Public Awareness

Fundraising Basics

By contributing to the efforts of Extra Hands for ALS you are joining a nationwide team committed to developing tomorrow’s community leaders through the fight against ALS. As you fundraise through the Athletic Challenge, that goal will inspire you and others. ALS devastates thousands of families in our country and you never know who may have a personal connection to ALS. Remember this as you ask others for support; you are offering them an opportunity to make a difference. Extra Hands is here to help you reach your personal athletic and fundraising goals. Below you will find a few tips and tricks to keep you motivated along your way.

Ideas for Public Awareness Initiatives

Organizing a fundraising event is one way to support Extra Hands and raise awareness and funding for patient service and ALS research. To get you started on your way, we have compiled a list of fundraising ideas that have been proven to be successful for businesses and individuals just like you. The list is for reference only and is certainly not comprehensive, but it can be a starting place for your own creative efforts - fundraising ideas are endless! Please note, the list may serve as a guide in your planning, however, Extra Hands does not specifically recommend or take any responsibility, financial, legal, or otherwise, for your fundraising efforts.

Quick Tips:

GETTING STARTED:
Make the commitment and set a goal. Be aware that fundraising is fun, but it can also be considerable work. You may want to start small and expand on a successful event. Reach for the stars, but be prepared to make the time commitment to hit your target.

BRAINSTORM:
What type of event will work best in your community or school? What time of day or year is most advantageous for your fundraiser? Who will be targeted to attend or participate (sponsors, ticket buyers, donors, etc.)?

DEVELOP A PLAN:
Start a calendar and break down your fundraising goal into smaller goals. Schedule due dates for yourself and do your best not to procrastinate. Remember, successful fundraising in intentional, planned and intelligently executed.

INSPIRE OTHERS:
Share with your donors why supporting Extra Hands is important to you. They will be moved to help by your commitment. If you are finding it difficult to ask for donations, remember, you are not asking for a contribution for yourself, you are asking on behalf of thousands of people with ALS and those who care about them.

FOLLOW THROUGH:
Follow through is the key to fulfilling your goal. Sometimes requests can get lost in the shuffle. Don’t be afraid to send a gentle reminder to your supporters letting them know that there is still an opportunity to give. Follow up with individuals who have pledged to help and always remember to thank your donors.

Driving4Life Challenge

Extra Hands is proud to announce a new partnership with our friends at the ALS Therapy Development Foundation, Calloway Golf, Golf Digest, and New Balance.

The Driving4Life Challenge is a one-day, one-hole, closest-to-the-pin contest. This simple program allows you to have an immediate impact on the lives of ALS patients, their families and friends.

Scheduling a Driving4Life Challenge contest is easy. A member of the Challenge team will guide you through the process. First, your golf club designates a date as an official Driving4Life Challenge Day. Schedule a Challenge either during regular play or integrate one into any golf outing or event. We will provide you with Challenge signage, a pin flag and other logo materials to spread the word about your Challenge contest.

The $20 registration fee per contestant gets split between Extra Hands, ALSTDF, and Golf Digest, and includes a one-year subscription to Golf Digest or Golf for Women. You can pre-register participants or sign them up at the course on Challenge day.

The Challenge contest is played on a pre-selected par-3. The player whose ball lands closest to the pin wins a significant prize, such as a Calloway Golf club. The runner up will receive a certificate for a pair of sneakers from New Balance. Plus, all golfers whose shots stay on the green will receive a souvenir Driving4Life Challenge golf ball!

If you are interested in running a Challenge contest, please contact Driving 4 Life and your local golf course to schedule a date.

If you are a student and would like to volunteer to staff a Challenge contest in your area, please contact us at Extra Hands and we'll connect you with the Challenge Chairperson.

Trivia Night for ALS!

by Kristen Williamson

Trivia Night is an easy, fun, inexpensive, and informative way to spread public awareness about ALS. The basic structure of a Trivia Night is similar to game shows such as ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire', except everyone in the audience can play along rather than just a handful of participants. The ‘Host' or ‘Quiz-Master' asks a series of questions and the participants, usually grouped together at tables of 4 to 8 people, write their answers down on a tally sheet. These sheets are collected and scored, and the table with the most correct answers, and thus the highest score, wins. Easy huh?!

