And, to be true, I still hate cancer. Or, as my shirt saysโฆ I still firmly believe that cancer sucks. But that is not why I love Relay. My love for Relay stems from something else.
And I LOVE People. I love these conferences. I love people. And I love what we are all capable of.
And I love people that come to Relay to heal. To remember.
And, to be true, I still hate cancer. Or, as my shirt saysโฆ I still firmly believe that cancer sucks. But that is not why I love Relay. My love for Relay stems from something else.
But love is stronger than cancer. And so I can proudly say that today, my parents at both 15 year cancer survivors. And I LOVE that.
THANK YOU for having me. As you can guess, I really, really love Relay. I love it enough to put on a funny belt, tuck a t-shirt into dress pants, and dance around on stage with goofy music. I have been Relaying for 10 years and I LOVE Relay. Now, there are lots of reasons why I love Relay, but I want to tell you how I got to this love.
And what I found, and what I think everybody can agree with me, is that Relay gives us a sense of belonging. It fills our emotional need by giving us a support system It gives us opportunities to make friends And as we write our history book about how cancer was eliminated, Relay gives us the ability to be a part of the biggest movement in the WORLD. And I LOVE belonging to that โ donโt you agree?
So let me give you something to feel good aboutโฆ When the number appears on this screen, I want you your hand if you think you know what it meansโฆ You all might not be in the lab cooking up a cure, but you are eliminating cancer as a threat by your fundraising. Survivors in this room are living PROOF of the progress we are making. You very own Mary โ Maryโs story if time permitsโฆ The progress we are making because of YOUR fundraising. And that is why growth is so important.
It feels GOOD to be recognized. And I think we can all agree. That once we belong to something, being recognized is the next step to keep you engaged. Whether you are a team captain, participant, or committee member, it feels GOOD to be recognized. BUT YOU KNOW THISโฆ so I am NOT here to tell you what you know. Iโm here to HELP YOU do what you know needs to be done. And that is why I am thrilled to talk about the fundraising club program.
So that was why I relayโฆ why do you relay? What is the most exciting thing about Relay?
Did anybody say fundraising? People donโt Relay to fundraise. People Relay to do one of the things we talked about earlierโฆ. So here is the great paradox, Relay is great because we raise $$$, but people donโt relay to raise $$$
Nobody said herding sheep either. Team captains and participants donโt come to do work โ we come to connect.
Its about coming together to fight cancer
So let me give you something to feel good aboutโฆ When the number appears on this screen, I want you your hand if you think you know what it meansโฆ You all might not be in the lab cooking up a cure, but you are eliminating cancer as a threat by your fundraising. Survivors in this room are living PROOF of the progress we are making. You very own Mary โ Maryโs story if time permitsโฆ The progress we are making because of YOUR fundraising. And that is why growth is so important.
Its taking the time to understand WHY people Relay
Its taking time to create a community and make people feel at home.
Its about creating an experience where people feel good and welcomee.
Its about recognizing people for their hard work
Work with teams to set goals Use positive reinforcement to highlight and showcase club programs Empower teams!
Why? This is whyโฆ people people need Relay Survivors need Relay as we heard yesterday. Caregivers need Relay. We NEED this.