It doesn't get easier than an email!

For the past two months we have been posting lots of ideas - most of which were pretty silly! Of course that is our motto with Dress Up 2 Cure: "Get Silly, Spread Hope, Cure Rett Syndrome!"
I can't believe that April is actually coming to a close today - where did the time go?

I am sure some of you have been planning all month to get involved and just have not found the time. I am hear to tell you that it is NOT TOO LATE! We have one FINAL idea for you and it is the easiest one yet. (ok - I admit there is nothing silly about this one though!)

All you need to do is personalize this email and send it out to EVERYONE you know!

SAMPLE EMAIL:

As many of you know, our daughter (insert daughter's name) was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome nearly (insert years since diagnosis of Rett) years ago. Since then, some of you have joined us in the fight to educate people about Rett Syndrome and we thank you. We are asking for your help again. And this time, we are asking EVERYONE!

We will keep this short and sweet. We are fundraising so Girl Power 2 Cure can continue to support the ongoing research that will cure Rett Syndrome. If you can donate $5/$15/$25 dollars in honor of (daughters name) that would be amazing! Working with this organization has been such a positive experience for our entire family and it's helped us deal with the diagnosis, so we hope you can help continue their good work!

Please support our team for the 2011 Dress Up 2 Cure Campaign:
https://www.firstgiving.com/dressup2cure (you can link directly to YOUR team page)

We are incredibly grateful for your support and hope we can count on you as we continue our fight against Rett Syndrome!

Sincerely,
(your name)

Auction 4 Anna

Earlier in the campaign, I mentioned a simple online auction that I hosted last year with a couple of donated items to raise money for Team Brooklyn. Well......this year the Bax Family went ALL OUT!

They are hosting an online auction with dozens of donated items! She even had a friend design a web page for her and the auction is being hosted on ebay. Be sure to check it out and share the link with your friends and family! Click HERE to view the auction!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Cookies, Catalogs, & Coffee

This idea is perfect for any woman's group! Contact all your local "vendors" that sell items at home parties (e.g., Longaberger Baskets, Tupperware, Usborne Books, Avon, Tastefully Simple, Home Interior, Fabulous Finds, Pampered Chef, People Fit, Party Lights) Set up a table for each vendor in your church meeting room.
The saleswomen could have some cash-and-carry items, as well as catalogs for items to sell. Each saleswoman can donate her profits from the evening to your team OR provide an item to be raffled off throughout the evening! Provide coffee to your guests for the evening and possibly pair this event with a Cookie Walk!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 please visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Photo Contest!

(Boston, my preemie miracle!)Use photo's of babies, dogs, etc. The basic idea is that people will submit a photo(specify maximum size accepted), and may also submit a 3x5 card with a few sentences as a description to create more interest. Photos are mounted on a display board or inside a sponsoring merchant's window (or at a school or church works great too!)

Each photo is numbered and a jar/bag is numbered for each photo for votes. Votes are made with coins, dollar bills, or checks (made payable to "Girl Power 2 Cure"). The picture with the most "votes" (total money collected) wins a prize.

Prizes can be donated from local businesses!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Rock - A -Thon

Another great idea that could be done with a youth group or other student organization that what to support your DU2C team is a Rock A Thon. Each teen asks for pledges from friends, family and neighbors to see how long they could rock in a rocking chair & playing video games.

The kids had to bring their own rocking chairs or gaming chairs that rocked. They also were allow to bring their own video games and systems to play. The church or school could help supply the TV's and electoral cords.

Set a minimum pledge of $25, so the kids understand it isn't just a free night of video games! Really easy to set up. It was a win/win night.

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit www.dressup2cure.org

Adult Spelling Bee

Spelling bees are what I considered a form of torture as a child, I think any child you ask would agree. Why not consider an adult spelling bee for fundraising and to let the parents see how hard it can be? Most schools hold spelling bees so setting one up should be fairly easy. Each class can select three parents to represent them either individually or as a team. Set an entrance fee per team. The teams are responsible for getting sponsors to pay the fee ($50).

For the entry fee of $50, the sponsor of the entry can be advertised at the event on a name board and also thanked in a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. You can use words found on spelling word websites and also terminology from all areas of expertise represented by the sponsors that gained entry into the competition.

Want some specifics on adult spelling bees? Try the National Spelling Bee site!

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/

Squeegee Day

A friend of mine suggested this idea - they do it for Cystic Fibrosis!

Ask people at a local drive thru (they used the Tim Horton’s) to donate money to have their windshields washed. Have one person at the beginning of the drive thru asking the person if they would like their windshield washed as a donation to Rett Syndrome. If they say yes, the volunteer places a pamphlet under their windshield wiper. Once they get to the front of the drive thru and they have a pamphlet under their wiper, our team of two washes their windshield and thanks them for their donation and gives them their pamphlet. (Your Purple Card would work for this!) They suggest getting the squeegees donated as well as the windshield washer fluid.

They also suggest that the group do two locations from 8am-noon. They generally make between $800 and $1000 dollars. A lot more than if we would have washed the entire car. There’s very little setup (your pail and pamphlets) and it takes a very small amount of people to pull it off. *You can either have a stated donation amount or leave it up to the generosity of the driver.

To get involved with Dress Up 2 Cure 2011 visit http://www.dressup2cure.org/