Our Relay currently has a survivor dinner the evening of the Relay (before the event). I am looking for any feedback from Relay's that have had the dinner prior to the Relay (not the evening of the Relay). Was this successful, did you have trouble getting the survivors to attend the event? Additionally, has anyone ever had the survivior dinner after the Relay event - say the following week.
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January 14, 2009 - 10:47am
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We try to have our
We try to have our survivor lunch about two weeks before our event and usually have a great turnout. We do a mass mailing to all of our survivors and the cancer center also helps out and sends their survivors an invite as well. We try to have them RSVP just so we can make sure we have enough food for everyone. We have the team captain’s help and decorate at least two tables with their theme. The team that has the best tables gets points towards the "Spirit Award" (a large trophy that is given to the team that has shown the most spirit throughout). We also have the committee come and help with serving and even have them make desserts. We also call the local paper and have them come and have them write an article about the event and who to contact if someone is interested in joining. This year we are going to have Crawford Co's "Hero Of Hope" speak. Last year a hospice donated pins for the survivors to give to their caregivers and they are wanting to help again this year as well. Every year we also make a sheet were put "200_ Survivors" and have each survivor put their purple handprint on the sheet and sign their name with how long they have been a survivor. Then we hang each sheet from the previous years up during the relay event. Everyone loves to go back my and look at these each year. We also try to have the t-shirts in by the luncheon so the survivors can have their shirts before the event, so they can wear them there and don't have to worry about changing. Sometime we just have the survivors that come for the shirt only and don't come to Relay but that’s ok at least we are honoring them in some way.
Survivor Breakfast
Last year we had a Survivor Breakfast, one month before our Relay. We had speakers, raffle prizes and information booth. We approached doctors and medical facilties to leave out invitations to come. We had a mass mailing to current survivor lists we had. We asked our team captains & committee members to invite survivors. Check out your local communities websites. Many have free calendar listings.
We had a lot of survivors come to the breakfast, many of whom never heard of Relay for Life. This was a great opportunity to let them know they were not alone in their fight against cancer. When our Relay came, all those survivors showed up with their family & friends. It was the best attendance to date for our event. Many wanted to know how to get involved for next year's event.
Survivors Dinner
Our Survivors Dinner is usually about two weeks before the event - and has always been successful. We send out invitations to all previous participants, it is printed up in the local newspaper, and information is supplied to doctors' offices and the local cancer clinic. In 2008, we had all kinds of entertainment from local people - dance demonstrations, music, etc. I'm not even going to estimate how many were there. A local restaurant supplied ALL of the food. It was great!
Survivor dinner
We have 3 Relays in our county, all within a month of each other. Last year, we decided to combine efforts and have one big, bang-up survivor dinner, well in advance of the event. Since some of our survivors are still undergoing treatments, having it the same night as Relay was very tiring for them. This way, they get to meet & network with other survivors county-wide.
By having one big dinner, we were able to get plenty of donations. In the past, it was first come, first donated to! Places would say, I just donated to Relay! This way, businesses are willing to donate one time. We decorated the cafeteria of a local high school as a cruise ship, and called it Cruising for a Cure--balloons, sailor hats, tropical decor. High school students helped with parking, and a local business donated a couple of golf carts to transport survivors from the far parking lots. We even had a MC who was a newscaster from a local TV station, and we were on the news that night! The survivors were floored that we made that much of a big deal about them. It gave them a relaxing time, and they still came out to the Relay events. It also gave the committees, who were usually working while the dinner was being done, time to help & enjoy the survivors. I highly recommend the dinner earlier than Relay!
Survivor Dinner
Joined: 2007-10-23