream Sandwiches Candy Activity Equipment $200 Cones Jerseys Flag Belts Football Buckets String Toilet Paper Miscellaneous Expenses $115 Poster Board 2 Tri-Fold Poster Boards Tape Glue Markers Paint Fabric Craft Supplies Total Expenses $670 Sponsorship This budget includes our proposed expenses for the Mini Relay and activities. We have gained sponsorship from several local businesses, which have offered us donations and supplies. In addition, the Physical Education Department has allowed us to use their equipment. Factoring in all of these contributions, our out of pocket expense should be less than one hundred dollars. 11

13 Evaluation The Orion FFA officer team in a partnership with the staff at Orion High School will hold a Mini Relay for Life on May 28, 2009 with activities leading up to it beginning on May 15. We will evaluate how well the project went based on how well the objectives were met. Through the implementation of activities, which will incorporate facts about cancer, we hope to increase cancer awareness in the student body. In addition, we hope that our efforts will attract the attention of the community, so that they may also be aware of the impact that cancer has on both individuals and families. We hope to raise $3,000 for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program. When all is said and done, though, we know that any contribution will help. By participating in all of the events, we hope that the student body will realize the importance of leading a healthy life-style. We also hope that the project will break barriers between different cliques, as we all work together for the same cause. Upon the completion of our Mini Relay and activities our chapter will send follow-up surveys to both teachers and students. The surveys will give us feedback on what we need to do next year. In addition, thank you notes will be mailed to the sponsors, and those individuals who made a significant donation of time and money, leading to our success as a school. The National FFA Organization emphasizes the importance of community service through its Program of Activities. Relay for Life is a vital part of our Program of Activities. Our involvement in this project will show the community that like the FFA motto, we truly are Living to Serve. 12