Charity Walks Blog

The charity walk was scheduled to  start in about an hour and a half.  I was in my car and about five minutes away from the event. That’s when it hit my windshield…RAIN!

I was attending the Richmond Arthritis Walk in Richmond, Virginia.  It was my first time participating in this event so I didn’t know what to expect.  I did know the event was taking place rain or shine.

When I arrived, I was directed to park my car on the second level of the parking deck. The staff and volunteers were already moving tables out of the rain to the first level of the parking deck. That was the location most of the morning activities took place.

I was surprised by how many people arrived with their raincoats and umbrellas to take part in the charity walk.  The rainy weather wasn’t going to stop them from supporting a cause that was important to them. Fortunately, most of the rain subsided during the walk portion of the event. But on that morning, the participants were already prepared to walk in the rain.

We can’t control the weather.  The Richmond Arthritis Walk could have been a disaster because of the rain.  Instead, it was a tremendous success despite the bad weather. The success didn’t happen by accident. Here are some tips that should be considered for all charity walks, because this could happen at any outdoor event:

• Decide very early in the planning process whether you are going to hold the charity walk event “rain or shine” or have an alternate date scheduled in case of bad weather.
• Communicate your intentions to all participants so they are not wondering on the day of the event whether or not to attend.
• If you decide to hold your event if it rains, make sure the needed details are covered in all of your planning and preparation right up to the date of the charity walk.
• Maintain safety as a #1 priority throughout the event.

None of us want bad weather on the day of our charity walks.  However, when it does happen you’ll be glad that you prepared for it ahead of time.

Thanks,

p.s. You can view some of the photos I took at the Richmond Arthritis Walk at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogercarr/sets/72157623803852501/.

Photo credit: John Evans

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Proud "graduate" of the 2009 Arthritis College

Training for your charity walks does not have to be boring. A little creativity can have your participants wanting more, rather than wanting it to end quickly. This is important because people are more open to learning new ideas when they’re having a good time.

I recently had the privilege of attending the training event Arthritis College. The event was put on by the Arthritis Foundation, Virginia Chapter and the students included board members, staff , and volunteers from across the state of Virginia.

Class topics included arthritis research, charity events, and leadership. house education on these topics turn from drab to dynamic? Here are some of my observations:

• A college theme was used throughout the day.  We entered as freshmen and progressed to sophomores, etc. after participating in each class. The decorations and dialog used throughout the event stayed consistent with the theme.  At the end of the day, there was a graduation ceremony.
• Dr. Loren Erickson discussed his research at a level everyone could understand. He also showed how the research has already made great strides in the fight against arthritis.
• In the middle of the day, Christine Walters led a session of improvisation that had all of us laughing while we created funny dance routines and pictures with crayons.
• The instructional classes each used props and student participation throughout. Some even sprinkled contests with simple prizes to increase the fun and participation.

What are you going to do that is fun and different to help motivate and train your charity walk participants? A little applied creativity can make a big difference.

Thanks,

Technorati Tags: Arthritis, arthritis foundation, charity walks, training, virginia, Volunteer, Volunteers, walk events