To Team, or Not to Team, That is the Question

A few members of Chapman University’s first year team, The Argyros Panthers.

There’s no wrong way to support Komen Orange County’s mission to educate and save lives, but there are choices when it comes to participating in the 22nd Annual Susan G. Komen Orange County Race for the Cure. Whether you choose to join a team, race as an individual, or volunteer on race day you will be contributing to saving lives. This year we are excited to have a number of passionate first-year participants, like Chapman University’s Argyros Panthers team spearheaded by their MBA Alumni Association and in honor of two faculty members who have battled breast cancer. For those who don’t already know, we’re happy to shed some light on what is expected of a team, how to start one, and how to meet specific team goals!

1.      Pick a team captain. Your team captain should be someone who is committed to the Komen Orange County mission of increasing education and saving lives, and to making your team a success! They should be organized and able to inspire participation through leading by example, which means having the ability to answer questions and encourage the team to be active in fundraising, leading up to the race, and participating on race day!

2.      Come up with a creative team name and register. Whether you want to be funny, inspiring or representative of your company’s participation during the race make sure you pick a team name that your team members and donors will remember. Chapman University is keeping their school spirit alive by naming their team the Chapman Argyros Panthers and friend and family teams often come up with names to honor the person who inspired their team to Race for the Cure. Or come up with a team name that will inspire a chuckle when others walk by your tent in Teamland. Once your team is named, you can register on the Komen Orange County website.

3.      Fundraise, Fundraise, Fundraise! The Race for a Cure is a moving event that inspires hope and action from a whole community through its participants, but it’s important to keep in mind that the goal of the race is not only to inspire, but also to put that inspiration to work by raising funds for community programs that help women and men and save lives. Komen Orange County offers mammograms, diagnosis and treatment programs to people who would otherwise be ineligible to receive such care. By fundraising with a team, every single team participant is directly affecting the treatment and diagnosis available to members in our community who are fighting breast cancer. Many teams, like Ware Malcomb Warriors host a number of fundraising events leading up to the race, which they promote on their Facebook and Twitter pages. For other fundraising tips and ideas, or to see if your team is a top fundraiser visit the Komen OC Race for the Cure website.

4.      Set Goals. At Komen Orange County we challenge every participant to raise $125, the cost of one mammogram, but every bit of participation helps. Each team should set clear goals, whether they are monetary or participatory, the team participants should know what is expected of them, so create goals that will get participants excited!

5.      Teamland. Teamland is a great place for your team to meet before the race, grab some breakfast and gather support for each other at the start of race day. It’s also a place to celebrate or remember the people that have inspired your team to raise and gain emotional momentum that will last the whole day! Reserve your spot in Teamland by September 6.

6.      Race Day.  Many teams show their spirit by coordinating their gear, having shirts made, or just picking some fun accessories that are sure to stand out. Team watching on race day is part of the fun and a lot of teams flex their creative muscle when coming up with their race day attire! There are three different race times for teams to participate; we encourage everyone to participate in whichever race works best for them. Throughout the day there are a number of other events recognizing survivors, or remembering loved ones no longer with us.

Race Day Participants show their spirit at the 2012 Race

We would love to hear from our established or new teams in the comments section. Share with us what works for you leading up to the race or any information you think 2013 teams should know!

Check our detailed race day schedule for all the events happening on September 22 and we look forward to seeing everyone then!

Upcoming Events:

September 22^nd – The 22nd annual Komen Orange County Race for the Cure will be held at Fashion Island. If you haven’t registered yet, click here to join a team, start your own, or just support the race! We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the starting line!

Team Captain Kickoffs Bring Team Captains, Old and New, Together for Inspiration

On Tuesday, we hosted another Team Captain Kickoff event and the turnout mimicked our community: strong. We were happy to welcome captains from a number of our Race teams to our OC office for a fun, informative planning session that was rife with tips, information on the programs we fund, suggestions for fundraising and race day logistics from successful Komen OC teams from past races.

The information was interesting and abundant, but our team captains and supporters gave our mission heart. In keeping with the theme Inspired, our team captains in attendance shared their own inspirations for participating in the race and how their lives have been affected by breast cancer and touched by Komen Orange County. There were tears, laughter and support for each other — and these team captain kickoffs speak to what amazing participants we have.

The captains were introduced to our T-shirt design for this year’s race, and were provided with a number of pamphlets and materials to distribute to their team members. Our veteran captains were eager to share tips on what has worked for them in the past, and our freshman captains were enthusiastic to take it all in and expressed any concerns or questions they had.

Here are a few great fundraising tips shared by our Race captains:

• Host a community car wash to raise awareness and support for your race team
• Post Komen logos with the name of race participants and hang them throughout your office to let everyone know who is involved with the race
•  Bake Sales can include all ages, can be done at work or socially and serve as a delicious way to increase awareness for your team the race (and gives you another reason to run or walk that 5K on Sept 22!)
• Dress Down for Donation Day at work has worked for corporate teams in the past. They’ve charged $5 for the comfort of a dress down day and donated the money to the team’s funds        
• Reach out to your friends on your favorite social network by posting a link on your wall that will bring friends directly to your personal fundraising page where they can leave an inspiring message and donations

We would love to hear what has worked for you or what you are planning for this year, in the comments section of this post. Together we can make this year’s Race event a huge success to support Komen’s mission to serve people and save lives!

Upcoming Events

August 5^th – The 11^th annual Red White and Greens Charity Golf Classic participants will be held at Aliso Viejo Country Club. Participants will take part in breakfast, a scramble golf tournament, wine and food tastings every 3 holes, auctions that cover a variety of prizes, and a chance to spend the day with the wonderful Komen OC community.

August 6^th – As a continuation of our Breast Health Education Series, there will be a presentation on “Demystifying Breast Cancer” by a dynamic team of cancer experts will discuss known risk factors for breast cancer, and provide screening recommendations and risk reduction strategies at St Judes Centers for Rehabilitation and Wellness in Brea.

Team Captains Ready to Race

On Tuesday, June 19, Susan G. Komen Orange County hosted team captains at the Race for the Cure Team Captain Kickoffs. As teams helped raise about 50 percent of the 2011 Race for the Cure’s revenue, group efforts are key in the organization’s goal of serving women and saving lives.

Two kickoff events, one at noon and one in the evening, allowed captains to not only learn more about the Race for the Cure and understand the impact of donations, but also share ideas to fundraise. From simple conversation to using a jar to collect change, these teams are inspiring one another and others in the community in the fight to end breast cancer forever. Team captains also received brochures and other collateral in order to spread the breast health mission and to create more buzz about their own teams.

It’s never too late to sign up your team for this year’s Race! Early bird registration is still available for a discounted rate of $30 and fees will go up June 30.

The next Team Captain Kickoffs are:

• July 26, 12 p.m. or 6 p.m., at the Komen Orange County Office
• August 25, 10 a.m., at the South Coast Collection Registration Suite

To reserve your spot for one of those dates, email teams@komenoc.org.