Fundraising With Noah's Art Workshop

This morning someone posted on Facebook that there were only 59 days left until Christmas.

WHOA!

I haven't even started THINKING about Christmas yet- even though Hobby Lobby is tempting me to with the Christmas section already up (ok, maybe I have thought about Christmas a little....)

And that got me thinking.  People are going to spend money at Christmas buying gifts.  Why not offer them gifts that ALSO support our cause of Relay For Life?  We want them to spend that money with us instead of a mass retailer, how can we do that?

Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to Noah's Ark Workshop!  It's like Build A Bear, but BETTER.  I'll tell you why in just a minute.

But first- let me tell you where this idea came from, because this genius fundraiser wasn't my idea!  My sister Relay For Life team, Orange Power, has two really smart ladies who already work in direct sales.  Those two ladies are Traci Wile, and Bonny Moulton.  They are the guru's of direct sales- and guess what?  They follow the tried and true Relay advice of doing what you know.  One day, Traci came across this fantastic website, and these two geniuses decided to turn it into a fundraiser.

They called me SO excited with the idea, and I was hooked right away.  I was so interested, in fact, that I called Dina Amico from Noah's Art Workshop to tell her how the girls wanted to make this small idea into a BIG Relay fundraiser.  Turns out, Dina was amazing, and full of amazing ideas herself.  She offered to make a special program JUST for Relay For Life fundraisers- and I was SOLD on sharing the idea with all of you (with Bonny and Traci's permission, of course!)

Here are the details of the program:

As a Relay For Life Team or Individual, we would like to offer the following Fundraising Membership:

·       *  Registration as a Fundraising Member is FREE

·       *  35/40/45% OFF of retail prices on plush animals, outfit and accessories

·       *  40% OFF of promotional priced animals

·       * Free Noah’s Ark replicated website with an e-commerce shopping cart paying 35% commission on 

            all sales

·       * Product catalogs at wholesale prices

·       * Access to our Graphics Art Department for assistance in creating custom fundraising flyers, Facebook Banners and promotional materials

·       * Option for customized teddy t-shirts with your organization logo or fundraising message

·       * Workshop and product training and support

·       *  Free Membership do not come with a Membership Kits   * Fundraising Memberships are eligible to earn additional fundraising dollars through our traditional direct sales downline commission payout.  Simply sponsor a Fundraising Member into Noah’s Ark, and earn additional funds for your organization based on everything your downline team purchases.

GETTING STARTED

Simply call Dina at 1-866-484-6624 to register as a Fundraising Team or Member (**PLEASE SIGN UP UNDER BONNY MOULTON SO YOU ARE IN A RELAY FOR LIFE DOWNLINE**).  You will have immediate access to your membership benefits with immediate website creation. 

Now- why is this better than Build A Bear?
1- Relay For Life gets the profit.
2- It's cheaper.
3- You bring the party TO your donors.
4- You have a website donors can order from so people can stuff them at home.
5- You can earn commission on people who sign up under you.
6- IT'S FREE to sign up!

Here are a few ways to make this fundraiser work for you.Team Orange Power did something really neat with the special edition pink bears.  The decided to pre stuff the bears, and sold them ready to go at our Pink Out games, online, and in local stores.  Here's my favorite part.  They also offered people the option of buying a bear to have delivered to a breast cancer patient.  Great right?  A tangible gift they could love on that also helps fund research for their disease!

Well, I was all over that!  I had just got an email from a friend who had been diagnosed.  I knew EXACTLY what I could send her to make her smile.  So, we called Bonny up and ordered her a bear.  When it arrived, my son, Wes, took extra care with it, hugged it EXTRA hard, and said a little prayer to it to give Deb strength.  It worked.  I cried and cried when she got it in the mail, because it brought her so much HOPE.

·   

You could also host a local party (think of places you could have it that are free- local churches, homes, or town halls!) have people RSVP and pay ahead of time, and order what you need!  Imagine the fun little ones would have stuffing a special friend and taking it home THAT day!  Or for Christmas- making them for a friend or sibling! 

