Valentine's Day Fundraiser!! Raise Awareness & Research

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Hi Everyone,

We have an EASY way to get all of us involved in raising awareness and research funds!!!! Our Valentine's Day fundraiser will take just a few minutes of your time and it will educate so many people about CDH!!!!

Many stores sell awareness posters for $1 each for different causes throughout the year - we're going to sell ours during Valentine's Day - cherubs, angels, cupid, etc - get it? :)

I am attaching 2 files - 1 about the fundraiser to post at the location, 1 that is the actual fundraiser.

We can post these anywhere that we can get permission to post them - grocery stores, schools, gas stations, banks, small stores, department stores, churches, etc.

You will need MANY of the actual fundraising posters to sell. Most will make copies for you, some you have to provide yourself - black and white is ok! On pink paper is even better! You only need a few of the fundraising info sheets - most post 1 at each cash register. This tells about CDH, has a CDH diagram cherub and you can post your cherub's photo and name. People waiting in line will see these - we will be reaching 1000's of people!!!!

I already have talked to several stores in my area and my goal is to get them into 10 stores by January 15th. 10 stores x 100 sheets each x $1 a sheet is $1000! Imagine if we all did this! All it cost us personally is a day of asking store managers if we can do this (most say yes if no one else is doing it then!) and about $30 in paper and copies.

ALL money raised will go the CDH Research Database site!!! Our goal is to raise enough money to fund this site for a year. Imagine all the research we can do in a year!!!!!

For every $500 we each raise, our cherub will be posted as "site sponsor" for 1 month (the cost to rent that database software each month). This will be at http://www.cdhresearch.org

We can keep track of how much money we raise through our Firstgiving site for CDH Research at http://www.firstgiving.com/cdhresearch

Best of all, this is a great way to educate your co-workers, friends, fellow church members, etc all about CDH and it's something each of us can do in honor or in memory of our cherubs!

[AmyMiles]

So the poster they buy is the one we print off?

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Yes. Like the balloons that Children's Miracle Network sells or the shamrocks another organization sells (MS I think? I can't remember off the top of my head). We print off... say 100 for a grocery store.... they sell them $1.00 each. I'm printing mine on pink paper - more St. Valentine's Day. In black ink.... I didn't do color because that would be so expensive to do so many.

[KarlaHolt]

I'm very excited about this! It sounds great!

[Corin Nava]

This is such a cute idea!

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

How many are participating? I'm printing off my stuff today and dropping them off to the stores tomorrow. So far, everyone has been great about helping out! Food Lion and Wal-Mart have been so friendly! 2 managers asked me if I had a full-size poster to post - so I'm designing that today! Have been wanting to do that for a while anyway and send them to doctors and hospitals. We'll have them translated too! :)

Those of you participate - please take a photo for the newsletter! We want to post them on the Research Site too along with your cherub's photo during the month(s) your Valentine's Day Fundraiser sponsors the site.

I am sooooooo excited about this!!!! I'm determined for us to raise at least $6000 - the cost of the research site. We can do so much research and the doctors are all asking when the site will be up so they can use it too. This is something us parents can do for CDH Research, how often do we get the chance to do something hands on for research to help find the cause, prevention and best treatments for CDH??? :D

I cannot wait to see all the flyers all over the stores with "Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia" posted everywhere! The average grocery store has about 300 customers a day.... all standing in line, all reading about CDH. A DAY! Just 1 store! We're going to educate 1000's on CDH!!! :)

[PennyCampsey]

i couldnt get mine to print off

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Penny, save it to your computer and open it in Microsoft Word. Change out Shane's info and photo with Cole's and save it. It should print. What errors are you getting?

[Elaine Moats]

Great idea. Will be working on mine later today

[KarlaHolt]

I want to do this too! I will try to get to stores this weekend. I couldn't get one of the things to print either. I will try again.

[Corin Nava]

I am going to ask around my local stores and see if anyone is interested!

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

In case you have trouble with the downloads, I posted the documents here:

http://www.cdhsupport.org/fundraisers/valentinesdayinfo.doc
http://www.cdhsupport.org/fundraisers/valentinesday.doc

[Barbara and KevinWagner]

How is everyone coming with these?

