Raising
Money
for
Autism
"It's time to get moving"
By
Lori Kuhre
Gary Kuhre
Lance Winslow
Margit Barreras
© 2008 Online
Think Tank Virtual Press
Please Note:
Table of Contents
Dedication 4
Acknowledgements 5
Introduction 8
Foreword 9
Chapter I – A Little on Autism
12
The Challenges Ahead 15
The Need for Research
16
Educational Special Needs
18
Raising Funds for Growing
21
Chapter II – A Walk Across America
22
The Story of Gary Kuhre
24
Uniting the Community
25
Bringing Awareness to the Region
26
Raising Much Needed Funds
27
Chapter III - Bicycling for Autism
28
Peddling for Autism – Bike-a-Thons
28
Long Distance Bicycle Fundraisers
31
Choosing Routes 34
Watching the Weather 35
Conserving Your Cash 36
Choosing Equipment 38
Nutrition Component Critical
44
Chapter IV - Planning the Fundraiser
46
Calendar Considerations
48
Coalescing the Committee 49
Safety for Participants
50
Locating Pledge Drive Teams
51
Pledge Donation Strategies
52
Chapter V – Publicity for Awareness
55
Radio 56
Cable Television 57
Newspaper 58
Newsletters 59
Online Social Networks
59
Email Campaigns 60
Syndicated Internet Articles
60
Flyer Campaign 61
Fax Marketing 61
Chapter VI – Business Community and Politics
63
Small Business Owners are Gold
63
Approaching Corporations for Donations
64
Attaining the Blessing of City Leaders
65
Resources & References
66-68
Appendix I –
Forms in Portrait Orientation (Separate Work
Book)
Appendix II –
Forms in Landscape Orientation (Separate Work
book)
Dedication
To all effected by Autism…………
I know your heartaches and your gut
wrenching sobs for the child you feel could have been, the questions of “what
if” and “why my child” can take you far away and make you bitter. Try to not let
those thoughts in your soul they are a trick to make us feel cheated of “what
should have been.”
Leave that place because through that child you can find real life, each attempt
at a smile they make be it only once can touch your heart deeper than anything, the “small”
accomplishments are extraordinary, you will find yourself crying out in joy at
one accomplishment that you may have never noticed was made had they not been
Autistic, you will take each bird singing for the opera it is, each breeze on
your check as the breath of God, and when they do fall asleep you will look at
their innocent face with their angel kissed eyes and feel a love you would have
never known you were capable of had things been “the way they should have been”
Your gift is before you, open it and run with it what an honor that we were
chosen to raise the Autistic Angels of God. This life is not about what we want
it is about what we do with what we are given……… To my Joshua this is how I feel
about you I thank God for all of my children daily, this is to all of you.
Acknowledgements
By Lori Kuhre
We at
Stride
4 Autism want to acknowledge those who have given us so much
moral and momentary support. To each and every one of you we are so touched that
you were willing to open your hearts and minds to our cause, to actually listen
to what we had to say you took time from your busy schedules to aid us in our
quest. When we started we did not know how to ask "for help" from others about a
disorder that is still a question mark and misunderstood.
You opened your finances
and your ears at the same time, you wished us well, prayed for us, and gave us
useful advice. We only showed you a picture of our son Joshua and told you our
story, our dream of what we wanted not only for our son but all those affected
by The Autism Spectrum Disorder, we wanted and still do to give them a chance
and we are so blessed that all of you gave us a shot.
We would not be here 1 year
later planning another fundraiser still going, the compassion to our
organization that was shown not only from friends and family... those you would
hope would be there... but from strangers whom we did not know, the parents or
someone touched by a child diagnosed with autism and other disorders we were
strangers to you physically but not emotionally through you and your
encouragement we knew we were not alone it was wonderful.
The small business owners
in our town were so amazing in their support, my jaw is still hanging open not
only were you all some of our biggest supporters, the way you care about what is
going on in your community gives me hope. The big business supporters we know
how many organizations come to you and ask for help daily, but you chose our
"brand new" organization and helped us, we are so grateful that you took the
time from the world of business to stop and smell the fresh air and gave us your
support.
The news stations and
newspapers we would not have been able to succeed without all of you, you gave
us the opportunity to come right into people's homes in their personal space and
they listened to us on TV or read our stories in the newspapers we had an
opportunity through you that was a pure gift!
Our family, friends and
church sisters and brothers you are our heart and souls you listened to our
ideas that seemed impossible, you keep us in your prayers, you have stood up to
the tasks we asked of you, and we are still wondering how we can ever thank you
enough. The state city and state officials that opened your minds to our ideas
and encouraged us to do them, having your encouragement meant our dreams could
be reality and we knew we could do this.
To God we thank you for our
salvation through your son, your protective hand has stayed over our family and
organization we do feel it, and we know "through you all things are possible!"
To Lance no words can express to you how touched we are by your kindness, you
took Autism on without a blink of an eye and are helping a family you did not
even know do amazing things, you are an inspiration for what you do for charity
and with a heart like yours I know many will continue to be touched and
motivated by you, you are a real
"pay it forward type of person" to us you
are an angel............Thank you.
Through all of you, we not
only come from;
The Biggest Little City in the World we believe
we can become
The Biggest Little Organization in the World!!!
So with that said, let me attempt to remember all the
names of the people, organizations and companies that have helped us so far, we
would like to thank the following companies and organizations in no particular
order;
ACON – Autism Coalition of Nevada, Aqua Tech, Beyond
Juice, Starbucks, 4 Paws, Wild Oats Food Store, Camp Lots of Fun, Renown Rehab
Hospital, Macaroni Grill, Bully's Sports Bar, Dayton Valley Golf & Country Club,
Denny's, Round Table Pizza, Empire Ranch Golf Club,
Saturn of Reno, Wolf Run Golf Club, Ben's Fine Wine and Spirits, Wild
Island Adventure Park, Buffalo Creek Ranch, US Bank, Albertsons, RAIN – Reno
Autism Network, The Sign Shoppe, Grand Sierra Resort, FEAT – Families for
Effective Autism Treatment, The Continuum, Sierra Speech and Language Group, Bob
Beg Design, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Balance, Total Image Printing, First Baptist
Church of Sparks, Wamsutter Community Church, Great Basin Credit Union, Sports
West Athletic Club, Austin's Mountain & Country Food & Spirit, Ahhh! Massage,
Wild Bird Unlimited, Birkenstock, Fast Signs, Blue Moon, Moana Nursery, Reno
Cycling & Fitness, KRNV, KREN, KTVN, Reno Gazette Journal, Sparks Tribune, fox'
Den Pizza.
And let me personally thank the wonderful people who
have been a god's send for our efforts, again in no particular order;
Diane Groth, Kim Mays, Louis Mays, Earleen Russell,
David & Susan Semas, Paul and Kristi Heinman, Linda & Allan, Mr. & Mrs. Reed,
Tom & Florence Byrnes, Monte Russell, Ted Ripley, Mike & Helen Pate, John
Rassmussen, Daniel Morrison, Misty Hailey, Mr. & Mrs. Fauria, Ralph Toddre,
Darryl & Debbie Handke, Mr. & Mrs. Buckley, Earl & Billi Pat, Richard Hand,
Kevin Smith, Pam & Angelo Anastassatos, Eddie & Deborah Duffer, Earl and Connie
Morley, Trey & Leila & Kelly & Taj, Rita & Gordon Paul, Scott Cahill, Helene
Franklin, Greg Overby, Leon & Mercedes Kuhre, Dr. & Mrs. Larsen, Keith Smith,
Terry Doelman, Melinda Mechum, Bob & Liz & Derek & Amy Tanahill, Rick & Chris &
Cindy & Becky Silver, Shawn & Dawn Fuller, Eddie & Deb Duffer, Donna Bateman,
Kendra Henry, Marquis & Kayla, Terry Happle, Missy Davidson, Taya, Amanda, Toni
Richards, Kateland, Ken & Bonnie Porter, Jim & Nancy Close, Michelle Hesser,
Bonnie Rudolph, Michelle Hesser.
Lastly, let me thank our government agencies that have
worked with
Stride 4 Autism:
The US Department of Education, City of
Reno Fire Department, Mayor Bob Cashell, Mayor Gino Martin, Senator Harry Reid,
Senator John McCain.
All
our love to each and every one of you,
Lori
Kuhre
Introduction
By Lance Winslow
When Lori Kuhre first
emailed me to discuss doing a car wash fundraiser for Autism in Reno and I could
not have imagined a more worthy cause. As we began talking, I indicated my
long-distance cycling endeavors and she noted her husband's heroic Stride for
Autism walk. I thought, wow, now those are my kind of folks, what wonderful
people. This is how Gary, Lori and Joshua,
became the inspiration for this eBook project.
We give this
information to the cause of Autism, to you, wherever you are in the World. We
wish you well in your fundraising endeavors and hope this eBook gives you a
significant head start. Raising awareness and money for Autism is not easy, but
it's something that the Autism Community must do, we must work together in this
common cause.
Now then, we have put
this book together in basically 4-Sections. The first chapter is an introduction
to the Spectrum of Autism Disorders. Chapter II discusses the inspiration of the
Stride-4-Autism Foundation and Gary Kuhre's walk across America to raise
awareness for Autism and health care insurance reform with regards to Autism.
Significant strides have been made thanks to the inspirational leadership of
Gary and Lori Kuhre in Northern Nevada. These first two short chapters give you
some understanding into the importance of uniting a community and raising
awareness as part of your fundraising endeavors.
The remaining chapters
explain How to
Run a Successful Bike-a-Thon Fundraiser, and although it is geared
specifically towards raising funds for Autism, this book can be used by any
non-profit group of nearly any size. The final section of this eBook is the two
Appendix Sections, with loads of sample forms, brochures and just about
everything you need to get started planning your Bike-a-Thon Fundraiser right
away. This eBook is free to the world and the authors give it away for the
purpose of helping non-profit groups raise money and to raise awareness for
Autism. You may re-print this book and even put it on your Autism Website to
give away, we sincerely hope this work serves you well and we enjoyed the
process in making it for YOU!
Foreword
By Gary Kuhre
I am
a father of 6 children one of which has Autism and I plan to do whatever I can
to help him and others like him! So, on June 9th 2007, I am beginning my walk
alone from Sparks, Nevada to Washington DC APPROXIMATELY 2,800 MILES to raise
awareness of Autism and point out the injustices being perpetuated on our
defenseless disabled children. I want new National legislation written that will
require insurance companies to cover care and treatment of Autistic children up
to the age of 18. These children deserve our empathy, our love, and most
of all they deserve their chance to reach for the brass ring. The CDC announced
that 1 in 150 children has Autism and most insurance companies will not cover
any medical care for them.