Dina also shared a brilliant idea.  You can purchase little plush stars to put inside the bears.  Use the stars as a fundraiser!  First, choose an animal to stuff for a special person- perhaps a local cancer patient, a survivor, or a child in a local children's hospital.  Sell each star for $5, and have the person buying it say a prayer over the star (or a wish for you non religious types), and have them sign a card.  Then stuff the animal with all of those happy thoughts and prayers, and deliver it to the recipient.  Genius, right?

Hold an online virtual party and promote it on Facebook!  Donors buy from your website!

I know what you are thinking- OHHHHHH!  We should have a Relay bear!  Guess what?  If there is enough interest, Dina can make that happen!  Imagine a cute purple bear with a RFL logo on the foot!? EEK!  I want one!

The opportunities here are virtually endless.  If you have one, please comment below!  It doesn't get better than this ladies and gentleman.  Take a look at Noah's Art Workshop online, and you will be hooked to!  I'm already building my Christmas shopping list! I know I will get a warm fuzzy by buying a gift that also helps my favorite cause :)

With HOPE-
Cassi

RFL 2015 is here! AKA- Chad writes the best "Why I Relay" pages EVER.

Our Relay For Life Of Custer County 2015 website went live last week (HAPPY DANCE!) Even though we Relay all year at my house, we always get excited when the website goes up, because we can see who all is returning to our team, all of the new teams... and of course we get to size up our competition ;) Just kidding Maria and Krisha. 

Anyway, Chad (my husband) always writes the most amazing "Why I Relay" story every year for his page.  It's kind of a tradition for him- each year he sits down in his big ol brown recliner and writes a post explaining what Relay means to him at the moment.  After losing his mom this year- I am sure it was harder than ever. 

So, not to put him on front street or anything, but you guys should totally read this.  You can see his actual relay page here (and that's also where you can donate to him- hint hint)  ENJOY!

XO
Cassi

Why I Relay!!!

Time once again for the relay excitement to begin. Well officially that is. My family does Relay For Life all year, because we have been touched by this group more than the words that I am going to us in this message to you will ever be able to tell you. Every year I sit in my chair and write out why we do what we do at the Selby Household. So here we go- this is why we RELAY

R-------Represents
E-------Extreme
L-------Love
A-------All
Y-------Year

Six years ago my father was diagnosed with stomach cancer. It was at this time my life changed. At the time I was a young man running around without a since of reality what so ever. When I got the phone call from my mother letting me know that my father was in the hospital, I knew that there was something wrong. My father would never go to the doctor- let alone the hospital. So with no details I left OKC to travel back home to Arkansas to be with my family so we could find out what was going on. When I arrived they had discovered that my father had a tumor in his stomach that had grown to where it had 90% blockage of his esophagus. The moment I heard this was the only time I can remember feeling beaten. The man that was my family’s rock was sick, and none of us knew how to handle it.
        
Once we got our bearing, we all decided we were going to fight. We are Selby’s that is what we do. We may not win every time, but we never give up. I returned to Oklahoma, because my father said there was nothing I could do for him in Arkansas. This was a challenge for me. I felt helpless, and couldn’t concentrate on things.  I couldn’t believe what kind of control my father illness had on me. Three weeks later I got a phone call from my father.  It was a call that I will never forget. He was telling about what was going on with him, and that they had just put a feeding tube into his stomach, because he wasn’t able to swallow food. He had done his first round of chemo that was an in-patient week long ordeal. He was down and sounded like a man that had been through hell. He said, “Son I don’t know if I am going to be able to do this. I may need your help later down the road.”
         
I hate to admit this, but this was not an easy decision. I had recently started a relationship at the time with a wonderful woman. My heart wouldn’t let me abandon the man who had given me so much in my life. So I called my girlfriend to try to explain to her why I had to leave her in Oklahoma while I moved back to Arkansas to help my family. She didn’t even hesitate.  She told me if I stayed in Oklahoma, I wouldn’t be the man she wanted to date. With that, I put my career on hold by taking a step down so that I could be with my family.
         
