Miss Maryland & Children’s Miracle Network Contestant Fundraising Idea Guide Help Making Miracles Happen: Saving Lives and Helping Kids Get Better! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Indiana’s Katie Stam Named as Miss America 2009, Will Serve as Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network SALT LAKE CITY (Jan. 24, 2009)—Children’s Miracle Network, an international non-profit that raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals, congratulates Katie Stam, Indiana, on being named Miss America. Children’s Miracle Network is the official national platform for the Miss America Organization. Each year the new Miss America will serve as a goodwill ambassador for the charity, raising funds and awareness for the nation’s premier children’s hospitals, which are a part of Children's Miracle Network. “Children's Miracle Network has the pleasure of working closely with Miss America each year as we work to raise money for children’s hospitals around the country,” said Scott Burt, president and CEO, Children's Miracle Network. “We look forward to getting to know Katie as she joins us in promoting our events, visiting patients in our hospitals, and helping us in our mission of saving and improving the lives of children.” Children’s Miracle Network has a nearly 20-year history working with the Miss America Organization, but has been the official national platform since 2007. In working with the previous two Miss America’s — Kirsten Haglund (2008) and Lauren Nelson (2007) — the partnership has raised more than $2.3 million, benefiting children’s hospitals across the nation. The partnership also extends to the women competing at the local, state and national levels of the pageant, asking each contestant who participates to be responsible for raising funds on behalf of Children’s Miracle Network and the Miss America Scholarship fund. ### About Children's Miracle Network Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals. Each year the 170 Children's Miracle Network hospitals provide the finest medical care, life-saving research and preventative education to help millions of kids overcome diseases and injuries of every kind. To learn more go to www.childrensmiraclenetwork.org. Press Contact: Aubrey Cichelli [email protected] 801/278-8900 Miss Maryland and Children’s Miracle Network Fundraising: General Activities and Incentives Pennies From Heaven: Hang umbrellas upside down from the ceiling, a wire, a tent or wherever possible. Hang “Pennies From Heaven” signs with and explanation such as, “Throw your coins in the umbrella to help kids at our Children's Miracle Network hospital.” Quarters by the Mile: Collect quarters by attaching pieces of paper end to end throughout your location. The paper trail can be laid up throughout the lobby or along the countertop. Circles the size of quarters are copied onto paper so members can help local kids by attaching quarters to the paper. Make tape or glue available to members and post signs explaining the campaign. To keep the momentum strong, keep track of how “far” the quarters stretch and the dollar amount that distance equals. Set a goal in both distance and dollar amount. Counting on You: Fill a large container with jellybeans, paper clips, marbles, coins, M&Ms, or other small items. Announce the grand prize beforehand and have staff guess ($1 to $5 donation per guess) how many are in the container. Miracle Movie Night: Rent or get space donated by a local theatre to show a holiday themed or other popular movie. Serve appetizers and drinks; charge a flat fee. Night of Miracles: Choose a theme for an evening. Hold a dinner, dance, and auction in the ballroom of one of your properties within your community. Have a raffle. Ask for donations for the auction. Everyone loves night stays, restaurant gift certificates, and trips to places. Treasure hunt: Sell daily clues to a mystery location where a treasure is hidden. The first person to guess the location wins the treasure. Flower/plant sale: Sell a rose, mum or green plant. Individuals could purchase the flower/plant and pay an additional $10 to have that flower delivered to someone with a personalized note. The person receiving the flower would not know who sent it unless they pay a $1 to find out the identity of the person sending the flower. Collect cans for kids: Collect aluminum cans donating deposit to Children’s Miracle Network. Food Related: Wine and Cheese Tasting, BBQ or Fish Fry, Chili Cook Off, Bake Sale, Celebrity Cook‐Off. Sports Related: Basketball/Baseball/Softball/Bowling/Golf Tournament , Mud Volleyball, Race for the Triple Crown Event, 5K Fun Run/Walk, Intramural Team Show‐down. Other Activities: Las Vegas Night, Kiss A Pig Contest, Car Wash, Fashion Show, Garage Sale, Benefit Concert, White