The
challenges the parents of an AUTISTIC child face is a daily struggle. Not to
mention the cost of Therapy after a diagnosis is given. There is very little
Therapy available in Nevada for the Autistic child. Of what is available the
Medical Insurance Companies will not cover it, any of it. Once a diagnosis is
given to your child the insurance companies send a letter to their policy
holders telling them to “read their policy exclusions” which excludes Autism,
Down Syndrome, and Mental Retardation from receiving any type of treatment or
therapy. I hope to change that!!
My
wife and I are hoping that aside from the insurance changes, we want to get a
charter school specifically for children with autism here to provide the
therapies and education needed in the Reno/Sparks area. And eventually to open
schools throughout the country. So that our children may receive the proper
education promised them. Plus with all the donations and sponsorships we will be
setting up a scholarship fund for those children with autism whose families have
no means to pay for any type of therapy. It will be called
“Joshua’s fund for autistic children.”
Once
we found out Joshua was autistic I quit my job while my wife works to support a
family of 6 (2 of our children have moved out already) and I stay at home with
him and his brother Jacob (2 yrs old) to ensure they are well taken care of. It
has been a struggle financially, but it is the BEST decision we have ever made.
I
found out that the state of Wisconsin has a very active Autistic insurance
reform and requires that the Katie Beckett (Medicaid program for children with
autism) must pay for ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy for autistic
children. There are other methods of behavior therapies also (AIT auditory
intervention therapy, Floor time, TEEACH, and Tomatis all of which have done
well for these children) It should be our choice of what therapy we want for our
children.
ABA has been proven time and time again to help more autistic children cope and
relate better than any medications, not that these do not help because they can
but should be monitored closely. It is safer with good results for many to try
and do a GF/CF diet and natural vitamins and probiotics to help heal these
children from the inside out. ABA should be required to be paid for by insurance
companies or Medicaid nationwide (maybe they could share the cost). ABA therapy
costs approx $25,000 to $75,000 per yr for each child (depending on the area you
live). So you see why the insurance companies do not want to pay, but typically
the ABA therapy is only for 2 years and early intervention is the key!!
Some
adults who have autism, do not share the same views with ABA, therapies, or
diets etc...and others do support them, we are not here to argue what does or
does not work we believe each and every person is different and that each should
have their own right to get therapies etc...whether one chooses to or not it
should still be open not just a door slammed in their face.
Our
story began over five years ago when Joshua was born. My wife had a feeling
right away that something was wrong. He did not progress "normally" he would not
talk he screamed and cried all day long. By the time he was 3 he still was not
talking and had been diagnosed as ADHD and developmentally delayed. We began
Speech and Occupational therapy for him that our insurance paid for 2 times per
week for 7 weeks.
In
January of 2006 he was re-diagnosed formally by a professional as Autistic. In
March when the insurance company found out the “new diagnosis” they sent us a
letter saying they would no longer cover Speech or Occupational therapies for
him or anything else to do with his autism, and sent us a bill for all the
speech and occupational therapy he had received since Jan of 2006. The bill was
over $10,000 Thank God we were able to get Katie Beckett Medicaid for him.
This
startled me in to action, and what I found out is that about 93% of insurance
companies do not cover things like, Autism, Down Syndrome, and Mental
Retardation. I think it is deplorable that an insurance company will pay to send
someone to rehab that is CHOOSING to abuse drugs, but will not pay for speech
therapy for my autistic child that did not CHOOSE to be this way.
So
in short this is some of the fire that is driving me to do what I am doing
(walking to DC to start an awareness for the need to reform our health care
system. It is a sad day when you realize our children with disabilities are
being discriminated against. We want to help by starting our own non-profit
organization Stride 4 Autism for autistic children, setting up a scholarship
funds through the organization and eventually opening a charter school.
Autism effects one in every 150 children born in the
United States, it is a very serious issues and one which must be dealt with. It
is costing millions of dollars in each school system every single year and those
costs are increasing. As school budgets are reduced so too is the money to help
educate these autistic kids and health insurance is not covering these costs.
Chapter I
A Little on Autism
What causes Autism? Well, it turns out that is 6.4
Billion Dollar question, the reality is that we don't quite know for sure. Yes,
there are plenty of suspected culprits, such as the Mercury in vaccines, which
you have probably heard about. Then there are questions of frequency pollution
from such things like radars, cell phone towers and even pre-natal ultrasound
use. Scientists suspect there is also a genetic component as well or at least
issues with susceptibility from environmental affects, which also makes sense.
Then there may be some correlation between the introduction of anti-depression
drugs and the increases in the rates of Autism. Each of these suspected causes
have scientific research papers backing their claims, along with other
scientific research papers denying these causes.
And as if all that was not enough there are studies
that show that diet has a lot to do with the severity of Autism and behavioral
issues associated. Margit Barreras explains;
Food and diet play a large role in managing the effects of brain
toxicity that research shows exacerbates spectrum tendencies. More funding and
support are desperately needed in this area.
With more mainstream knowledge available dietary intervention can play a
more poignant part in the managing of such brain disorders; the quicker the
intervention the less damage due to toxicity.
Some scientists have proposed a theory that Autism is
the human brain going through an evolutionary process. In fact there are so many
theories to its cause, that it becomes pretty confusing for parents. There is
currently no known cure for Autism although someday there most likely will be,
today, there are only treatments, which make Autism livable for families
involved and the individuals who have it.
Still, the topic of cure and intervention success is highly controversial at
this point notes Margit Barreras.
The exciting part is people are openly talking about it and considering the
research. More research needs to be
done in order to come to a better understanding about how we might address this
issue as a community.
What is Autism?
This too turns out to be a difficult question to answer, but finally the
professionals have come together and decided that Autism is a spectrum of
disorders, where the lines between are fuzzy and often overlapping. To the point
that each individual case is different and must be dealt with on an individual
basis, thus you can see why this stretches the patience of the one-size-fits
all, no-child-left behind, school systems. Here is a more simplistic answer to
question; what is Autism:
Autism is a complex neurological disorder that typically lasts
throughout a person's lifetime.
Autism now includes similarly related disorders that
are classified as Autism Spectrum Disorders –ASD, also called Autism Spectrum
Conditions – ASC and PDD or Passive Development Disorders? Perhaps you have
heard of Asperser's Syndrome, this is mild for form of PDD. Rett Syndrome
although rare and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder also fall within the ASD
classification. Then there is Tubular Sclerosis and Fragile X Syndrome. Perhaps
this web link may help you better understand?
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism/nimhautismspectrum.pdf
Who
does Autism Affect?
Well, this is a very excellent question, the short answer is everybody; for
instance, here is what you will find if you search around on the Internet a bit:
It occurs in all racial,
ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than
girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. It
is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as
obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines.
Of
course, there is more to it than just the dry and clinical style Internet Site
answer. There too is a real emotional side. Here is a better answer written by
Joshua's mom Lori Kuhre:,
It is devastating for families, many parents will never hear
their child utter a word or ever hear "I
Love You Mommy and Daddy” never receive a hug or a kiss from the child they
love so much the child that is in their own world without knowing the love the
family has for them nor understanding it. Many will need care for the rest of
their lives, and never have a conversation with anyone they, will continue to
live their lives through frustration and tears, but
with therapies this can change. Unfortunately health insurance does not cover
these costs and this why it's necessary to raise money.
One very wise parent of an Autistic Child and educator
sums up the situation like this:
Autism is a complex neurological disorder that interrupts normal
brain function. As a life-long developmental disability there is essentially no
cure for spectrum disorders such as Autism. However with more research and
education those with Autism spectrum disorders can learn to manage their lives
and perhaps make better sense of the world.
Many unanswered questions lie in regards to identifying triggers
to autism spectrum disorders. No one case is identical. There are those whose
autism is triggered by environmental toxins, others believe vaccines have played
a huge role in the increasing occurrence of autism spectrum disorders. With
further research we may come closer to putting together the pieces of this very
intricate puzzle.
The Challenges Ahead
Autism rates are on the climb, three decades ago the
Autism rates were well under 1 in 2500 and in 2004 they were pegged at 1 in 182
and now a recent study indicates 1 in 150 children (age 8) in the United States.
There should be alarm bells going off everywhere. As
more and more children are born with autism, our society and civilization will
get further and further behind if we do not keep up with challenge.
Some folks in denial
claim that we are diagnosing more kids with ASD, because we are more aware of
it, and have classified other disorders in the spectrum and whereas this may
sound logical on the surface, there is still the definite and undeniable reality
that more kids than ever before are born with these disorders.
The economic impact is
huge, and comes a critical time for our already broken health care system, cash
strapped school systems and shifting demographics. The baby boomers need care
too, and with our aging population that is going to be a crisis in itself with
shortages of nurses and care facilities, it's already happening. Add on top of
this the increasing burden of autism rates.
The Need for Research
Autism research funding has fallen way behind and it needs a good shot in the arm to catch
up, we are talking about 1 billion dollars in research funding right now, just
to catch back up and then matching that every couple of years until we get a
handle on it. Since many similar syndromes, which may or may not be totally
related, but probably are have all been lumped together now in the same area of
study and now they are calling them the Spectrum of Autism Disorders, this makes
targeted funding a little more difficult. Each one individually needs to be
further studied and it is time we found the direct causes or the combinations of
causes that are being classified in the Spectrum of Autism Disorders.
Since the exact cause
or causes are not known, this should be one very important goal for the
scientific research, we must know what is causing it, so we can stop Autism or
as one group puts it;
DAN! "Defeat Autism
Now!" More research is needed
and money drastically needed for that endeavor. One concerned dad, Gary Kuhre,
whose heroic quest and love for his son we will discuss later in this book, puts
it very simply:
"If one in 150 kids were
suddenly being born without their left arm, there would be an immediate public
outcry and instant demand for billions of dollars in research, but since this is
Autism and its out of the public mainstream, it goes unfunded and unnoticed"
A true a statement
indeed and perhaps this truth is what brought about the quest to write this
book. One recent study and survey showed that Autism affects one in three people
in some way; in other words they have a family member, relative or close family
friend that has Autism, so what is the hold up on the funds for Autism research?
Are we to wait until this crisis, which many in the know are now calling an
epidemic reaches 1% of our population, because it will.