With that the worst year of my life started. There are so many details that I could put here that honestly I still to this day don’t believe I can really think about. Things that I watched, things that I wished I could close my eyes and forget, but when I do close my eyes they still to this day flash at me in a horrible nightmare that doesn’t seem to stop.  So, I will not go into them. I will say that the saying “You are stronger because you lived through it” is the most untrue thing I have ever heard.  I watched cancer destroy the strongest man I have ever known in a blink of an eye. When he started treatment he was at least 180lbs, and towards the end he was lucky if he was 90lbs. After a year of battling this horrible disease my father passed away.
         
There was a glimmer of good that came out of this situation.  The woman that I was dating in Oklahoma decided that she didn’t want me to fight this battle alone.   She moved to Arkansas and brought her 2 year old son with her.  She was truly amazing at helping with the caregiving that my father required. We had to do things in shifts when my mother and I were at work she would care for him, and then we would take up when we got off work.
         
This was not our only battle with cancer in my life. When I was five my mother also had cancer. Back than we were nowhere near the advance medicine that we have today (thanks in a big part to American Cancer Society’s funding of research to develop new drugs and treatments). She went through countless treatments of radiation and other things that I was honestly too young to remember. I can say that my earliest memories as a child is of walking down St. Edwards Hospitals to see my mother in a hospital room countless times.
        

 My mother won her battle with cancer that time, but not without her battle scars. She ended up with major heart issues from the radiation that was used to battle the disease. We didn’t find out until 10 years later about the damage that was caused. When we were told that the walls of her heart were paper thin, the doctor said that is why you probably struggle with things around the house such as vacuuming and anything that requires physical activity. My whole family laughs at this. At that time in my mother was mowing the 4 acres of land that we owned every weekend, throwing bags of grass over the fence to the cows, and many other amazing things. Truly the strongest women on earth.
        

 A year ago they found cancer in my mothers leg. Her outlook on it was about the same as my dad’s- well time to start fighting. She went to the Mayo Clinic, and started getting doctors opinions on how to treat her cancer. They found that the only real way to get rid of the cancer was to do a full knee replacement including some of her thigh bone.  She went through the procedure and the healing of the complete knee replacement. She went through this at the age of 60 which is amazing to me- I don’t believe I could do it now. After only 3 weeks post op, she went back to work. Something that the doctors told her would take her at least two months.
         

One week before our Relay For Life last year I got another phone call from my mother saying that she wasn’t feeling good, and was going to go ahead and go to the doctor. She said that it had been a struggle to get to and from work all week and wanted to feel better before she had to return to work on Monday. I said, “Well I am going to go to be on vacation. I’ll drive down and see you.”  On the way down they admitted my mother into the hospital because of her heart. She passed away at 4:00 am that morning. The doctors say that her heart just finally gave out. I would also like to say as a testament to my mother resolve the week before my mothers passing she missed one day of work. Can you imagine doing that?  Your heart and liver failing and you are at work because that is what you do.  Such an amazing woman. As a matter of fact the love that my mother had in her heart was amazing. An hour before she passed away, she was lecturing me (something she did very well I may add) about getting some sleep, because I had been up for 24 hours, and she didn’t want me to be too tired. What an amazing women she was.  The loss of this great woman is a tragic loss to the world. Cancer may not have been the bullet that killed my mother, but it was the gun that fired the bullet.
         
This is why we Relay.  To give people hope.  Fighting the good fight can make a difference. You may say that my story doesn’t sound as if there is a chance to win against cancer. Well, to that I say you are wrong. This is how my family thinks of CANCER.


