Dear Coach, On behalf of the National Football League, the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the American Cancer Society, we want to invite you to join us in supporting A Crucial Catch in October for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Last October, you may have noticed NFL coaches and players wearing pink hats, towels, pins, and cleats in support of the fight against breast cancer. This year, we are asking high school football coaches nationwide to join us in a unified stance with NFL coaches to help create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays. There are a number of ways your team can participate in A Crucial Catch. First step is to request a High School Initiative Tool Kit which includes specific information you and your fans can use to participate in the program. You can request your tool kit by returning the enclosed form or you can call or e-mail Suzanne Baker (888.227.6446 x 1211 or Suzanne.Baker@cancer.org) to receive your official Crucial Catch Tool Kit. All teams are encouraged to show their support throughout the month of October by joining the NFL and the American Cancer Society s efforts to fight breast cancer and save lives. Countless Americans who have never had breast cancer and more than 2.5 million who are surviving the disease will celebrate a birthday this year thanks to the American Cancer Society. The awareness and fundraising we bring to this cause will support the Society s efforts to help people stay well, help people get well, to find cures, and to fight back against a disease that has taken far too much from too many. We encourage you, as a leader in your school s community, to recruit your players, parents, and fans, and join us in supporting A Crucial Catch this fall. Thank you for helping the American Cancer Society save lives from breast cancer. Sincerely Pat Shurmur Head Coach, Cleveland Browns Football Club Marvin Lewis Head Coach, Cincinnati Bengals Football Club Mike Tomlin Head Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers Football Club Andy Reid Head Coach, Philadelphia Eagles Football Club
www.cvcsinorthohio.org National Football League and American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Awareness High School Initiative Tool Kit
What is A Crucial Catch? In 2011, the NFL supported National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October with A Crucial Catch, a nationwide screening reminder campaign to help women stay healthy. Done in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, the initiative promotes breast cancer awareness and encourages women 40 and older get annual mammograms to find breast cancer in the early stages, when it is easiest to treat. A Crucial Catch will be even bigger and better in 2012. The NFL has designated October as its primary NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Fans will see pink throughout the month with elements including: Players sporting a special NFL shield/pink ribbon sticker on their helmets Coaches and team executives wearing pink ribbon pins Game officials donning pins and special ribbon hats. Reebok pink accent sideline hats for all players, coaches, and sideline personnel. These hats and other pink campaign items will also be sold at NFL stadiums, on NFLSHOP.com, and at select retail locations. Reebok, Nike, and Under Armour will produce pink gloves and cleats for the players. Gatorade will provide pink sideline towels Wilson will create pink quarterback towels. All NFL football fields will feature an A Crucial Catch pink ribbon stencil on the 25-yard lines Special footballs with pink ribbon logos will be used throughout each game. The footballs and other game-worn pink items will be auctioned off on the NFL Auction Web site (NFLAuction.NFL.com), with all proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society. Many teams will extend the reach of the NFL s national platform through local grassroots efforts focused on promoting breast cancer screenings, supporting breast cancer survivors, and planning special in-stadium or pregame events with local organizations. The A Crucial Catch initiative will also be highlighted on NFL.com and the NFL Network. THE NFL WANTS YOU TO JOIN US THIS OCTOBER IN THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER
How You Can Get Involved: A Crucial Catch Tips and Ideas A Crucial Catch Home Game Night During the season, your school can choose one home game and designate it as a breast cancer awareness game where players and coaching staff can wear school-provided special pink uniforms, wristbands, shoelaces, etc. The game can also be named in memory or in honor of someone from the school or community who has either successfully fought or been lost to cancer. Game-day activities may include: Have fans create pink posters to be displayed at the game to show support. Add $1 or $2 to the admission fee. (All or a portion of the fee could be donated to the American Cancer Society.) Donation of concession sales. Pass the bucket, 50/50, or collect donations from the crowd. Honor survivors on the field during the national anthem. Be creative buy a pink sharpie (the washable kind!) and color in elements of your team s uniforms. Or use pink athletic pre-wrap and tape on the players that night! Set up a table at the game where fans can pick up important information about the cause from the American Cancer Society or sign up to participate in a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in your community. Visit nflshop.com to get ideas about incorporating pink into different aspects of the team s gear and into fans wardrobes! Additional Awareness-building Activities: Online Fundraising sign your team up online at the cvcsinorthohio.org website and raise dollars and awareness by using the online fundraising tools. Wall of Hope - Create a Wall of Hope by selling pink ribbon cards and hanging them on display in the gym/community area of school. School Rivalry - Team up with a rival school to host a competition in the weeks leading up to the big game to see who can raise the most money. The winning school can be announced at halftime or during the game.