Even if Autism
research received the Billions of dollars it needs right now, the rate of
increase means we will see 1% of our population with some disorder in the Autism
Spectrum in well under 10-years. The CDC denies that it is an epidemic and by
strict definition they are correct, however, the explosive growth of Autism has
been like a lightning bolt through our society and too, the budgets of most
school districts. Simply ignoring this problem is not going to make it go away,
its only getting bigger each and every day. Margit Barreras sums it up like
this:
As Autism Spectrum disorders present so uniquely in each person
the challenge in addressing individual elements needed in an effective
educational program becomes evident. Progress will be slowed by lack of
education for parents, medical professionals and educators. Much needed funding
will help to accelerate this process and provide the services needed by those
whose lives are touched by Autism
Educational Special Needs
The costs of educating Autism kids is a huge burden on
our school districts and it costs literally millions of dollars in each school
year and many of these special educational need classes go on all-year overwhelming
budgets. Autism kids require all sorts of costly evaluations and professionals
such as psychologists, dieticians, neurologists, speech pathologists, pediatric
occupational therapists, cognitive behavioral experts, disability consultants,
and special education trained teachers w/assistants often 1 additional for every
5-8 students.
Educational Expert
Margit Barreras, explains that educators
face multiple challenges in understanding the neurological impact of spectrum
disorders. Areas of concern in the classroom are such things as:
·
Communication
·
Sequencing
·
Sensory integration issues
·
Transition difficulties
·
Social indifference
·
Fluctuating attention patterns
·
Anxiety
She goes onto explain
that, as autism spectrum
disorder presents differently in those affected an individualized approach is
required. There is an urgent need
for more training and understanding in dealing with spectrum issues.
More and more children are affected and need the appropriate learning
environments in order to thrive. My
own experiences have been frustrating.
Even as an educator, educating my peers about the impact of neurological
disorders has been very difficult. I
presumed as a teacher my peers would understand my personal journey with my
autistic spectrum child. Yet I found
myself alone in understanding the needs of my child.
Often an Autism spectrum issue can be disguised and not properly dealt with in a
child who is classified as a high functioning autistic child.
It is sometimes difficult to get much needed help when the child’s needs
are not obvious to outsiders. It is challenging for educators to understand
where the areas of difficulty lie and why.
When a child looks "normal" on the outside very little consideration is
made for how he or she functions on the inside.
As the parents of
Autistic Children ask for more one-on-one help in the classroom, the parents of
the regular kids want more one-on-one computer training realizing that the job
market will require computer skills, all this at a time when many school
districts are cutting in those departments too. Often, school board meetings
turn into cat fights, as the parents act more like ADHD children in war of
words. And if that is not bad enough consider that many school districts get
much of their funding from property taxes, and we all know about the housing
sub-prime lending crisis, foreclosures and the drop in property values.
Another huge issue is
one of special education lawyers who have developed practices suing schools and
staff for their handling of IDEA Law of 2004. A good book you should read is;
"Educating
Children with Autism"
sponsored by US Department of Education.
Now school districts and staff are so busy with CYA paperwork, and parents of
Autistic kids so careful with what they say and what they sign, there is now a
barrier of communication between the two, which does not do much to help the
Autistic kids. The adversarial issues are not helping the situation much,
although there are two sides to the story with rational and plausible
deniability for all.
As the school
districts are forced to comply with the burdensome laws and provide
"appropriate education for all"
there
is enough ambiguity in the word appropriate to tie up the education of any child
in the modern court system and provide countless billable hours for any attorney
that specializes in special education causes. But the parents of Autistic
Children have rights like any other parent and they do not want their child
thrown under the bus, can you blame them?
"What if it was your child?"
Still, we also see our
schools in crisis, as teacher attrition rates climb, and shortages are
occurring. The average attrition rate for new teachers is 50% in the first five
years and there are in many places of shortage of special education teachers,
who must go through much more intensive studies to get their credentials. Some
see all these converging problems as a perfect storm, one that challenges the
very backbone of our civilization; the flow of education.
Educational Expert, Margit Barreras, also points to the homeschooling option and explains that;
Many parents who fear their child will not get the appropriate treatment in
school choose to home school. This can be very draining especially when dealing
with the unpredictable nature of a neurological disorder. Often help is not
readily available to home schooled students as schools are concentrating on
their in house population. However
in most states students registered as special education can get the help whether
they are part of a full time or home school program. A lot of schools do not
make this publicly known. Margit Barreras also notes her own personal
observations:
The educative needs of a child on the spectrum are diverse as are the needs of
any child. However we must
understand how much harder a child on the spectrum works to the same ends.
They need relentless unconditional support to enable them to develop and
learn to their potential. This type
of consideration does come at a cost.
Appropriate funding to support the needs of Autism Spectrum children is
required to enable educators to provide thoughtful programming.
Raising Funds for Growing
As you can see there are several challenges to the
Autism Spectrum of Disorders; we must find the cause and prevent these problems,
we must educate the Autistic Children to grow up and become self-sufficient. The
families of Autistic kids need your help, now more than ever. In the future even
more assistance will be required in all aspects of Autism. It's time we do
something about it. In the next chapter, we will introduce Gary Kuhre, a man on
a mission, who did do something about it. Learn about the passion, courage and
strength of a man who would do anything for his Autistic son.
Chapter II
A Walk Across America
The biggest challenge with Autism is finding ways to
raise awareness in a world, which is so busy and stressed out that life becomes
a blur. Consider if you will the click-happy Internet generation, with the
attention span of a gnat. Even the TV news now is down to 3-minute segments,
this down from 7-minutes and down from 10-minutes, down from 15-minutes in just
a couple of decades. Newspaper articles are cut short as well, why, because
folks just want the; who, what, when, where, how and why, hopefully in the
title, because they do not plan on reading much past the first paragraph.
Yes, it's the 2.2 kids, white picket fence, college
degree, credit card toting, mini-van crowd that is off to work, kids to soccer,
and running some errands in order to get back and listen to the iPod, play video
games, watch TV and instant message friends or surf the Internet. It's just the
way things are today, so you ask where does Autism Awareness fit in and who is
going to listen to the cry for help? Well, Autism is one of those things that
when it hits your family, it stops you cold and it affects every single thing
you do. Still, if you are not dealing with such an issue, you most likely would
not notice and may not even care with all the distractions surrounding your
present hustle and bustle world.
And mind you, no one is complaining, as middle class
America has a lot to offer, and of course, it is rather fortunate for us that we
have all either been born into this civilization or have found ourselves here in
the greatest nation ever created in the history of mankind. But there are some
troubles in paradise and Autism is one very big problem, one that needs our
attention. It is a challenge that is growing. So how do we bring awareness to
the masses? And how can we bring awareness and raise money in the process?
You see, it's not that people do not care, they really
do, in fact once you have a talk with them you can see the concern on their
face, many will say;
"I never knew that,"
"I didn't know," or
"I had no idea."
I'd like you to
meet my personal hero; Gary Kuhre, a man who set out to walk across the United
States for Autism and to raise awareness to the fact that 93% of the Health
Insurance Companies DO NOT cover Autism. In other words, if your child is born
with Autism, good luck. Remember the cost per year to support an Autistic Child
is about $85,000 per year, for most middle class families that is simply not an
option; it's simply not economically feasible.
The Story of Gary Kuhre
Gary Kuhre discovered that the family's health care
insurance did not cover Autism and the family discovered how much financial
burden an autistic child cost. Rather than quitting in defeat and out of the
love for his son, he dug down deep and his strength of character emerged. He
decided to do something about it, yes a father on a mission willing to do
anything necessary to help his son, even laying down his own life if necessary,
if he knew his son could lead a normal life.
It was out of this father's dedication, that he was
willing to endure the ultimate test of devotion. One, which he was quite certain
would bring awareness to Autism, indeed it was
"a test of will" like no other
had ever dreamed. He would walk across America from Reno to Washington DC and as
you know Reno is further West than Los Angeles, due to the shape of the United
States and the curvature of the Earth.
His perseverance and commitment to the cause of Autism
paid off. Not only did his walk invigorate the Autism Community, but it also
made headlines and prompted two standing US Senators to contact him; Senator
Harry Reid of his home State of Nevada, and Senator John McCain of Arizona, who
is now a Presidential Candidate. The Governor of Nevada also got involved and
opened up serious dialogue. Perhaps, it was Gary's upbringing or will to press
on and never give up that prompted him on such a journey, he refused to give up
on his son and now has become one of the strongest advocates for Health
Insurance reform for Autism.
In a modified customized cart he set off step-by-step
towards Washington DC, an estimate distance of about 5 million human strides,
and although in the end he was unable to complete the entire journey on the
first go around due to unforeseen circumstance, he does dream of the opportunity
to complete every single step. During his quest, step after step he became even
more committed than the last, the power of love for his son and family and
refusal to accept anything less, a dedicated father on a mission. The results of
his quest and bold statement have created a never ending forward progression for
Autism awareness.
Uniting the Community
Gary and his beautiful wife Lori founded the
Stride-4-Autism Foundation an official
non-profit group used to raise both funding and awareness for families that are
dealing with Spectrum of Autism Disorders. They have helped unite the community
and have brought awareness to the state with regards to Autism and continue on
this mission each day, as they lead by example.
They work tirelessly for the cause; planning
fundraisers, gifting monies and spreading awareness to all they meet. Are their
efforts in vain, no not at all, in fact, their strength shines through, their
commitment is making a difference; it's accumulative. Their personal sacrifice
for their son and the Autism Community is catching the attention of new folks
each day, with each event, fundraiser and each new personal meeting, their
message, our message for Autism is reaching out.
Bringing Awareness to the Region
Luckily for all of us in the Autism Community, Lori has
documented Gary's Walk, and their Stride-4-Autism Foundation efforts every step
of the way. And like a virtual digital scrap book has posted these efforts, with
all their trials and tribulations along the way. It's all there; the joy and the
laughter and the pain and the sorrow. The Kuhre's have opened their hearts to
the Autism Community and the world in order to raise awareness. Their website
tells the whole story through a series of blogs, informational pages, supporters
and abundant resources.
If you ask the Kuhre Family; what's next, I have no
doubt that Lori, will rattle off several things she is working on this week.
Although Gary and Lori have done so much to raise awareness and increase funds
to help the Autism Community, this is only the beginning. Their inspiration is a
gift to all families dealing with Autism.
Raising Much Needed Funds
Ever since Gary Kuhre's incredible stride-for-Autism
walk pushing the specially adapted cart across the states, the
Stride-4-Autism Foundation has set out to raise money for real
families and real needs, families that need assistance and have nowhere to turn.
The costs for such essentials are outrageously expensive, treatment can run up
into the thousands extremely quickly, and then there are the incidentals, things
that all children need, things that Autistic Kids often never get to experience.
