Jack, FL RMH Charity Event Sept 16

Here's the scoop:

Ronald McDonald House Sept 16 Sat. 8am-11am
824 Children's Way
Jacksonville, Fl 32207
www.rmhjax.org
We will be participating in their annual 5k Run/Family Fun Day
It's a big event with the Run starting first. Last year they had over 500 runners. Many activities for the kids.
Of course, we want to do some lightsaber battles. We need our Darth Vader most definitely.
There is a room to change and plenty of water...(and food).
Note: For those who don't know, we visited the children last year and RMH is very glad to have us again.
I asked if we could join this event to be able to visit the most amount of children. It is quite an honor to attend and I would hope we can make this an annual event for the FCJK.
Important: Latex costumes cannot be allowed due to children's allergies.

 

Sweet!! Of course the Phantom Raider will be there. I enjoyed last years event.

 

AWESOME GINA! What a fabulous event to get to do. We will DEFINITELY be there. I'll update our website with this too.

 

Count me in! Awesome! I'll most definetly come up from Orlando for that.

>Steve

 

We will nail Vader down for this event this weekend. I'll have Chase give him a ring.

Website updated with this information on Upcoming Events Page

 

one of my chracters will be there. It might be a new one.....Who knows????

 

looks fun,ill do my best to be there

 

I'll be there if I have to walk the whole way! On my hands! hehe.. I'll tie up Vader and drag him along too....

 

i will try to be there...i want to be there.

 

I'll let the event coordinator know our head count in a couple weeks. Thanks.

 

I recieved this E-mail today:

Gina,

It was nice talking to you last week about the Children?s Way 5K. We are excited about having all of the Star Wars characters at the race this year. Joy Hardaker, our Executive Director, mentioned that she saw you at Mama Fu?s one night and that you had a coloring station. I was wondering if you had anything we could add to our goody bags like a Star Wars coloring book. We need about 750 items. I would appreciate anything you might have. Thank you.



Megan

>>>I know 750 is a lot but if everyone can bring a few coloring books, stickers or other SW items it can all add up.
Thanks,
Gina
I already have some stickers and SW calenders I'll bring.

 

September is the month of heavy production. I'll have to sit this one out.

 

does she knows that we r a non-profit organization right.... we are not able to get funds to supply that many books, so I see in the future a fund raising event....

 

I'll make sure I communicate that. I think she just wants us to bring what we can.
Blaze, do we have any funds we can use? I remember we were given some money for doing that event a while back for a local physician. Just a thought.

 

Thank you for the warning, i will most deffenatly be there.

 

all the money went to the shirts that I still got and the shirt order was more money that we had, and We didn't get any profit from it. I still got shirts and still people with IOU's out there. so no money.

 

Hmmm.... what we need is a cheap way to re-tinker this... Hmmm.... Okay, who's got a few different SW coloring books? Next, we need a cover design, and some SW stickers. Anyone catching on? ????? Because, I've got 3 copiers. All we have to do is get a few different coloring book pages together, copy them, put a cover around them and boom, coloring books special for the FCJK. To speed production too, I could give a copier to Louise, and you Gina. Come up with 3 different books maybe. Then just do a cover and put it on photo banners, cut them to form covers and there. We wouldn't even really have to use photo banners, if we did it right. Got plenty of paper too. So, what do you think? Then, I have photo paper and sticker machines. (See, stickers too.) Shoe string budget. Well, it's an ideal...

>Steve

 

sounds good, steve. But I still think we need some kind of fund raising. It get expensive after a while. Look at me just by doingf stunt sabers I'm going on 60$ in material, is not that I dont wqant to dopit, because I said I was going to make them is just we need money to cover all the charities, I hate saying no to them.SO.......any ideas in how to raise money...

 

We're looking at a great amount here. I don't want to sound ungrateful to the RMH, but do they want to put up for any of this? It's a pretty big order for a group that is openly offereing to come for free from the beginning.

Steve, I like your idea, and maybe throwing a couple pieces of candy in will be enough. I hope they aren't all wanting crayons... heh.