Elephant Sale, Arts and Crafts Show, Dance‐A‐Thon. Miss Maryland and Children’s Miracle Network Fundraising: Activities for Groups and Employees Good to the Last Drop: If you have an employee coffee service area, commit one month of coffee fees to Children’s Miracle Network or place a Children’s Miracle Network fund raising canister next to the service area and encourage fellow employees to drop in their spare change. Miracle Meals: Create a combination of items from the snack bar, that when purchased together, will contribute $1.00 to Children’s Miracle Network. Crazy Hat Contest: Let employees design wild hats to wear to work on a specified day. For a specific donation, each participant will be entered into prize categories. Winners can be determined by vote, by committee or by an elected manager. Dress down for kids day: Have employees pay to dress more casually than on an ordinary workday. Choose one or two days per month or one day per week to "Dress Down for Kids". Have employees wear pins that say, "We're dressed down for kids!" to promote the fact that your organization cares about kids. Potluck Meal: Employees prepare and bring potluck dishes for a breakfast or lunch event before or during work, and all participants donate a specified amount to eat. This could be set up as a one‐day event or on a weekly basis over an extended period. Shaved Head Challenge: A manager challenges employees to raise a predetermined amount for Children's Miracle Network. If employees raise the funds in the allotted time, a male manager could promise to shave his head or a female manager could promise to cut or dye her hair. When the challenge is met, have employees nearby to help shave, dye or cut. Take lots of pictures! Talent Show: Let club members/employees share their hidden talents! Choose a location, organize an agenda of acts and select a panel of judges. Charge an entrance fee for each act and separate fee for spectators. Miss Maryland and Children’s Miracle Network Fundraising: Seasonal Activities Kiss­a­gram: Great fundraising idea for Valentine's Day. Sell Hershey's Kisses for $1. Let individuals sending the kiss attach a personalized note. Sponsoring groups deliver the kisses and recipient must pay $1 to find out who sent the kiss‐a‐gram. Valentine Heart Sales: Your Children's Miracle Network hospital has access to paper hearts that sell for $1 each at no cost to you. Similar to a Miracle Balloon campaign, these paper hearts sell during mid January through Valentine’s Day and add a holiday flare. Carnations for Kids: This is an ideal promotion for Sweetest Day or Valentine’s Day. Each carnation is sold for $1.00 or more, with a message attached, either pre‐written or created by purchaser. Volunteers will then deliver the flowers to recipients. The sender can remain anonymous for an additional charge. Breakfast and Photos with Santa/Easter Bunny: Sponsor a seasonal community breakfast and photo session where children can spend time with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, etc. Charge either an entrance fee or dining/photo fee to cover expenses. Egg Hunt/Cake Walk: Have local children enter an Easter egg hunt or cake walk during the Easter holiday season. Design a creative way to gather donations with the event. Holiday Flower Sale: A holiday flower sale is a great opportunity to team with a local florist to help hospitalized kids in your community. Sell poinsettias during the Christmas/Chanukah season, roses for Valentine’s Day, and spring bouquets for Mother’s Day, etc. Providing a flower delivery service along with the promotion could develop additional funds as well. Christmas Tree Festival: Have community groups or other local businesses donate decorated Christmas trees, wreaths and other holiday decorations to sell. Display the trees in a public hall on specified days and support the event with holiday music, food booths and other vendor items to create a festive boutique atmosphere. Make sure to check with your Children's Miracle Network hospital to inquire about their own Festival of Trees promotion during the holiday season. Holiday Gift Wrapping Drive: Buy wrapping paper in bulk or contact a distributor that specializes in gift‐wrap sales for nonprofit groups. Involve volunteers wrapping gifts for a small fee donated to your member’s Children's Miracle Network hospital. Miss Maryland and Children’s Miracle Network Fundraising: Sample Activity Plan: Prepare for a Successful Event! Million Pennies Drive Event Description: This event is also quite easy. The only planning it takes is reserving a spot somewhere on your campus/community with a lot of traffic, such as a student center, athletic event or shopping mall. The goal, as the title states, is to raise one million pennies, which happens to equal $10,000.