It is this mission that propels the
Stride-4-Autism Foundation forward.
In fact, this eBook was commissioned for this very
purpose, to help other families and groups in the Autism Community raise money
and awareness in their areas and regions. Together we
WILL make a difference, just like
Gary and Lori have with their unbelievable strength and commitment. We realize
that not everyone is able to duplicate the heroic efforts of Gary Kuhre, in his
ultra endurance walk, but we can use this as our inspiration as we plan events
and fundraisers of our own. And with that said, let's begin with a simple
fundraiser that you can do locally a Bike-a-Thon.
This is a complete plan for any group or non-profit
that needs to raise funds. In this plan you will see how easily you can adapt it
for a walk-a-thon, or even a swim-a-thon. We choose a Bike-a-Thon for this eBook
because the Stride-4-Autism Foundation was working on a Big Bike-a-Thon event at
the time this book was written, if you are considering doing a Bike-a-Thon then
please continue reading.
Chapter III
Bicycling for Autism
No one can deny that
Lance Armstrong has been an
inspiration to all, and perhaps one of the greatest athletes of our time, but
his commitment to excellence goes far beyond his consecutive victories in the
Tour de France. His work in raising
awareness and money for cancer is a feat that has given hope and strength to so
many. Perhaps we too should follow this yellow jersey to raise awareness and
funding for Autism, as this growing problem shows no sign of slowing.
Peddling for Autism – Bike-a-Thons
Often we see large organization like the American
Cancer Society, American Heart Association or HIV/AIDS Foundation do
walk-a-thons or bike-a-thons, and there is a really good reason for this, it's
because they can generate huge amounts of money in a very short amount of time.
And they are able to do this with each participant putting in the leg-work;
getting pledges, donations and support from their social networks of friends,
family, school and business contacts.
Walk-a-thons are often preferred because there is less risk of injury and participants can walk around a track or on a short route where they can be constantly monitored, given water and watched for safety. Bike-a-thons are generally spread out with much further distances, and they often can attract more seasoned athletes, along with less advanced riders with regards to skill levels.
If one looks at how
bike-a-thons work and why they raise so much money, it becomes readily apparent
that it leverages the power of numbers. You see, people want to do something to
help, but feel somewhat helpless against such a huge challenge like Autism. But
by showing up in support to help raise both awareness and money, a bike-a-thon
gives them an outlet. People feel like they are doing something about it, rather
than feeling hopeless and it turns out to be a win-win situation for all.
Luckily, putting
together a bike-a-thon is not such a difficult task, in fact, of all the
potential and possible fundraisers it ranks along with some of the easiest and
it generates quite a bit of money. That is if it is well-organized, pre-planned
and strategically coordinated. Hopefully this eBook will assist you in carefully
considering all the details so you can have a successful bike-a-thon and raise
the much needed money your non-profit group needs to tackle the Autism
challenge.
In the Appendix
Section of this eBook you will find all the forms you need to run a successful
bike-a-thon fundraiser for Autism. Lori Kuhre has spent countless hours creating
these forms for the sample "Bike-4-A-Cause"
event in Reno, NV and she has decided
to share all that she has learned the process of planning this sample example. All the forms she created and all the wisdom
that only experience can bring in hopes that her efforts can be duplicated
across the nation to help with Autism are seen in her work.
Now then, in our
example for this eBook we have designed a local Bike-a-Thon. We explain the
steps necessary along the way to keep you on the right track in setting up your
own Bike-a-Thon event. In our example, we have a multiple stage event in order to
take advantage of advanced publicity for the main event (local bike-a-thon) and
a post endurance group ride to insure that collection of donations is easier
since it will be still on people's minds, when it comes time to pay for their
pledges. Here is how the three stages of the Stride-4-Autism Bike-A-Thon
Fundraiser example/sample work, your fundraiser will be geographically unique to
your situation, but this is a good example to help you think as you design your
own fundraiser:
1.)
One rider starts at the Border of Canada and US
and rode 800-miles to Reno.
2.)
Once that rider reaches Reno, there is to be a
pre-scheduled Bike-a-Thon on Saturday.
3.)
The more advanced riders who want more of a
challenge join with the solo-endurance rider to ride passed the State Capital
of Nevada, Carson City to make a statement and then ride on to the nearby border of California on highway 395. The
solo rider then rides to the Mexican Border.
Non-profit groups
throughout the city are allowed to sell pledges for the solo-rider under a
special deal enabling all these local community groups to keep half of the
money. The synergy this created in Reno
[known for its
slogan; "The Biggest Little Town"]
fostered a huge word-of-mouth effect and is to give confidence to all those selling
the pledges and those who offered to pledge. Indeed, we show in our example that
is comes at a perfect time
when general donations for the city's non-profit groups were sharply down due to
a recent sluggish economy.
The news stations,
newspapers, radios will all cover the story and the pre-publicity helped immensely
in giving awareness to Autism. This way the proper kudos will be given to all the
small businesses, corporate sponsors, political influencers and the many
non-profits and selfless individuals who participated.
One of the main
factors in Autism non-profit work is to bring awareness; the other of course, is
to raise money, because without it things will not get done. A city or town
uniting in such a common cause alerts the 'powers that be' to the reality that
this is one issue, that needs support. And to that point, it is just amazing how
much support comes when the local Autism non-profits are leading by example and
giving their 110%.
Long Distance Bicycle Fundraisers
Long Distance Endurance
Cycling is not for the week of heart and it takes a special mindset to ride for
days on end at 150-miles or more. But it for this very reason that it also makes
a great fundraiser, as the endurance rider(s) have ample opportunity to use
their "test of will" for fundraising.
I cannot think of a better cause than Autism.
Long distance bicycle treks for a
cause are able to harness the power of publicity and thus, it makes pledge
drives just that much easier. Of course, we all know that nothing good in life
is easy, so with that said maybe we might discuss the philosophy, theory and
some strategies for a long-distance endurance cycling fundraiser.
There are several
types of endurance cyclists and each has a slightly different mindset. Let's
take the solo-endurance rider for instance; they like to go it alone, call their
own shots, ride on their own schedule, rest when they feel like it and modify
their routes as they go based on how they feel that day or what they wish to
see, as far as terrain. They have themselves, their own minds and do not long
for a companion rider to share it with, for them it is a "test of will" or a
badge of honor and it really does not matter what anyone else thinks of what
they are doing. If your Autism Group is looking for a solo-endurance rider
(roadie – bicycling on roads), then they are not difficult to find, ask any
bicycle shop who the solo-endurance riders are, they know them by name.
Indeed, this is only
one type of cyclist, others are tourism cyclists, and they like to go in small
groups or pairs and stop and smell the roses along the way. Some are very
athletic, although most take it easy and really just enjoy the freedom and the
fresh air; these types of riders can also make wonderful fundraiser participants
for a long-distance money raising endeavor.
Then there are the
team riders, who like to really crank and enjoy going with a chase team or
"sag wagon" (cyclist slang for the chase car). Riders like this, just
ride, hard and fast and allow the team wagon to give them food and drinks as
they ride or change out flats or do repairs. The sag-wagon, would pick them up
at the day's final check point and take them to a local hotel and bring them
back to that point for the next day to start again.
Back in the early 90's
I made a ride from Oregon to Mexico to raise money for Special Olympics and
although I was a long-distance runner and not a cyclist, I was able to put in
several 200-mile plus days. On one ride, I remember that I rode for 21-hours
straight and you might have guess, I nearly died, as I hit the wall (a term
marathoners use) or bonk'ed (cyclist terminology). I was literally a pedaling
zombie. So, tired I could not dismount the bike without laying it down, then so
tired and wobbly, I could not get back on to ride. A victim of my own ego and
will or optimism and perseverance, nevertheless, it was that adversity, which
summoned a deep commitment to never give up and continue on the next day for
another 17-hours ride down the California coast.
The reality is that no
matter how tough, strong or in shape you are, there are limits,
Mother Nature and the need to eat and
sleep, those needs are real. So, my advice to anyone attempting an
ultra-long-distance endurance event like this; be prepared. Having a chase team
or sag wagon is a wise idea, but let's not forget we are riding to raise money
for Autism, not spend it on a cross country bike riding vacation!
Yes, I did finish my
ride for charity that year, 6 and half days, and almost 1300 miles. For a
seasoned long-distance runner at age 25 that was not too spectacular, and with
that said, remember if you are in your 40s, 50s or 60s, well let's just say, you
are older and wiser, so use it to your advantage.
Now then, considering
these concepts and knowing that the fundraiser you are planning cannot fail, it
might make sense to look into some other options, such as a sponsored tour, such
as the Ride Across America or a few
top notched local riders with a small chase team.
Don't get me wrong, a
solo-rider can get it done and for a lot less, and if he or she plans the trip
well and uses an ATM or Credit Card, chances are they can stay relatively
light-weight and click off a good chunk of mileage each day. There are hundreds
of people who have ridden all the way across America, from coast-to-coast this
way, thanks to convenient stops along the way and the new high-tech bicycles
that were not available just a couple of decades ago.
Choosing Routes
Perhaps the most important aspect of a long-distance
bike riding fundraiser is to choose a safe route, minimize the hill climbs and
try to use the prevailing seasonal weather to your advantage. I.e. try to ride
with the wind, not against it. It also makes sense to use routes that are
bicycle friendly and have bike
lanes and/or shoulders for safety. Of course, this is not always possible, but
it makes sense to try to minimize the risk, as much as possible, by stacking the
deck in your favor.
It should also be
noted that each state has its rules about riding on freeways and you must obey
these laws, or a State Trooper will pull you over and have you ride potentially
hundreds of miles out of your way, easily costing you a day or more out of your
schedule.
When choosing routes
you must be cognizant of human automobile behavior, and if you are planning on
riding through the night to get away from the heat of the day then Friday or
Saturday Nights, are out of the question and three-day weekends are not a safe
bet either due to increased traffic and drunk drivers. Believe it or not there
are often bicycle touring maps available for such long distance rides and most
bike shops can be a wealth of information in explaining the safest routes
through the state. One set of maps that I highly recommend are the
"BikeCentennial Routes" as they have
all sorts of information on them and they will keep you off the most dangerous
roads in favor of roads that offer buffers of forgiveness (big shoulders or bike
lanes).
Also available now are
Cyclist GPS gadgets that attach to the handle bars, these come in handy when you
need to change your route, it happens. On my long-distance bike ride down the
California Coast, I was able to locate a couple of very tiny side roads to get
me around the washed out PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) when the detour showed
about a 30-mile detour, that would have taken me up about 1600 feet in
elevation, pretty much ruining that days mileage. Luckily, locals helped me out
on that one.