Youth Foundation Scholarships

Youth Foundation's basic objective is the awarding of Hadden Scholarships to exceptionally worthy, financially needy, secondary school seniors for their undergraduate college education.

The Scholarship Committee selects the recipients after carefully evaluating character, scholastic records, financial need, extra-curricular activities and employment experience. No scholarship is given to a student unless his or her college has agreed to refrain from reducing its own scholarship grant at the expense of the Youth Foundation’s award.

Youth Foundation encourages young people to establish permanent attitudes of self-reliance, confidence, self-discipline, responsibility, volunteerism, and exemplary character thereby benefiting their own lives, and more importantly, the lives of others.

Click here for more information

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities. Created in 1995 by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the awards constitute the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteering. Over the past 11 years, the program has honored more than 70,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.

Click here for the application form: http://www.prudential.com/media/managed/appform07.pdf

Extra Hands encourages all students to apply for this prestigious award. Good luck!

The Congressional Award

The Congressional Award is the U.S. Congress' award for young Americans. It is non-partisan, voluntary, and non-competitive. The program is open to all 14- to 23-year-olds. Participants earn Bronze, Silver and Gold Congressional Award Certificates and Bronze, Silver and Gold Congressional Award Medals. Each level involves setting goals in four program areas; Volunteer Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness, and Expedition/Exploration. Earning the Award is a fun and interesting way to get more involved in something you already enjoy or something you'd like to try for the first time. You move at your own pace - on your own or with your friends. This is not an award for past accomplishments. Instead, you are honored for achieving your own challenging goals.

Regardless of your situation, you can earn The Congressional Award. The Congressional Award has no minimum grade point average requirements. It accommodates young people with special needs or disabilities who are willing to take the challenge. The Congressional Award is open to all.

Extra Hands strongly encourages all student volunteers to register for the Congressional Award. For more information, visit www.congressionalaward.org.

Students Advocate in the Capitol

Extra Hands students joined people with ALS and their caregivers on April 4 to participate in ALS Advocacy Day at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. This was the first time students had the opportunity to advocate for people with ALS with their own representatives and senators. Missouri has drawn the attention of lawmakers, scientists, and religious groups nationwide over a proposal to criminalize research involving stem cells.

Taking part in the visit to Jefferson City was Ms. Ruhan Nagra, the longest serving Extra Hands student volunteer in the nation, now in her fourth year in the program. Ms. Nagra was named one of three ALS Advocates of the Year by the St. Louis Regional Chapter of the ALS Association. She was also honored in a decree from her State Representative Jane Cunningham, and was recognized in the House and Senate sessions.

Burroughs Bake Sale Bonanza

by Ruhan Nagra, Co-President, Extra Hands Club, John Burroughs School

There are bake sales, and then there are BAKE SALES. At my high school we think that if we are going to hold a public awareness initiative to support Extra Hands we want it to be big. The following is the secret to our recent record setting Bake Sale Bonanza which generated $2,300 net of expenses. We challenge all Extra Hands volunteers around the nation to raise more through a bake sale than we did.

Shoot for a Cure Golf Tournament

by Mark Ebert, Phi Delta Theta of Saint Louis University

In order to successfully hold a charity golf tournament, it is important to understand and address the major steps in the process. The major areas of importance can be summed up in Sponsorships, Media Awareness, Donations, Participants, Silent Auction (optional), and Food/Beverage.

California Shake and Bake

by Val Waterman, Extra Hands Program Manager - Los Angeles/Orange County

The First Annual California Shake and Bake Sale consisted of a garage sale and bake sale. The original idea also included a dog and car wash but our planning committee of 12 students decided that was too much at one time. So we set out to conquer a garage and bake sale. During the meeting each student volunteered for the following tasks as well as times they were available to work.