A fundraiser name?

[cynnycal]

boy, i've only been on here for like a week and i just keep coming with the posts!
anyway, friends and family of mine are trying to organize a fundraiser (maybe more than one) to help defray all these ridiculous medical costs.
i am very fortunate to have lots of resources to tap into for this (i work at a music school that has probably one of the best concert halls, acoustics-wise) and also many musician friends who volunteered to entertain. quite a few prizes offered to do a raffle (cubs tickets, sox tickets, chefs tables at top restuarants, etc)
beign that i went to art school, i also have many artists donating art, photos/ etc. to be raffled off as well.
i'm so overwhelmed, flattered, amazed at the outpouring of support that's come from this (it really just enforces how many paths you've crossed in your life...it's incredible)
thing is, they were going to start a bank acct for any donations and ticket sales to go to, and in addition were going to have flyers and such printed for the event (date to be determined later this week, but sometime late july, early august). also a friend is setting up a webpage where raffle tickets, etc can be sold before hand.
Problem is, i don't have a name!!
i mean, the little smartgroups board that was started to keep all of us connected is called BeccaFest (but more as a joke) i can't put that on the flyer as the name...
we had a big meeting monday and all said we'd try and think of something and when we all meet again in two weeks get something decided.
i thought (for purposes of flyers) it should be something like "celebration of life: a fundraiser for Rebecca..blahblah blah" kinda thing
being that i'm young, and mostly involved in hip hop and world music, and that i'm a martial arts practitioner, someone thought "Kicking Cancers Ass" or something similar. but i was wondering would that put others off (say, older people, parents of friends, nuns from my high school, etc)
has anyone done something like this? can anyone give me helpful advice in figuring out what to call this?
Thanks!!

[Edward]

BECCAPALOOZA

[tamfigg]

We did an event here in STL called Kick Colon Cancer in the butt, you can use that if you wanted.

Tammy Figg
Figg Tree Foundation

[Christine]

My friends held a couple of benefits for me last fall and they called them:

Cancer Sucks: A Benefit for Christine

[cynnycal]

hahahah!!!
those are great.
okay, i just like to know that people out there have a sense of humor...
so, would any of you mind sharing with me how these fundraising events went? things you'd recommend? things you'd do differently?
figures it can't hurt to ask.
and if it's easier, my email is cynnycal at yahoo dot com
thanks guys! keep em coming

[Traybug]

I would say keep it fun and personal to you. We held a benefit for my 31 year old brother who was diagnosed stage IV in October of 2005. We had a huge golf tournament and we named it the "Ogre Open" since Ogre is his nickname. We even had pictures of an ogre on all of the fliers, t-shirts, signs, etc. We had a ton of fun with the whole thing and raised over $30,000 in three weeks!

It's truly amazing how the support of the community can lift your spirits. Although, it's my brother that has cancer and not me, this is such a family disease. I couldn't help but get choked up every time another check came in the mail. People really do care. There is nothing greater than human kindness. Nothing touches us like that.

Just make sure the bank account you open up is a "non-interest" bearing account so the government can't tax all of this great money from your community and friends. Be sure to let us know where we can donate when it all comes together.

While planning my brothers benefit, I sent out a mass e-mail to people who I knew would not be able to particpate in the actual golf tournament letting them know they could also just send a monetary donation. I had a separate form for this and would be happy to pass it along if you would like. At first I felt bad asking people for money and then I didn't give it a second thought. People keep asking how they can help. Money is what was needed and there is nothing wrong with that...it's life. I wasn't about to let money be a factor in determining what type of care my brother would receive.

Just my advice. Have fun with this. It will inspire you to know how many people truly care about you and want to support you!

Best Wishes,

Tracey

[Traybug]

I would say keep it fun and personal to you. We held a benefit for my 31 year old brother who was diagnosed stage IV in October of 2005. We had a huge golf tournament and we named it the "Ogre Open" since Ogre is his nickname. We even had pictures of an ogre on all of the fliers, t-shirts, signs, etc. We had a ton of fun with the whole thing and raised over $30,000 in three weeks!

It's truly amazing how the support of the community can lift your spirits. Although, it's my brother that has cancer and not me, this is such a family disease. I couldn't help but get choked up every time another check came in the mail. People really do care. There is nothing greater than human kindness. Nothing touches us like that.

Just make sure the bank account you open up is a "non-interest" bearing account so the government can't tax all of this great money from your community and friends. Be sure to let us know where we can donate when it all comes together.

While planning my brothers benefit, I sent out a mass e-mail to people who I knew would not be able to particpate in the actual golf tournament letting them know they could also just send a monetary donation. I had a separate form for this and would be happy to pass it along if you would like. At first I felt bad asking people for money and then I didn't give it a second thought. People keep asking how they can help. Money is what was needed and there is nothing wrong with that...it's life. I wasn't about to let money be a factor in determining what type of care my brother would receive.

Just my advice. Have fun with this. It will inspire you to know how many people truly care about you and want to support you!

Best Wishes,

Tracey

[cynnycal]

wow..thats great to hear how successful it was.
i normally have a pretty good sense of humor. and i really didn't want people to be like "oh, lets go support that poor pathetic girl" so yes, i agree in keeping it fun.
i mean, it should be a fun night, great music, and good prizes.
i just wanted to get across to people who may actually come b/c they like the band, and dont' know me..that its a fundraiser.

the bank acct info is good to know though, b/c my mom was already saying that she'll offer to pay taxes on it if need be, but if we can get non-interest that'd be even better.
i'll have to ask.
did you get any companies giving large donations? did you run into any problems with that? i don't think we'll even be in that situation but i figured a large company or any company willing to donate a large sum might want it to be to a non-profit or 501 3-c or whatever it's known as. for they're own purposes.
the bank acct that you opened, did you open it with the name of the event? (or something similar) or did you open it with his name?

[janb]

When my family held a fundraiser for my brother we hired a band, went around town getting donations from local stores and even some crafty people made stuff. Everything including the drink and food was donated. We had a special table dedicated to educating people about colon cancer. We set up all the items gathered for a raffle and put bags in front of them. Raffle tickets were sold and people put their number(s) in the bag of the item they wanted to win. We made $5,000 for my brother that evening. This helped him get caught up on his rent and bills. My brother didn't win his fight with colon cancer as it was too far advanced when it was first detected. I now do things to bring awareness to this disease and get the word out. This site is the best place for survivors and those going through treatment. I have a crazy website to spread the word and I created a stamp to "spread the word." If I sell any stamps and make a profit, all proceeds go to the colon club. I haven't sold any yet but by designating it to go to a good cause, I'm sure people will buy. I'm telling you this because maybe you can create a stamp too and make all the profits go to your bills. Go to Zazzle.com and you can find more information. Then all you have to do is "spread the word" on your stamp and people will buy them and little by little you can add to your bank account. Good Luck

[Vig]

ABC (Aid Becca's Cure)