Today, a GPS device
would have shown the alternate route, without even breaking my stride.
Garmin makes several very lightweight and
durable GPS handlebar-mount devices, with backlights for night, which come with
an array of options depending on your needs. For around $300-400 you can buy a
Garmin GPS 605 and for $100 more order
a chip from their website with all streets in North America. The
Garmin 705 Bundle Model, which runs
between $600-700 comes with cadence and heart monitor for optimum efficiency and
performance, and comes with all the North American roads, plus the basics that
measure distance, speed, time, etc.
Another very serious
issue is crossing large expansive cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston,
Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, New York, Boston, Phoenix, Orlando, Miami, Seattle or
Kansas City during the middle of rush hour, just forget it, it's not worth dying
for, wait out the traffic or consider a bypass route that will take you around
the city, before you even get within 100-miles. Local bicycle commuters know the
danger points, you don't. Additionally, you will avoid road debris that could
flatten your tires. I can tell you this, I rode for over 1000-miles without a
flat tire down the Oregon and California coast, but as soon as I hit Santa
Monica, Los Angeles, and Orange County, I had three flats in less than 120
miles, not funny.
Watching the Weather
Optimism is important, but
"will" is omnipotent. And the weather is completely without emotion,
it does not care who you are or where you are from. You will most likely
experience heavy winds, supreme heat and near freezing nights.
Depending on the region you travel and the time of year
you might encounter rain, hail, sleet, black ice. You are at risk of heat
exhaustion and heat stroke and at other times hypothermia and it's all real.
Therefore you must plan your journey carefully and understand prevailing
seasonal weather, and still you can never be sure. Thus, you must be prepared
for anything, and even expect it. Remember the weather is not at your mercy,
rather you are at its mercy, so you must have the will to overcome, to press on
and commit to never giving up!
A ten mile per hour headwind can cost you an hour or more at the end of the day and add 20% to your fatigue factor, meaning you will have exerted more energy, spent more time and will pay in sore muscles. Now consider a 20 to 30 mile per hour headwind or severe cross-wind and you can understand the seriousness, add in some rain, sleet, icy conditions, long uphill climbs and/or extreme cold and it will test your soul. Luckily, you are riding for a good cause, something bigger than yourself, and perhaps that along with some help from your inner will can get you through. Still, it makes sense to be prepared for anything within reason. Yes, you must go light, but when you are in the middle of nowhere, there are things you will need and would give just about anything for.
Conserving Your Cash
So, here is the deal, we are raising money for Autism
and creating awareness right? Well then, let's concentrate on making money, not
spending it on logistics. In other words, find a rider that already has a
bicycle, and pay for the tune up at the end of his ride. Do not go out and buy a
brand new bike.
On my ride from Oregon to Mexico, I started on a brand
new SR Pro-Touring 15-speed. At that time it was the latest in touring bike
technology, when I was done it was junk, literally ready for the bone yard. In
fact, the bicycle company that donated for the ride did not even want it back,
instead they made me a super deal to buy it cheap after the tune-up. The funny
thing is; I never wanted to see that bike again, as long as I lived after that
ride.
Not that is was a bad bicycle, indeed, at the time it
was state-of-the-art, it's just my rear end was so soar, by back was so tweaked
and I had new muscles surrounding my knees that I did not even know existed. I
just wanted a warm bath, massage and a memory erasing machine, seriously. Glad
to have overcome adversity and it is wonderful to have attained that level of
strength of character, but, I had so much character at that point, I should have
bottled it up and sold it.
Here is the thing, if you are setting out to ride let's
say 270 miles in one sitting, you need to break this down into 3-rides of
100-miles, yah, don't worry, I understand the math there, it's just that last
70-miles will feel like 100-miles anyway. Now, you will need to stop and rest
every hundred miles and stretch, walk around, jump up and down, even beat your
head against the pavement, why am I doing this again?
"Oh yes,
Autism, a great cause!"
Then rehydrate and load up on carbs and calories, because you are going to be
burning some 4,000 to 5,500 calories per hundred miles, so just eating enough is
going to be the big challenge. And like I mentioned before, no matter how tough
you think you are, believe me Mother Nature just doesn't care, you'll have to
prove it to yourself. By riding more miles and sleeping less per day, you can
cut your expenses by half.
Another way to cut costs is find like-minded folks
along the way that will put you up for the night along your route. With the rate
of Autism what it is there are bound to be friends of friends that are more than
happy to help out in the cause. A good night's sleep, good meal and a little bit
of encouragement can go a long way in fighting fatigue and maintaining a
positive attitude. Also, I think you will find that most everywhere you go,
restaurants, coffee shops or small business owners will be more than happy to
fill up your water bottles and often kick-in a little snack, take it and say;
"Thanks!" You'll need all the food intake you can get on this journey. One thing
you will learn as you go; conserving energy is conserving money. That old
saying; "Time is Money" is also apropos to long-distance endurance cycling.
Choosing Equipment
For local bike-a-thons such as the one we use in our
example or sample plan; Bike-4-A-Cause around Reno,
NV; the route is only 23-miles long (the McCarran Loop), it's basically a
marathon on a bicycle. Just about anyone in reasonable shape with a bicycle can
do it, using just about any type of safe bike. However, for a long-distance bike
ride of 50 miles or more; or an ultra-long distance ride of 100-miles plus, it
will take a cyclist with a quality bicycle and some training. So, let's discuss
the type of bike and the equipment needs that will be required for a successful
long-distance bike-a-thon for your Autism Fundraiser.
First, we must determine how far the ride will be, how many days it could potentially take, if there will be a chase team and the skill level of the cyclist or cyclists. If there is going to be a chase team (a van or RV) with necessary spare parts, water and food, then its best to go as light as possible for maximum speed and efficiency, perhaps an all-carbon bike. However, if the ride is a solo ride it may require a different strategy, such as a much stronger bike, one which can handle luggage racks and extra-weight. One with puncture resistant inserts in the tubes, more rigid construction and ultra-strong components. Also one with comfort in mind, because out in the middle of nowhere, there is no turning back if your rear end, back or body just can't take it anymore.
Considering Comfort
When Lance Armstrong was asked for advice, he said;
"Get a comfortable seat!" Yes, there
is a lot of wisdom there and so we do recommend a "Gel
Seat" and if you are thinking that they weigh a lot, you are correct, but
after two days riding, you won't care. In fact, it is probably better to skimp
on the bike than the seat. In my opinion, I believe it is best to go as light as
possible within reason, so a full-carbon or partial carbon composite and alloy
bike might be the best bet.
The shifting components are important and it is a dream
to have everything working perfect, however on a 1,000 mile or more journey, you
will find things become mal-aligned and miss-adjusted and thus, it might be wise
to seek a local bike shop out about every 500-miles or better yet learn how to
true your wheels and tune up the derailer and shifting components yourself and
always make sure your tire pressure is at optimum.
Life Requires Water
It is recommended for this type of riding that you have
a minimum of 2 water bottles (quart size) if your leg is less than 60-miles and
that is pushing it. If you have legs longer than that you need a third water
bottle or a back pack water system. Some long-distance solo-endurance riders
have three-water bottles mounted to the frame and also carry a back-pack water
system. The back-pack water systems come in such sizes as 60, 72 and 100 liters.
If you get a 100-liter unit, make sure it comes with an extra-strap for your
waist (most do), you'll need the extra support to keep it in place while you
ride. These pieces of equipment are a must and although toting around adds a
significant amount of weight, you cannot ride without it. Thus, it makes sense
to have extra water bottle capacity, even if you will not need it between
certain check points along the way.
Spare Part for Long-Distance Endurance Rides
Spare parts make sense, for instance an extra tube,
tool kit and tube patch kit. Depending on the distance, perhaps 2-tubes and an
extra tire too, there are times and I've heard stories, you just never know
where Murphy Lurks (a reference to Murphy's Law), some cyclists refer to these
purveyors of bad luck as little Gremlins, suffice it to say; "It Happens." Be
sure to also take chain lubricant and a little grease, especially if you are
riding in rain, sleet or a salt air environment. Treat your components as if
your life depends on them, because actually it does.
Cargo System - Essential Equipment Component
What about bicycle cargo gear? Yes, there are many different types, but
you should be careful which set-up you choose. Loading too much on the
front wheels can cause problems in steering at slow speeds and even high-speed
wobbles going downhill on a bumpy surface, which you will encounter along the
way somewhere if there are any hills at all. Some touring riders have complained
that they catch the cross wind and make things quite difficult if not dangerous.
Handlebar cargo systems are nice, as they can be used
to hold maps, instructions and easy to get to food supplies like bananas, fig
bars, power bars and other high-calorie, high-carb nutritional foods, but a word
to the wise, don't overload these cargo bags, it can make steering tough and
cause you to take a spill. How do you suppose I know that? Ouch. Most of the
handlebar cargo packs are now much smaller, probably for safety and they are
fine if you do not overload them. Try to find the most aerodynamic design to cut
down on your relative wind footprint to reduce drag.
Rear mounted bags are not a bad option, but keep the
load low using panniers. You see, if your gear gets too high, then your load can
shift and drag against the bike or worse make you top heavy and threaten to
topple you and ruin your whole day. You can put a small bag on top of your
pannier platform, which will also prevent water from
"rooster tailing" behind you as you drive thru puddles or in the
rain. At high speeds the dirty road water will shoot right onto your back,
making for quite an irritating ride, but with a small pack on top of the pannier
platform this problem is solved. Still be aware that you need water proof cargo
units, otherwise everything you take with you will be soggy, moldy and wet.
It is difficult to keep any load in place on a bumpy
road, in high-winds or on high-speed down-hills. It's better to over secure your
load, than risk cargo failure. Before you start and at any breaking point,
double check your load. If you are going to camp out in the open then take the
lightest possible sleeping bag and have it ride directly behind you so that you
can block the wind otherwise there is virtually no chance of it staying where
you want it to be during a 100 plus mile leg. One bit of advice for those who
choose the pannier systems, make sure your system secures both to the seat post
or frame on the top and the rear axle frame assembly on the bottom. Why?
Well, because most of the pannier units can hold a lot
of weight, 25-35 lbs, but if your system only connects to your seat post and it
is made of carbon composite, it may break, it's happened to me before, so head
that warning. Additionally, if you have a carbon composite seat post and wish to
run with a pannier cargo system, then change out that seat post for an alloy
post, for about $100 you can get a stronger alloy seat post which weighs about
the same amount anyway.