C------Create
A------A

N------New

C------Change
E-------Every
R-------Relay

         
The way we have won is because we have grown. The woman that moved to Arkansas to help me is now my wife. We have a son that is named Wes- some of you may know him as Cancer Man. The super hero that has dedicated his life to winning the fight against cancer through Relay For Life.  Last year he raised over $7,000 dollars on his own towards winning the fight against cancer. My favorite saying that he has is “I’m eight, what’s your excuse?” With that being said, I don’t think any of us can have anything to say about that except your right I better get started. Every day I watch what he does, and it warms my heart to think I have had a hand in raising this amazing boy, soon to be a man. It reminds me of the great things about my parents, because through him he helps me forget the last couple of years filled with bad memories.
         
With that being said Relay For Life is all about hope. Hope for a cure, hope that there is an end in sight, and hope that one day peoples lives will not dramatically change because of cancer. So what do you say?   Lets help other people have HOPE!!

H-------Hope
O-------Offers
P--------People
E--------Everything!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank You,
Chad

Relay For Life - Easy Summer Fundraising with Direct Sales

Today is June 1st, which means most of us are either wrapping up our 2014 Relay's or will be soon!  If you are like me, you are all sorts of fired up and ready to keep going though.  While summer is a GREAT time for fundraising, many of us are ready for a few months of down time before revving up for another high intensity Relay season. 

But the problem is, cancer doesn't take the summer off.

Imagine how much MORE we could raise for American Cancer Society of we did just one summer fundraiser each. 

So today, I want to encourage you to get out there and do just one summer fundraiser that you wouldn't have done before while taking a few months off.  The best part?  I have a list of some awesome direct sales people who are willing to do parties for you, and give a portion of the profit back to you for Relay For Life.  Why is this so awesome?  Most of these companies are rock stars at setting up a party for you online.  You invite your friends to shop, shop yourself, and stay at home in your PJ's while raising funds to cure cancer.  This my friends, is as easy as it gets(and you know how I like my PJs!)!

 

Now, keep in mind this list has been made for teams in the Oklahoma area, however, if you found this blog through pinterest, many if not all of these vendors can probably help you out by setting up an online party for you as well! 

So take a peek at the list below and pick out one that you would love to buy stuff from anyway, and make it happen!  If you are in the direct sales business and would like to be included in this list, please comment below with:

Your name
Your company
Your website
Your phone number
Your email
What percentage will go to Relay For Life

Name: Vallerie sheldon
Company: Tupperware
Website: www.my2.tupperware.com/valleriesheldon
Phone: 580-481-0427
Email: Raiwen79@gmail.com
Percentage that will go to Relay For Life:  40% goes to organization

Name:  Jami Burnes
Company: Thirty One Gifts
Website: www.mythirtyone.com/jamiburnes
Phone:  409-454-0720
Email: eeyore1809@yahoo.com
Percentage that will go to Relay For Life:  Up to 50% commission depending on the fundraiser

Name:  Danelle Delp
Company:  Scentsy
Website: Https://danelledelp.scentsy.us
Email: Danelle4yall@aol.com
Phone:  (405)203-7333
Percentage that will go to Relay For Life:  75% of commission donated! (The remaining percent is to cover her cost of materials provided)

Name:  Debra Gamble
Company:  Pampered Chef
Website: www.pamperedchef.biz/debragamble
Phone: 509-855-3555
Email: Pcdeb13@gmail.com
Percentage that will go to Relay For Life:  15-25%

Name:  Bonny Moulton
Company:  Velata
Phone:  580 302 1774
Email: fonduefun7@yahoo.com
Website:  http://bonnymoulton.velata.us
Percentage that will go to Relay For Life:  100% of commission

Name:  Erika Cerda
Company:  Jamberry Nails
Website:  buynow.jamberrynails.net
Phone:  405.474.5152
Email: Inexorable@gmail.com
Percentage that will go to Relay For Life:  Base 10% but can go up to 25% depending on sales, the extra would be my commission which is cool.  We could do it entirely online or we can host an in person party alongside it