Fundraising isn't that easy simply because it costs money to put and advertise a fundraiser. There are organizations that deal with it(selling candy bars and such). There are the classics like the bake sale (but where to put it, and the amount?). I think the biggest problem would be the location. Somewhere big and populated and open(like the St. John's TC) would be nice, but not easy to get into. Mama Fu's is too small to do any real amounts. We would have to have a whole scene set up. It take's a lot to get people to fork up money, especially to a SW Group. Saber exhibitions would be a plus. A band to play for free would be great...big signs and flyers w/ an assoc to the RMH. We don't have a huge following, and would need to really work it, I think. I'm sweating thinking about it....

Or there is always standing at a street lights with buckets....

 

Yes, I feel the pain. But we got to come up with something to get some money for the group. I know that RMH is not gonna give us any money because they depend on donations and sponsors, so they got no real money. I know and understand that everybody wants us because we R "free" but they demand too much from us. Look u guys ste up the Mama Fu's event and donated some coloring books and some freebies which I'm glad for, I know that came out from you guys pockets, but 750 items that's crazy, and no matter how much we dig into our pockets it gonna leave us in ruins, We need a fund so we can dip into anytime we need to contribute for charity or stuff like that.

 

Hey, it was just an idea. I know it takes alot of money. (Gonna make some calls tomorrow.) An idea: I might be able to get one of my spons' from G.E.A.R. to be a friend of the FCJK. This way, you could tap on their dime like we do sometimes. Just as long as at least one event went in their name, I'm sure they'd be happy. We offer them free advertising as our means to help:

http://www.ghostlyencountersarereal.net/gearweb2_003.htm

(There names also go at the bottom of e-mails.)
(Note: When Bill Fenwick Plumbing became one of our "Friends", the owner donated to us a crap load of computers to use in our office. Almost brand new ones.)

Company's who can sponc are great. Another idea is to get some old cans and make little donation jars outta them and put them in business' (One's we know people at or are on good terms with). (Like the MaW and NCS do. I mean, doing events for kids qualifies us for a charity, right?)

So, there's got to be a way we can find the money. Maybe at the next MaMa Fu's we can ask to set up a little donate to us thingy. And, there was that guy who was running for Sheriff there... police sponcs' could be interesting... Never know. These are all just thought's that come to mind. I don't know if they'd ever work though. Just me thinking aloud trying to help. But, if worse comes to worse:

http://www.buyforcharity.com/pizzacard.asp?gclid=CPz56Mv0_oUCFSoGOAodgkR3jg

or

http://pizzakit.com/?src=overture

or

http://www.charitycds.com/index_home.html

All can be on the drawing board. Just thinking aloud though.

>Steve

(QUICK EDIT: I do know a band and if so, I'll get in touch and see if they'd like to help out, but only if everyone agrees.)

 

Having a donations jar or hat or something out there would be easy, but I wouldn't push the donations at the smaller events.

I agree that we should probably have had something out all along, but this is the first time it's really come up. Maybe we can put a sign on a trooper or vader helmet for people to put money in...

There is a man with a pizza place at the beach that wants to do a Tue. night for him. I'll give him a call if you guys want and see when he wants to set something up. I don't know what he'll be able to accomodate, but it's another card to play.

 

One thing to think of is that we aren't a "501C3" organization and we don't have an official license from Lucas. That may throw a wrench in any "money raising" efforts we try. Also, in my experience, when we start attaching ourselves to corporate sponsors, we have a tendency to be "tied" to them and their reputations as far as any bad publicity they might have. The best deal is to bring what we can. If you or someone you know can donate something, then I'm sure it will be fine. I, personally do not want to get into the headache of making "monetary profits" with this group. I just see the risk being too great for major problems with this line of thinking.

 

Interesting discussion guys..
For this event, if you can bring a few comic books and such, fine.
If you can't fine too. They understand we are a small group and can't afford much. Sorry I overwhelmed ya'll with the 750 number.
If you can bring a few items let me know.
Thanks again.

 

I might be able to supply the crayons. I know we had a big bundle of the small 4/5 pack crayons in the resource room at school. No one used them because they just were not enough crayons in each pack. Give me a few days to get over there and check it out and I will let you know. Also, if i remember correctly i believe i saw SW coloring books at the $1 store. If each one of us bought a few we could possibly have enough.