Lighting and Luminescence
If you are going to ride at night you need to have good
lighting, both rear to warn motorists and front lighting (headlights) to see the
debris, potholes and road hazards ahead of you. There are several options and
most of the bicycling lights now use LED lights, due to their low wattage
requirements. There is a big difference between the functionality of these
lights and things you need to consider.
Many of the smaller lights use AA Batteries and they
only last about 24-hours of run time. Some manufacturers advertise more, but
generally they base this on a flashing white strobe for the run-time, which you
cannot use while riding long distances. You need a steady light. Now realize
that as the batteries die, you have to dispose of them and buy new ones, this
can get costly and you have to stop and go shopping and that takes time or carry
spare batteries which costs you weight, remember you need to stay as light as
possible.
Some riders like the high-tech friction lights that
work off the tires, but putting a drag on your tires slows you down. These
lights are much more powerful and luminescent, but certainly not my first
choice. The AA battery lights are decent and there are several brands, Trek
makes one which has five LED lights and has a luminescent rating of 60, most of
the 3-LED light units are 40 or less on the luminescent scale, neither of these
works at speeds of 20-miles-per-hour or more on a moonless night. Now for riding
in central twilight or as the sun is going down, they work wonderful and are
legal in states that require bicycles to have lights if they ride at night.
Helmet and Eye Protection
It goes without saying that you'll need a helmet for
such a journey, and there are many riders who decry this. In many states it is
now a law, personally, I do not need a law to make me wear a helmet. Helmets are
a must and as one Motorcycle Racing Gear company advertises;
"How much is your head worth?"
Precisely, and so, do not skimp on quality head gear. There is something else
you should know, once you crash your helmet is pretty much toast, so do not
believe that you can go pick up a bicycle helmet at a thrift store or garage
sale, if it's got scratch marks on it, it may no longer have structural
integrity. Your helmet must fit properly or you will have problems with it, as
it pulls down or back when going down hills at high speed or gives your head
aches along your entire route. Do not be surprised to find a good helmet running
you up over $100.
Likewise, do not be surprised to find good sunglasses,
or protective eyewear costing in excess of $100 either, and believe me the first
sunny day you are without them, you'll become a true believer in their value.
One dust storm can cost you a lost day and three bottles of eye drops for the
next week. If at all possible buy the helmet first then eye glasses that work
with it and fit as one. The straps of your helmet will hold your sunglasses or
protective eyewear in place, but an improper fit can cause your glasses to push
into your head and cause migraines or move around as you ride, causing an unsafe
condition.
The Critical Nutrition Component
You will generally use at least two water bottles per
50-miles minimum and on a hot day you will most likely need more, if you notice
you are no longer sweating on a hot-day, it's too late you are rapidly approach
a dangerous dehydration point. If you have longer than 50-miles between stops,
then you will need an extra water bottle (3-total) or a back-pack water system,
which are really great for 100-mile stretches with nowhere to stop to refill.
If you find yourself hallucinating or your mind drifts
into trying to calculate the distance to Alaska and considering which route to
take to get there, you are most likely suffering from heat exhaustion and you
need to power back up, it's time to stop and re-hydrate your body.
Even if you start out with a hearty meal prior to your
ride, you must start eating something at least by mile 30 or 40, even if you are
not hungry, sure you might be able to go for 55-65-miles, but by then it's too
late and your body cannot catch back up even if you stop to eat and pack in the
food like a gorilla. It is important that you do not let yourself get behind the
nutrition curve, it's a living hell trying to get back and still maintain your
daily pace and mileage goals.
What should you eat while you ride? Anything you can
find, everything if it is available, the problem is that you cannot possibly eat
enough to catch back up and set yourself up for tomorrows ride, whatever you put
in, your body will use and thank you for later.
Chapter IV
Planning the Fundraiser
As
with almost anything, the amount of preparation you do will be in direct
proportion to the success of your Bike-a-Thon fundraiser. Pre-planning
preparation is the key difference between just another fundraiser bike event and
an unforgettable experience, which will be remembered all year until next year's
annual Bike-a-Thon Fundraiser. Be sure to browse through all the forms in
Appendix I, which Lori Kuhre
has carefully prepared so you can get an idea of how things work and how to set
up you fundraiser planning and committee team.
Perhaps the single greatest reason for putting this
book together is the fact that raising money for Autism is not easy and planning
a successful fundraiser is a lot of work with no guarantees. Our mission of
course, is to take as much of the guessing out of the equation as possible,
giving you useful information, tips and experience learned from actual trial and
error. If we can save you from the mistakes we made along the way, then you are
that much further ahead. Although a Bike-a-Thon is one of the easiest
fundraisers, probably about as much work as putting together a car wash
fundraiser or silent auction, it still has its idiosyncrasies and important
details to consider.
One issue you will most likely have to deal with is
getting a city permit to host your fundraiser event. Generally, these permits
are not that difficult to get, but do not be surprised to find yourself battling
a little bureaucracy along the way. You may be required to have "event
insurance" which you can obtain from a local insurance broker or if you are part
of a large Autism Group, that might be a place to start looking for insurance
resources. How much are event permits at the municipal level? Well, your city
may have waivers for non-profit groups, so be sure to ask, some cities do. Most
do not, so you can expect your permit to be anywhere from a nominal filing fee
of $30-60 or somewhere between $100 to several hundred dollars depending on
which city departments have to sign off on it.
If your event will have over 100 riders or up into the
thousands of riders, you may be required to close off roads, pay for off-duty
traffic police, a cone-service and all sorts of other anticipated costs, which
may be prohibitive or you may decide it's worth it, but this also adds to the
size and complexity of your fundraiser planning. If things get too out of
control, you may want to put yourself on the City Council Calendar to request a
waiver of fees or funds from the city to pay the fees, after all Autism effects
1 in 3 people in some way and who lives in cities? People!
This is one reason you need to schedule your
Bike-a-Thon fundraiser a couple of months ahead of time from your actual first
meeting planning date; rushing your fundraiser together can create problems down
the road for your participants or riders. For instance, what if your route
crosses state owned highways or uses a portion of them, well, then you may be
required to get a state Department of Transportation permit too. Also realize
that some roads are county maintained and you know how the government works, one
more level of paperwork to forge through for you.
Next, you will need permission from the property owner
or major tenant to meet in their shopping center or industrial area that is
along your route for the starting point. They may require certificates of
insurance or additional insured certificates to protect themselves from injury
lawsuits if someone falls off their bike or gets run over in the parking lot.
Getting such permission might be easy, but could also take a week or two,
depending on holidays and weekends.
Calendar Considerations
When planning your Autism Bike-a-Thon Fundraiser, you must understand that in a way you are competing with other non-profits for donations. Likewise whether you choose to address it or not, you are also competing for people's time, so you need to know what's going on in your city as well. If there is a Big Rodeo, County Fair, NASCAR Race, or an Air Show featuring the Blue Angles, then it could cut your participation and income from the fundraiser in half.
Rather than compete with other high-profile events or
fundraisers, you need to work with the community and pick a weekend that does
not conflict in any way or a weekend which is not a major holiday, where folks
already have plans for their 3-day weekend. The best way to insure that you are
not competing indirectly with other big local events is to check
the Calendar Section of your local newspaper. Are there any major community
events occurring on the same day as your planned Bike-a-Thon fundraiser? A
conflict may cause a decrease in the same day attendance and such a decrease
could cause as much as twenty to thirty percent drop in your potential revenue.
If,
on the other hand, you coordinate a time, date and location that Corresponds to
the other event, let’s say down the street a half a mile or less, you could add
fifty percent more on-site same day donations and hand out Autism Awareness
brochures to 1000s of more folks. So, don't
compete with big events in town, work with the community not against it.
Consider a Rain Date
What
about rain or severe inclement weather? Perhaps you should have a rain date,
make it for the following week or two to three weeks later, if that rain date
conflicts with other big event dates. If you choose to have a long distance
rider for advanced publicity, you can make a big deal about the rider reaching
your city or half-way point and how unfortunate to postpone the event, thus,
giving you even more advanced publicity for the new rain-date event. Now, you
may also choose to accept the potential eventuality of a severe weather day and
do it anyway, giving even more PR to the die-hard participants who battled the
weather for Autism (rain or shine), so you can determine how you want to play it
and what do about weather scheduling issues.
Coalescing the Committee
A large scale Autism Bike-a-Thon is a huge undertaking,
and you will need some help. You will need to delegate much of the workload, and
you must follow up and make sure no one drops the ball, this means constant
feedback and monitoring is necessary. Weekly meetings of the core committee team
are necessary. You must make sure the members on the committee are go-getters, and
indeed, you must know your limits and those of your fellow team members. You
need to understand their family time commitments and issues. Most likely the
most motivated Autism Committee members will have family members with Autism
that come first in their lives and you need to consider this.
Who should be on your
committee and what tasks will they be assigned? Well, you need permits for the
event, permission to use various pieces of property, business owner support,
bike shop sponsors and corporate donors, as well as a printer and publicity
people. These jobs require someone who is use to working with teams, doing
Public Relations and has run large events before. You will also need two people
to meet with other local non-profit groups and set up the pledge drive teams.
Then these teams must be monitored, have the needed forms and have some training
on how to organize their own group members to canvass and hit the streets. On
your committee should also be some bicycle people perhaps an owner of a bike
shop and one of the riders in the long-distance phase of the Bike-a-Thon.
Generally, these types
of personalities all work well together and that is a wonderful thing, which
will make your job very easy. It's important that you set some ground rules that
everyone can agree too, namely; no "blame
games" and if someone is getting behind in their work load, they all agree
in advance to come forward and ask for help, without fear. All members of the
committee must realize that this event requires a 100% effort and failure is not
an option With that attitude there will be a little stress, everyone must know
that upfront.
Safety for Participants
Riders and participants must have a helmet and a
bicycle in working order, and you may wish to
have a bicycle pump handy to assist folks to make sure they have
proper pressure in their tires, as that is one of the most important key aspects
to bicycle safety. Remember no matter how much money your group raises, the
event will be considered a failure if someone gets seriously injured. Do not
risk safety.
You may wish to check with your local police
department, as it may be possible to have a local
community police advisor out for the event to
inspect the participant's bicycles and safety requirements. This
would be on a volunteer basis and participants could opt for the free inspection
or choose not to. This will add credibility to your ride, and it is a fringe
benefit to get more folks out to participate in your bike-a-thon. Folks that are
there for moral support of a participant could bring their bikes for a free
safety inspection, making it a family event.