Name:  Jennifer Mandell - I sell Origami owl - I have already done a fundraiser for Cassi. :-) Cancer took my Mom from me 14 years ago so I am always happy to help out! I donate 50% proceeds to your cause and the other 50% goes to my Autism cause.
Company: Origami Owl
Website:  http://samsvoice.origamiowl.com/
Email: JenniferMandell@optonline.net
 Designer# 25818

Name:  Teri Tolbert (Teri is a breast cancer survivor!)
Company:  Origami Owl
Independent Designer
#40037
Website:  teritolbert.origamiowl.com
Email: teri.tolbert@yahoo.com
Phone:  580-668-0369
Percentage that will go to Relay For Life: 20% of total sales
If someone wants to actually host a party, I'll do 25% of total sales.

Name: Brandi Walstrom
Company:  O2 Origami Owl
designer #43365
Website: brandiw.origamiowl.com
Phone: Denver, CO 720-369-4482
Email: walstrombn@hotmail.com
Percentage that will go to Relay: 50%

Name: Kayla Shantz
Company: Damsel in Defense
Website: Www.mydamselpro.net/okiedamsel
Phone: (580) 819-3085
Email: Okiedamselpro@gmail. Com
Percentage that will go to Relay For Life:  60% of commission

Name: Ashley Dickens
Company: Plexus Worldwide
Website: http://www.facebook.com/l/sAQG6vS8TAQFna4ZAXhel-ztRdqnuM_AoWXU1iQR7470--Q/www.plexusslim.com/AshleyMarie
Phone: 580-302-2598
Email: AshleyDickens.Plexus@gmail.com
Percentage that will go to Relay For Life: 50%

Magic Memories Mayhem:  Jessica is a Disney travel agent who will give a portion of her commission to Relay For Life if you and your friends use her for booking your vacations!  She is my personal travel agent, and I can honestly highly recommend her to you.  You can email her at   magicmemoriesandmayhem@live.com or visit her website at http://www.magicamemoriesmayhem.com

Gold Party:
Now, this is one that I have told you all about before, and I really love it.  Shelly with Party of Gold will come to you, and all you have to do is invite your friends to come over and sell their old, unwanted gold.  Instead of spending money, you and your friends will MAKE money!  Shelly writes them a check on the spot, and your Relay team gets a percentage of her commission.  It may not seem like a lot, but let me tell you- it adds up FAST.  Besides, who doesn't like making money while helping a good cause?  My team has done this one, and it is definitely on our list to repeat again.  Be sure to tell her I sent you, because she also gives $50 for each referred party that does over $400 in sales to your cause!

Name: Shelly Collins
Company: Party of Gold
Website: partyofgold.com
Email: shelly@partyofgold.com
Phone: 405-371-8784

Let me know which one you choose if you are part of Relay For Life of Custer County, and I will be sure to help you get the word out!

Happy Relaying friends!
Cassi

Relay For Life - Fundraising for kids, and why you should never underestimate them!

Wes, my son, tells this story time and again when people ask him how he got involved with Relay For Life.

"When I was 5, I was going with my mom to all of the Relay meetings and events ALL.  THE.  TIME.  One day, I asked her- how come there are never any kids doing Relay?  And she said, I don't know.  So I told my mom I wanted to start doing Relay on my own, and I was going to be the top fundraiser."

Guess what?  That next year- he was.  And, he continues to each year.  His fundraising total for this year is currently at $7,681.43.  He is 8 years old.

EIGHT.  YEARS. OLD.

But the truth is, when he originally asked me why aren't other kids Relaying, I really didn't know.  In fact, I had never even considered it.  Sure I included him in my plans, and he helped me all of the time with fundraising projects, but never in a million years would I have expected him to do what he has done!  So why is that?  Why are we forgetting about our future researchers, doctors, volunteers, and advocates?  I learned something very important.  KIDS CAN make a huge impact on your event, and can make a big difference.  Here is the other thing I learned.  If a 5, 6, 7, or 8 year old can do it- what the heck is my excuse?

