Friends, Romans, Countrymen–lend me your ears…

The Greater Fall River Relay for Life is off to a great start. We are closing in on 500 participants. We have 61 teams signed up online. We have raised over $17,000 so far.

But our Walking with Jane relay team efforts need a boost at this point. Yes, we have raised over $1,300 to this point. Yes, we have plans to raise more. But right now we have just nine team members signed up–and there is no way we can do all we have ahead of us without more help–lots more help.

There are just 96 days left to the start of Relay. Three months sounds like a long time–and I know we raised over $2,500 in barely a month last year–and close to another $1,500 at the event.

But our target is a lot bigger this year. We won the Team Spirit Award last year without even knowing it existed. It looks good with us. But if we want to keep it we need to start growing the team now. We need big fundraisers, but we also need the little fundraisers. Ten buttons here, a dozen bracelets there, a few cookies, muffins or cupcakes, some simple zebra ribbons, all can add up to serious money before it is all said and done.

Here’s what we need you to do:

If you are planning to join the Walking with Jane Relay Team, go to our Relay website and get registered. It will cost you $10. They will send me a notice that you have signed up.

Then participate in the first Relay Team Challenge. On March 24, every team member who raises $24 in that 24 hours will earn the team a chance to win a Midnight Pizza Party at Relay Friday night. No standing in line to get pizza or drinks for the winning team. It will all be delivered to our site.

And of course doing well in the challenge means increasing our chances of keeping the Spirit Cup.

How can you raise $24 in that 24 hours? I have WWJ buttons, bracelets, water bottles, t-shirts, tote bags, luminaria bags. Just let me know where you want them and I will get them there. Or you can make simple zebra or blue ribbons and sell them for fifty cents or a dollar or a donation. I will see what ribbon I can find this week. If someone has an idea for a group project that day, I am all ears.

My personal plan that day is to ring door bells in the neighborhood that day and see what I can get. But I am game for anything anyone else wants to try.

I will have more details about the logistics of all this after Tuesday night’s captains’ meeting at Somerset. In the meantime, get registered online so we can hit the ground running.

And if you live away and can’t relay with us, join a team in your area–or form a WWJ team of your own. Or make a donation to our team as we raise awareness about NET and raise money to fight all cancers.