If your event is going to have more than 50 riders then
you may wish to stagger the start times in order to handle the traffic. After
all, bike lanes are not wide like car lanes and many bikes abreast could take up
several car lanes, as well as the bike lane. By starting the more advanced
riders or avid cyclists first, you can prevent the slower "fun run type" riders
from getting in the way or losing their self-esteem due to being passed over and
over again by the well-seasoned riders. Staggering the start also prevents
bicycle pile-ups at the start or excessive passing, as faster riders ride into
the automobile traffic lanes to get around the slower riders.
Locating Pledge Drive Teams
When selling pledges to either a long-distance
endurance Bike-a-Thon or a short Bike-a-Thon around the city, you will find that
kids, teens and young adults can outsell adults by a three-to-one margin.
However, an employee or executive from a corporation who takes a pledge sheet to
work and signs the first line and tapes it to the counter may find that hundreds
more will follow, therefore they can outsell anyone.
So, we need to get these pledge sheets
into the companies, doctor's offices, government agencies ASAP and we need to
find kid's groups, such as:
·
Youth Sports Teams
·
Church Youth Groups
·
Boy Scouts
·
DARE Program
·
Boys and Girls Club
·
High School Bands
·
Cheerleaders
What can help sell the pledges and need the funds for
their own groups, 50% of which they can have and the other half will go to
Autism. Additionally we should look towards other local non-profits such as
local service clubs. So think about all the groups in your city and consider
contacting at minimum the;
·
Rotary Club
·
Kiwanis Club
·
Optimist Club
·
Lions Club
·
Knights of Columbus
These groups specialize in helping the community and
they know the town and have contacts that go back for decades. Remember Autism
is a serious issue and it affects us all.
Pledge Donation Strategies
Often folks who feel put on the spot when asked to
pledge will feel a little uneasy and they may not wish to figure out the math of
what they will owe when the bike ride is completed and it is for this reason
that the bike ride should be a an even number of miles. In our sample/example case the
long-distance endurance ride was 1500 miles so if someone donated $ .01 per mile
that would be simple right; $15.
This is a nice even amount and if the pledge seller is in let's say the Boys and
Girls Club, then the Boys and Girls Club would get $7.50 and the Autism
Fundraiser gets $7.50 too. But what if the ride is 1347 miles, then you see the
dilemma for some people? One strategy to overcome this is to have a small cheat
sheet on the back of the pledge sheets or on a 3 X 5 index card that the pledge
seller has, which shows how much will be owed, if in fact, the rider completes
the full journey.
Sometimes pledge sellers will hit their best prospects
first, but will be shot down because they do not present the case for Autism
correctly or they are too nervous, and since this problem is so common it makes
sense to do a little role playing, perhaps make a short "elevator pitch" or
written script to practice, something they can use until they get the hang of
it.
If a potential donor asks;
"How much should I pledge?" then the pledge seller should have a
brief statement of how much and why that is a fair amount, and what the money
will go for, that is "IF" the rider completes the route or course.
Start and Finish Point
Set-up
& Break-down
Once you have a good location and permission to use it
for your event, next you need to put a person in charge of setting it up. Look,
you must remember that the businesses that allowed you to utilize their
property, assume it will help their business and bring them customers in trade
for helping the community. But if you block traffic, cause people to leave the
parking lot and cost the store owners sales, then you are biting off the hand
that is feeding you. So, you need a person in charge of the event location, who
can take charge and set things up as to not allow cars where the bikes are, and
accomplish this without destroying the parking lot traffic flows.
Parents will be dropping their kids off and their
bikes, others will bring their bike and park their SUV, mini-van, sedan or
pick-up and get on their bike to go to the sign in, and go to the starting
point. You will need adequate over flow parking area and see that people indeed,
do use it, rather than taking up spaces you need for pick-up and drop off or
that customers need who intend to patronize the businesses in the center. It
best to have a layout plan prior to starting and if you plan on having a police
community service bike safety officer there, they too need room and they have
their own way of doing things, understand this in advance.
Lastly, and I cannot stress this enough, you need a
dedicated cleanup crew, one which will not leave until every single piece of
trash from the event is picked up. Every single piece without exception, no one
should be able to tell that you were even there.
"DO
YOU UNDERSTAND
- Swear to it, swear to it right now!"
We did not write this eBook for folks to take advantage of the local business community or make a mess, respect this gift and the gifts of all who helped you along the way. By cleaning up your act, you insure that every business, which assisted will be there next year for you and for other non-profit groups who need a little help throughout the year. Think Community!
Chapter V
Publicity for Awareness
One of our jobs when representing the important
challenge of Autism is to send a message to the public, one which is easy to
understand and gets the point across. Whether we are primarily focused on
fundraising or launching a full-on publicity campaign to help move legislation,
everything we do is being judged by society. In a perfect world our fundraising
events would clear a million dollars, recruit 10,000 new volunteers and
enlighten a 100,000 more people as to the serious nature of Autism. Yes, that
would be our goal, and it should be our goal, yet at the same time we must
realize we do not live in a perfect world, for if we did Autism, most likely
would not exist. So, let's shoot for the stars and attempt to seize the moon.
It is for this reason that we must consider that
although this eBook concentrates on how to run a successful Bike-a-Thon
Fundraiser and accrue the money we need to continue, we also have a
responsibility to simultaneously raise awareness. So, you need to be thinking
how we can merge these needs into a strategic plan that works.
Now, despite what you might think, the media is run by
people, folks who do have a bit of empathy underneath the façade of dirty
laundry, controversy and mass media hysteria. They are real people, like you and
you need to be thinking here. Treat them accordingly, as they can help make your
fundraiser a smashing success or leave you hanging with lots of costs and very
little revenue, without proper support.
Radio
Did you know that Radio Stations are required to play
PSAs out onto the airwaves? It's true, what is a PSA?
PSA stands for
‘Public Service Announcements’ and radio stations have to do a
certain amount of public broadcasting in order to satisfy their Federal
Communication Commission (FCC) requirements. This is good for you because that
means that they can announce your bike-a-thon fundraiser event on their radio
station for all to hear. It’s basically free advertising for you; that is as
long as it is for a non-profit group. To get this free advertising, call the
radio station and ask for the community service desk or the public relations
person. Make sure to list all pertinent information such as:
who, what, when, where and how.
You
should be extremely nice to radio people because radio time is valuable and
others groups also have requests for their events. Sometimes there are many more
requests than available time. If a radio station has 26-non-profit PSAs in
rotation, they may play yours a 3 AM twice a week in order to satisfy their
requirement, meaning very few folks will actually here it. One thing you can do
is to partner up with your favorite radio station and have them come to event
with a live radio-caste on-site during the event.
“Hi everyone, I’m down here at Gladiator High School supporting
the Autism Bike-a-Thon and we have
100s of riders raising money for Autism Awareness, so come on down and join us,
and bring your bike for a free safety
check!"
This
will add additional folks who come out to see what's going on, may donate or
even volunteer for a future up and coming Autism fundraiser event. I cannot
stress enough that it is necessary to be very nice to radio station personnel.
You will be glad you did. Usually they are personable, have high energy and
generally very easy to get along with so this should not be a problem.
Cable Television
Local cable television stations have local news. Your Autism fundraiser events
make for some public interest, upbeat and positive news, especially the day of
your bike-a-thon, when 100s of people show up. Better yet pre-event stories can
lead to 100s of additional riders to come out and join in the festivities, and
that means more word-of-mouth awareness for Autism and more donations too.
It
is important to have a newsworthy hook for a pre-event story, and Autism is full
of stories of overcoming adversity and cherished moments that make you cry.
Whereas you may feel reluctant to exploit such things, it is for a good cause
and nothing develops more awareness than a personal story. Pre-bike-a-thon
stories work if the reason for raising the money is newsworthy, Autism, which
affects nearly 1 in 3 people in some way or another, is definitely newsworthy.
This
does not mean that all cable TV stations will be beating down your door to get
the scoop, as it varies from station to station, region to region and story to
story, what types of news they are interested in carrying during prime time. I
can’t tell you what stories are newsworthy and which ones are not. You see, I
have been involved in community endeavors all my life and I have had lousy
stories on T.V. and great stories with no call back. You just never know.
You
might tell the cable station that both newspapers are coming out on Saturday to
take pictures of your event. This will make them want to swoop the scoop and do
a story before the event. This could also back fire if not done tactfully. Be
careful. I can tell you one thing. If you have a three minute to seven minute
segment on the 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm local cable TV news, lots of people will see
it and it will help your bike-a-thon event's success.
Newspaper
When
you call your local newspaper/papers, ask if they offer free classified ads for
non-profit groups. If they do, place a classified advertisement. If they don’t
have free classified ads for non-profits ask the operator for the calendar
section to list your event. If you did place a free-classified ad, then call
back fifteen minutes later and ask for the community calendar section to get
your event listed, but first read some of the other events so you can make it
short and sweet and keep with their desired calendar of events format. Sometimes
they will have a form to fill out. Have it faxed to you and fax it back. Be sure
to check one week before your event to see if it’s going to be listed if you
don’t see it listed to date. If they have a community calendar section and you
will be listed, then call back the next day and ask for the newsroom.
You
should wait until the next day after faxing the calendar section request to call
the newsroom about your story. Perhaps your group is raising money for a special
trip for Autistic kids, a high-tech piece of educational equipment or an
important event. These stories might be newsworthy. What are you earning money
for and how much do you need? Maybe you can hit the front page. Wow! This will
give you a big boost in volunteers and bike-a-thon participants, but if they
refuse to do a pre-bike-a-thon story, be gracious. They may have too many other
events to cover.
If
they have space for filler, you may be in luck even if you don’t hit page A-1.
Lots of last minute events happen in the news industry, you never know. Maybe
you don’t get a pre-event story, but they show up the day of the event for a
story, this could really boost moral for all participants, plus raise awareness
too. It also will help effortless pledge donation collections and it will make
it much easier to get volunteers for other fundraising events later in the year
or at next year’s annual bike-a-thon, so always be thinking ahead and work
towards long-standing media relation with all local and regional media outlets.
Newsletters
Word
of mouth is still the best advertising. Your Autism Group’s members talk to lots
of people each week. So keep this event in front of them, you'd be foolish not
to, but remember you don’t have the only newsletter in town. All the service
clubs in town, corporations, colleges, hospitals, government agencies, PTAs, and
organizations all have newsletters. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to ask to have an
article or a mention of your bike-a-thon event included in their newsletters, as
well, even a one-paragraph mention of your event will help you. If every entry
in every newsletter nets you five more participants or 10-more folks who pledge,
this adds money to your fundraiser and increased awareness and future
volunteers, because people are either voting with their time, or money.