I spend a lot of time writing about fundraiser that are great for kids.  You can read those here, and here.   Today I am going to share a few new ones we added this year that worked really well for us. 

All Fired Up!  For Relay For Life.

 Wes loves making stuff to sell to people.  From warm fuzzies to cookies, he is all over it.  But this year, Wes really wanted to do something that everyone could do together, and have fun at the same time.  While at a local paint your own pottery shop All Fired Up! I got to talking to the owner about any ideas she had (she regularly holds kids creativity camps at her store.) And then the most amazing thing happened, she offered to let the kids come paint pottery at her shop. I was so excited that day when I picked Wes up from school, that I couldn't even wait until we got to the car to tell him what Kelly had offered.  His eyes lit up, "EVERYONE can come?"  we went straight home and Wes went to work planning the event. 

Then something crazy happened.  So crazy that I still can't believe it!  Wes saw a commercial for Disney Friends For Change one afternoon, and came into the office. "We should be Friends For Change mom.  Those kids are doing good stuff like we are."  After a quick little Google search, I found a Disney Friends For Change grant program ran by Youth Service America that happened to coincide with our event- during Global Youth Service Day.  I told Wes he could apply for it, but it was very unlikely we would get picked, because SO many people apply for them.  Guess what?  He was awarded the grant to use for his project!

The cost to attend the creativity camp was only $5 per person, thanks to Kelly's generosity.  She provided everything from the pottery to the paint.  She also offered to make up the bid sheets, and let us start the auction at her location so we could get bids before Relay For Life.  Literally, all we had to do was show up the day of, and invite other kids to do the same! Kelly took the time to explain to the kids how to make their art come out extra special, and also asked each child why they Relayed.  She used that information for the bid sheets!

 

You know that Picasso quote that says, "Every child is an artist." - well, it's true.  What they made was amazing, and they had a blast!

 

We were very pleasantly surprised how well the auction went Relay night!  We were a bit worried only the parents would be bidding on their child's art, but that was not the case at all!

 Did I mention the we grown ups couldn't resist and painted items to?  You can see my husbands Cancer Man raccoon, and my tie dye plate below :)

 

I hope this is sparking some ideas for you.  You don't have to do pottery, you could do paintings on canvas, bird houses, ribbons, you name it!  In fact, if you have ever been to my house you know that one of my most prized possessions (and actually, it belongs to Wes not me) is a painting one of Wesley's best friends made of Cancer Man (forgive this picture- this was a picture of the Relay wall while I was getting ready to put up new awards!)

 

Speaking of painting.  In the fall we did something really cool and different.  We painted and sold pink pumpkins for breast cancer awareness!  A local farmer donated the pumpkins after he had pulled all of the ones he could sell- he had plenty of extras that would have just been plowed back into the field :)  Wes and I went to a local Sherwin Williams, and they donated the pink paint!

 

Next up is an oldie but a goodie.  What kid doesn't LOVE to sell lemonade?  I mean, you would think it would have been the first thing that popped into my mind for a fundraiser, but it wasn't!  We had the honor of getting to go help out a new Relay friend with one this year.  The kids had a blast! This stand was set up at a craft show (which also benefited Relay For Life) but the boys are planning on taking this act on the road this summer to 4th of July festivals, and Main Street, Weatherford :)

Not to get too off track, but there is another benefit to having your kids join Relay For Life, ESPECIALLY if they have lost someone they love to cancer.  Kids who have been there are really really good about supporting other kids who have been through the same thing.

 

Now, when all else fails, and your kiddo wakes up one Saturday morning and declares, "I'm going to hit my $6,000 somehow today."  You can always pull this trick out of the bag (let's face it- it's hard to say no to an adorable kid!)

 

The moral of the story?  While you are making plans for your next Relay, don't leave out your littlest Relayers!  They can make a huge impact on your event, and may even be able to teach you a thing or two, or $22,015.

Coming up next- I didn't forget about your tweens and teens!  I know of an ENTIRE Relay ran by youth-subscribe to get notified so I can tell you all about it!