Jazz up your team: Pick a theme

Photo Credit:  electricjpw on www.RelayForLife.org

Relay For Life is 45 days away.  Time to think about how to get your team jazzed up about all of the activities that will be going on at Hope Field (aka Raptor Stadium) on June 8-9.

I know this is a fundraising site.  It's also a place to talk about a little fun.  I happen to believe that having a theme for your team's participation at Relay is a way to accomplish both objectives at one time.

In my many years of Relay For Life involvement, I've seen some AMAZING themes executed at RFL.  Some of my favorites are:

• Mentor In Black (circa 1998 by the Mentor Graphics team in Portland, OR ).  An excellent play on the company name the summer following the Men In Black movie.  It had really easy and fun costumes to lend some pizazz to the team's theme.
• Wizard of Oz.  I've seen this in multiple states, multiple years.  Always fun!  My favorite involved costumes to represent the key characters (pity the lion in 80 degree weather in a full-fur suit) along with 'witch feet' sticking out from under the tent and a 'yellow brick road' leading to the track's edge.
• California Raisins.  (see photo below... this was one of my teams' themes.  I don't know if it qualifies as 'amazing,' but it sure was fun!).  This was in Arlington, VA in 2002.  We played I Heard it Through the Grapevine on a boombox and threw small boxes of raisins to the crowds on the field with health notes attached to them.  FYI, it rained during this event, and our costumes doubled as rain gear.  Later, it got cold... 32 degrees in mid-May cold.  Those mittens turned out to be invaluable as well. 

• Gilligan's Island.  A lagoon (aka kiddie pool).  Inflatable palm trees.  Costumes.  Mayhem.  Silliness.  So fun!

Other themes you might consider:

• Entertainment ideas (movies, books, tv shows)
• Food ideas (birthday cake, old fashioned soda-shop with sundaes for sale)
• Sports themes (soccer, football, cheering, etc.  - tie in on-site games for fundraising)
• Hobbies (poker, knitting, fishing, etc.)

The possibilities are endless.  Themes can be a jumping off point to generate unusual fundraising ideas.  They are also just plain fun.  Regardless of age, we can jump into the fray and play like kids while supporting the fight against cancer.

Themes also get your teams engaged in the celebratory aspect of Relay For Life.  The more they get excited about RFL, the more enthused they will be about making the ask for fundrasing dollars.

Seriously.  Think about a theme for your team.  It's FUN.  It's an opportunity to be recognized for your creativity.  Seriously.  Fun. Themes.

Raisins... dancing around the track.

This last photo isn't a theme.  But, it did generate one of my favorite quotes of all time from a RFL event:  "I'm fragile."  Spoken by my heat-loving, non-camping friend about 30 seconds after her husband delivered her a 5 a.m. coffee with an update that the temperature outside was 32 degrees. 

Fun is everywhere!