Indeed, the contacts you make and the goodwill you receive for your Autism
organization is worth the effort ten-fold for later community projects and
events. By networking with other people who care, you will better your chance of
participating in joint projects, thereby elevating both groups. If a local
corporation likes the PR value that you generate for them, in return you may
find yourself being adopted by them as their favorite charity. Always and I
can’t say this enough, look for the win-win in every phone call, meeting or
discussion.
Online Social Networks
Just as important as local club newsletters, the new
wave of Online Social Networks can generate buzz, so fast your head will spin.
They are truly a connected group and viral Internet marketing campaigns generate
a life of their own. For bicycle fundraisers, groups interested in that subject,
will instantly notify all their biking friends and those friends will tell
others, and once it gets going there will be hundreds of potential new
volunteers, participants and word-of-mouth salespeople. Even if you do not
understand how this works, having a few young people on your bike-a-thon event
planning committee can really be of value.
Email Campaigns
Many folks loathe SPAM, I know I am one of them, but
sending out an invitation to participate in a bike-a-thon for Autism to all your
friends and then asking them to do the same is not SPAM, it's alerting folks to
important information that can create awareness and generate money for a very
worthy cause. If your core group and committee is made up of 5-people and your
over all group has another 20, then you have twenty-five folks and all their
contacts, friends and associates email lists. If each person sends out a mass
email to 100 people asking them to do the same, that is 2500 emails on the first
phase and it just grows from there.
Also realize that some companies may be willing to put
a message in the inbox of all their employees. This adds participants and
donors, which have a steady job and can therefore afford to support your
bike-a-thon for a cause.
Syndicated Internet Articles
Not a lot of people know this, but there are online
article submission websites that carry no fees and press-release websites that
do not charge for non-profit groups. Simply write a 250-word article about
Autism and the need for awareness and funding and in the by-line put a hyperlink
to your Autism Fundraising website. Over the last 2-years, I have submitted
thousands of articles to such sites and driven a lot of Internet Traffic to the
various causes that I support using this method. Online article submission sites
and press release websites often receive favorable ranking status with Internet
Search Engines, one article submission website that I use most often is;
www.EzineArticles.com .
I like this site and websites
like it because, Internet Newsletter (eZines) Editors will pick up the articles
and put them into their circulation, and other websites will use the content,
adding more links to your website and more traffic too. Also the articles go out
RSS – Real Simple syndication, meaning that once published online, they spread
around the Internet.
Flyer Campaign
Flyers are a great way to advertise inexpensively. For your bike-a-thon we
recommend finding a local print shop that will advertise on the back of your
flyers, with their company's logo on the front as well in trade for the printing
costs or for a minimal charge. Go to soccer fields, softball games, office
complexes, and talk to people and give them a flyer. Post them on bulletin
boards around town, put them in the mail boxes inside real estate offices. If a
bicycle shop is helping you or becomes a sponsor, hand out their flyers too.
Ask
Domino’s Pizza and other delivery companies to attach flyers to their boxes, ask
grocery stores to put them in their bags at the checkout counter, and consider
asking other food outlets and restaurants to stick one in each take out bag. By
asking grocery store managers to have box boys put one flyer in each bag of
groceries, you may reach 100s or even 1000s of people that might not have ever
realized that your event was taking place. Perhaps you might try the local video
store. In fact you should always be on the lookout for good locations to place
flyers. Don’t put them on cars; that's a no-no, but anytime you find a good
distribution point, think on it, if it makes sense without upsetting anyone, go
for it, it never hurts to ask.
Marketing by Fax
Nobody likes junk faxes, but, you would be surprised how much support you can
get from the local business community and large employers by calling them up and
asking if it is okay to send a fax about an up-coming Bike-a-Thon fundraiser for
Autism. Then fax out a cover letter with a pledge sign-up sheet and ask them to
put it on the counter, believe it or not folks will sign up about 20% of the
time. We always send out a thank you letter in advance for filling out the form
and told them that if they filled out all fifteen lines with sponsors that their
company would receive special recognition. Then when the fundraiser is
completed, we will send a letter to the editor thanking each company by name and
drop off a certificate too.
It
was quite exhilarating to find out that many companies not only filled out the
form, but also called and asked for more forms to fill out. Some companies just
added additional pages themselves and one person re-created our form using an
Excel or Lotus spreadsheet and filled that out too. A few companies reminded us
after the event that they had completed pledge sheets and to please come pick
them up. We didn’t even know we had these sponsors. Crazy isn’t it.
Chapter VI
Business Community and Politics
Small Business Owners are Gold
Often when non-profit groups set up committees for
fundraisers, they assign someone the task of going out to get donations,
sponsors or assistance from businesses. Immediately, that individual will make a
list of all the biggest companies in the region and the major employers and
corporations. Next, they visit a few or attempt to contact them to get the much
needed help or money, and they are rejected or run into red tape and
bureaucracy, unable to even get in contact with the right people at the company
who might be able to authorize such assistance.
Believe it or not small businesses proportionally give
more to the local communities than any other group, including the churches,
government or the corporations. If you stop and think about who supports all the
youth sports and who is there for you when you really need them? It's often a
small business person who is there to serve.
Small business people are golden treasures of the
community and it is important to assist their businesses when they help your
non-profit group. In fact, you need to find a way to plug their companies, send
business their way and give them special thanks. Many times the small business
owner is struggling cash-flow wise and make great sacrifices in order to help,
it is such selfless acts being paid forward that deserve our attention. Please,
help the small businesses in your town and do not take advantage of them,
because they give proportionally more than their fair share.
Always, always offer to assist those small businesses
that assist your group, offer to put their coupons or flyers into grab bags for
participants, always mention them in the newspaper, be sure to write a letter to
the editor thanking them; their business and the business owner by name.
If you'll do this, their companies will grow and
prosper and they will have more money to give to your group and other non-profit
group who desperately need the funds in the future. Think about how you can help
them. And to borrow a quote from JFK;
"Ask not what your local small businesses can do for your
group; ask what your group can do for your local small businesses"
Approaching Corporations for
Donations
There is a right way and a wrong way to approach
corporations for donations, sponsorship or assistance with your fundraiser.
Often folks get a little frazzled and frustrated when trying to contact the
right person in a company and they feel as if everyone they talk to is passing
the buck, avoiding them or making it nearly impossible to get past the front
office secretary. Believe it when I tell you that most companies field 100s of
requests a day from non-profits for help of some kind, especially in times of
economic hardship. Remember non-profits are amongst the first and hardest hit as
the economy goes south and consumers stop spending and tighten their budgets.
When contacting corporations you must have tenacity,
patience and never take it personally when rejected. Indeed, you must also have
a bit of perseverance and take it on as a challenge. If you meet the right
person and you find they need a professional proposal, you are going to have to
make one. If you use Microsoft Products you might be pleasantly surprised to
find templates already formatted for MS Word that make your proposals look sharp
and professional, best of all they are free:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx
Now realize that sending out un-solicited proposals is
not a wise idea, instead you need to talk to someone on the phone, make sure
that is the right person and then find out what they are looking for in a
proposal and what sorts of things that they are willing to fund. Then you send
your professionally done proposal;
Attention; Mrs. That Person.
Attaining the Blessing of City
Leaders
One excellent opportunity for a local non-profit group
is to be on a first name basis with local and regional political leaders and the
powers that be. Very often, one simple phone call to a politician at the city,
county or state level can help streamline permitting for your event. It thus,
pays to be involved locally in other events, chambers of commerce and perhaps
have various members of your non-profit group sitting on committees that affect
the community.
Now, obviously we are not suggesting that you bribe
anyone, after all how can you, non-profit groups need to raise money, not pay it
out to politicians. However, by helping your local leaders credibility in the
community, mentioning them often when interviewed by the media and thanking them
publically for their support, well, you will find that support continuing for as
long as they are running the show. So, consider how you can develop a win-win
relationship with your local civic leaders and maintain those relationships for
your mutual benefits.
Resources and References
Chapter I –
About Autism
1.) Stride for Autism:
http://www.stride4autism.com/
2.) National Autism Association:
http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/
3.) Autism Society of America:
http://www.autism-society.org/
4.) Autism Speaks:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/
5.)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders on Autism:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
6.)
Autism Collaboration:
http://www.autism.org/
7.)
Autism Research Institute:
http://www.autism.com/autism/
http://www.autism.com/treatable/index.htm#tests
8.)
CDC on Autism:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/
9.)
Autism Inspiration:
http://www.autisminspiration.com/
10.)
Diet Management Program for Autism:
http://www.PecanBread.com/
11.)
Think-to-Learn Education:
http://www.2think2learn.com/
12.)
Teaching Products for Home School:
http://www.babybumblebee.com/
13.)
Ellaine Godtachs Life's Work Video:
http://anon.autismri.com.edgesuite.net/anon.autismri/Boston/Boston2005--Gottschall.mov
Chapter II –
Stride-4-Autism
1.) Stride-4-Autism Foundation
website:
http://www.stride4autism.com/
2.)
Gary Kuhre Documentary Video Trailer:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6528600550020213218
3.)
Tembenis Walk for Autism:
http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/eliaswalk/index.htm
Chapter III –
Bicycling for Autism
1.)
"A Complete Guide to Riding and
Racing Techniques" by Fred Matheny and Bicycle Magazine, Rodale Press, Penn.
1989
2.)
Bikeathon for Autism in Long Island, NY:
http://www.ohelfamily.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=533&Itemid=9
3.)
Endurance Bicycle Training:
http://www.ultracycling.com/training/training.html
4.)
Endurance Cycling Equipment Recommendations:
http://www.ultracycling.com/equipment/equipment.html
5.)
Endurance Riding Nutrition Recommendations:
http://www.ultracycling.com/nutrition/nutrition.html
Chapter IV –
Fundraiser Planning
1.) Bike Fundraiser Planning Ideas:
2.)
Fundraising Tips: http://www.fundraisingtips.com/organizing.htm
3.)
Advice on Setting Up and Planning a Fundraiser:
http://www.testimonytees.com/PDF%20April%20Newsletter.pdf
4.)
How to Run a Successful Car Wash Fundraiser – Organizing it:
http://washguy.com/Chapter1.pdf
5.)
How to Run a Successful Car Wash Fundraiser – Selling it:
http://washguy.com/Chapter3.pdf
Chapter V –
Publicity for Awareness
1.)
Getting Online Publicity for Fundraisers:
http://stepbystepfundraising.com/online-publicity-part1/
2.) How to Run a Successful Car Wash
Fundraiser – Getting Publicity:
http://washguy.com/Chapter4.pdf
3.)
Radio Publicity for Fundraisers: http://stepbystepfundraising.com/radio-publicity-for-your-organization-or-fundraiser/