I took 40 of them to a little coney island around the corner from us and they were happy to help. They started selling them on Monday. Tuesday morning they were calling for more! LOL The owner now has a goal......he wants to have every wall covered with them! We went in for dinner Friday night and it was great to see one wall covered (and 1\2 of another). The owner kept telling Log "That is all for you bud!" LOL I am amazed at how well they are doing as they are only open from 7am - 3pm Mon-Sat except on Fridays till 7pm. I gotte remember to take my camera in for a pic of those walls!

Come on everyone.....share how you are doing! 8-)

[MelissaKelly]

Dawn, I love this idea. How is the money handled, do you tell the stores that you'll pick it up on Valentine's Day or every week, or what? Did you need to provide any verification that we're a real charity or anything when the stores agreed to do this? I'm going to get some things together and hit up my local supermarket and Wal-Mart tomorrow (they know Michael, I may even bring him along for extra effect).

[MelissaKelly]

Wow, shot down and shot down. Apparently the Miracle Children's Network has their hooks in everyone down here, no one will even let us get our feet in the door. Wal-Mart told me that it's a corporate decision not to allow any in-house fundraisers, but we could set up a table 15 feet from the door and beg for donations (which I won't do, I hate getting panhandled when I enter a store).

I'll try with some smaller places tomorrow.

[karahess]

And this is Miracle Network Telethon season around here so everyone is all about that, which is fine. . . I'm all about supporting our children's hospital. Actually, last year's spokesperson/family for the Akron Children's Hospital was a CDH child : )

But yeah . . . . . . . our community gives heavily to and heavily supports the miracle network fundraisers that are going on right now.

[Corin Nava]

I think that smaller stores are the way to go with this. Bigger chain stores tend to have policies that they support the bigger charities that are approved by the corporate offices. Smaller locally owned business are much more willing to support these types of things!

[Elaine Moats]

Well sorry to say but I had no luck :(

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Wal-Mart gave me a grant application and some of the larger stores flaked on me too (after promising to participate). Definitely better luck with small Mom & Pop stores and restaurants!

I had a lot of people turn me down for the Children's Miracle Network.... it got very discouraging. We already gave them $4 million (well our insurance did)! ;) Shane was featured on their telethon twice.

It's very, very hard being a little charity and trying to compete with the large ones.... when the smaller ones are the ones who need the money most. But all you can do is smile and thank them anyway.

We have 2 weeks left.... we can still raise a lot for CDH research. Don't get too discouraged!!! I know it's hard... believe me I know it's hard.... but this is for our babies and we've been through a heck of a lot worse than a little poster rejection! ;)

[KateC]

I have a question, I cannot participate in this year, but would kove to next year. So my question, can we maybe try shamrocks or eatser eggs? Can't think of anyone at this time that do those, but just wondering. I would like to do that for March or April. I would have more time. My time right now is very unmanagable with just heading back to work. But I am thinking of all the places that would do this.

Don't forget - not only grocery stores, but gas stations (most are locally owned), small local resturants, local pizza places (not chain).

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Muscular Dystrophy does shamrocks so there might be a copyright issue. Easter Eggs.... might get into some religious issues. Maybe flowers for Mother's Day or something like that? We picked Valentine's Day because of the cherub / cupid thing.

[KateC]

I wasn't sure who did what when and where. February is fine, I honestly didn't think of the cherub connection until you just mentioned it. I am slow these days . . . Sticking with Feb is cool for me. I just wanted to do this - it looks fun :)

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Some photos from the event! These are from fundraisers in honor of Logan Wagner and in memory of Caleb Cox:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hzSkIgfFSzk/SZ9VLNdantI/AAAAAAAAAYk/Drk0kE9O5ec/s400/n1068970218_285233_2167.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hzSkIgfFSzk/SZ9VLF_nPyI/AAAAAAAAAYs/EQ86bH7vUd0/s400/Caleb2.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hzSkIgfFSzk/SZ9VLoSPB5I/AAAAAAAAAY8/11bJG-iHNC8/s400/pics+040.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hzSkIgfFSzk/SZ9VLZlDqmI/AAAAAAAAAY0/wwv644GwAUk/s400/pics+030.jpg

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

^^^BUMP

That time of year again! :)

[TracyLanders]

I love this idea!