Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Pass it On

Dear Family & Friends,
I know this looks a bit long (cuz it is), but please take a few minutes and read... Many of you participated in the Brain Injury Association of Utah's 5K Run, Walk and Roll last year. We know most of you came in support of Charlie Cooper and we hope you will be able to join the race again this year on May 16th at Liberty Park. I am writing to not only let you know about the race, but also to ask for your support. The BIAU is a very small non-profit organization that struggles for funding. Of course, this organization is newly important to many of us, so we are asking for your help to find people, corporations or organizations who would be able to help support the association as well. The race provides the funding for the association as well as important education about brain injury prevention with a program called Head Smart in local elementary schools. While Charlie's brain injury was unpreventable, many are.

Did you know:
*Every 23 seconds, one person in the U.S. sustains a brain injury
One death every day and one brain injury every four minutes can be prevented by the use of helmets in recreational activities, including skiing and biking.
*1 million children sustain brain injuries every year ranging from mild to severe, with approximately one-third of all pediatric injury cases are related to brain injury. This public health concern ranks as the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents in the United States.
*The estimated lifetime cost for each survivor of a severe brain injury exceeds $4 million.
(for more really fun facts, check out their webpage at http://www.biau.org/facts/facts.html)

Because the Run, Walk & Roll 5K doesn't get the exposure that bigger races like the Race for the Cure or the MS bike race gets, it will take a fair amount of work so we are asking for your help. We all know people who might be able to help in many ways, so we are requesting that you consider who you could contact to help in the following ways:

*Corporate Sponsorship -
Attached (obviously not attached, but if you are interested, leave a comment and i can get it to you) is a document with the corporate sponsor levels. Sponsorship is as little as $100 and up to $5000. Please look at the form and what the levels include. If you know someone you think could be a potential sponsor, please pass this form along to them. It can be great marketing for their organization. Of course this sponsorship is tax deductable. If you would prefer, you can also send me their contact information and I will send them the forms directly.
*Donations -
-- Cash - those interested can donate via the sponsorship form. Again, donations are tax deductible.
-- In-kind contributions - this can be something for the silent auction or raffle. This could also include product to be used at the race (ie. bulk food items, water, sports drinks, etc)
*Auction Request - I have included a sheet (again, contact me for sheet) requesting items from local companies for auction. You can take this form to your favorite restaurant, spa, ice cream store, etc and ask for items for auction. I assure you, these companies love to donate things for events like this because it is great advertising which costs them very little. My hotel loves to donate a free room night because its good cheap marketing.
*Time - The race itself takes a lot of work to put on. If you would like to volunteer before or on race day, let us know and we can discuss where you can help out with your time. Think about the people you know, and usually many have something to offer...

We are not asking you to go beg for items or money, but we want this association to become more widely recognized. We understand the economic situation people are in right now, but know that non-profits are struggling too, and this is so important to us. Please feel free to contact any of us with questions or suggestions. We appreciate your time and support.

Best, Meghan, Susan & Jared (charlie's aunties and uncle on the BIAU committee)

To view the incredible pictures of last year's race click here and here . Then wipe your eyes, and then register yourself and all your family for this year!!!

10 comments:

Dallas said...

Where's the auction forms? I couldn't find them on the BIAU site. I'd like to do tax work for auction.

Charlie Cooper said...

Dallas- You are too quick, I'll email them to you directly.

Unknown said...

I am in Idaho so it is hard to find people locally that will support out of state events(I have tried before for a friend) but I have lived in Utah and I would love to try again so I will give it my best shot.

Anonymous said...

i would like to suggest that we put together a money jug thing at local walmart so we can help get all the money we cant im in ogden and can do to location hopeful we can get a group together so maybe we can do it

Anonymous said...

sorry i ment can love ya charlie

Anonymous said...

let me no my email is ta69692000@yahoo.com

linds said...

put me to work...i know some people, but mostly i have time to spend on stuff like this that matters.

Suz said...

WOW! Thanks Ang for posting the links to last years race. I am still blow away as I remember that awesome day. Gray is such a lame/blah color but I still get teary when I think of all the beautiful people in their Taking Steps for Charlie t-shirts.

A link should be posted on the BIAU website (link on the side of Coop's page) soon for race registration. We know that things are rough for so many right now but participating in an event like this is a great way to get our minds off our 401K's for a day. The BIAU is really a great organization that we only know about because of Coop. Hopefully our group of fantastic family and friends can help the BIAU gain exposure and expand. Hopefully together we can prevent another family from the nightmare that head injury brings.

XOXO
Char's Aunt Susie

Anonymous said...

I am excited to be a part of this event this year! I will try to rally some people for sponsors. Could you pleas e-mail me the form. Is there a registration form somewhere on the blog for the race? If not, I will call the association to get one. I would like to help in any way possible. I am available anytime after May 4th! Grandma Cheryl know me and I am happy to do anything I can. Pleas put me to work! You can e-mail me at cwoodland@dsdmail.net Let me know what I can do. I think it is amazing you are all so involved in this and willing to put in so much time and effort. I hope many will support this association and help the patients and their families that have been affected by brain injury.
Connie

Kristine said...

I've followed Charlie's story from your first post. My little girl, Katie, also had Bacterial Meningitis and severe brain damage. So far, she is one of the very lucky little ones who hasn't shown many "issues". Although I live in a state of constant fear of the "next step".

I would love to do a little post about Charlie on my blog. I've started doing a post every Monday about a child who we think is an inspiration and miracle. Would you be okay with that? Perhaps you'll get a few more hits and some more support for the "Run, Walk and Roll"...

Please let me know if this is okay with you!

sorochinsky@gmail.com

PS - I think of Charlie often and hope that he's a bit more "chill" and content these days! :) Would love to see an update. No pressure.