Spare Change Day - Designate one class period on a specific day for team members to go room-to-room collecting spare change as a fundraiser. Live or Silent Auction - Ask local businesses or community members to donate items that can be auctioned off at your select game. Coaches Association - Get in contact with your local coaches association to spread the word or work as a team on a campaign project. Remember, you can also recruit: Enlist school groups (e.g., soccer programs, cheerleaders, student council, Key Club, players parents, faculty, school board, athletic directors, etc.) to support your football team s efforts. Other Ways To Get involved The Coach Is the Key Player In light of your position as a community leader and role model for youth and adults alike, A Crucial Catch presents an excellent opportunity to become involved in your school s community and create a positive image for the coaching staff, your school, and its football program. Whenever possible, all A Crucial Catch activities should be promoted through various media outlets in advance of the event. Listed below are suggestions that will help you successfully plan and stage your A Crucial Catch events: Share your personal commitment to the fight against breast cancer with your school s athletic department and/or coaching staff. Designate a student or parent as a team leader, who in turn, can engage others (e.g., the student body council or business class students) to help promote and raise funds for A Crucial Catch. Communicate to fans, supporters, and the student body that you are personally committed to making a difference in the community by supporting the American Cancer Society through A Crucial Catch. Also encourage others to participate in the effort to help create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays. Promote the program and your involvement at every opportunity, including through campus newsletters; local newspapers, television, and radio stations; at league meetings; and over the public address system at school and during events. Encourage the visiting coach to support A Crucial Catch with a fundraising challenge between fans from both teams prior to a regular-season game. Form an American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer team to support the local NFL team s efforts.
A Crucial Catch Post-event Participation Form (Please return this form with your donations.) Contact Name: School Name: Address: City/State/ZIP: Phone: Email: We joined in the fight against cancer by holding an event to support A Crucial Catch! Name of event: Description: Amount raised: Other comments or suggestions: Please complete and mail the form, along with any event photos and donations, to: The American Cancer Society A Crucial Catch 10501 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH 44106
About the American Cancer Society For nearly a century, the American Cancer Society has fought for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. By taking what they ve learned through research and turning it into what they do, the Society has contributed to a 15% decrease in the overall cancer death rate between the early 1990s and 2005. That means that the American Cancer Society has helped avoid about 650,000 cancer deaths and created the potential for more birthday celebrations. Overall, 11 million cancer survivors in America will celebrate a birthday this year. Together with millions of supporters, the American Cancer Society saves lives and creates more birthdays by: Helping people stay well with tips, tools, and online resources to help people set goals and stay motivated to eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle to reduce their risk of cancer, and by helping them take steps to prevent cancer or detect it early, when it s most treatable Helping people get well by being in their corner around the clock, providing information to help make decisions or free services like transportation to and from cancer treatment, or by providing a free place to stay for those receiving treatment far from home Finding cures by funding and conducting research into cancer s causes, cures, and treatments. Since 1946, as the largest non-governmental funder of cancer research in the United States, the American Cancer Society has spent more than $3.4 billion on cancer research. Fighting back by working with lawmakers everywhere to pass laws to defeat cancer, making this world a healthier place to live; and by rallying communities around the globe to join the fight For more information about the American Cancer Society, call at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org. To learn more about Crucial Catch, visit cvcsinorthohio.org.
Public Address Announcements Tonight, the [HOME TEAM] will take on the [VISITING TEAM] on the field and a very important cause off the field the fight against breast cancer. Join us in supporting the American Cancer Society as part of the NFL s A Crucial Catch campaign. The players, coaches, and fans can all get involved we hope to see you tonight at [HOME TEAM FIELD]. The [HOME TEAM] are proud to support the American Cancer Society through the NFL s A Crucial Catch. Join the [HOME TEAM] on [GAME DAY] to show your support in the fight against breast cancer. Thank you to the coaches, players, and fans for supporting the American Cancer Society and the NFL s A Crucial Catch campaign. Together with the NFL and the American Cancer Society, you can fight breast cancer and save lives. For more information, visit nfl.com/pink or contact your American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345. When you support the American Cancer Society, you are helping create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays where people are living longer, healthier lives. Thank you for supporting the American Cancer Society! The American Cancer Society and the NFL s A Crucial Catch campaign raises funds and awareness to fight breast cancer and provides hope to people facing the disease. Together, we ll help the American Cancer Society save lives. To learn more about how you can help create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org. For more information about breast cancer, how to find it early, and join the fight against the disease, contact your American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
How a wall of Hope Works: Ask permission to post Crucial Catch cards in a common area at work, school, football games, pep rally s etc. Set up a table during high-traffic hours to provide and distribute information, and ask for donations. Give each donor a Crucial Catch card to fill out. Donors can write their own name or honor a friend or loved one. Can t set up a table? Give out Crucial Catch cards as people donate and encourage them to hang cards outside their lockers, classrooms and the gym. Donations are suggested in the amount of $1.00, $5.00 & $10.00. Hang the cards on a wall to form your Wall of Hope. Watch your total donations increase every time someone gets a card! If your Wall of Hope is at school, tell your teacher to take a photo for the school newspaper. Likewise, if your display is somewhere in your community, take a photo for the local newspaper. Why Create a Wall of Hope? To honor loved ones touched by breast cancer. To inform students and coworkers about A Crucial Catch. To bring us closer to eliminating this disease. Be Creative! A Wall of Hope Can Be Almost Anywhere. Your School Hallways and Cafeterias Gymnasium Schools Places of Worship Contact us for more donation cards or if you have a Wall of Hope idea you d like to share.