Since Variety of Greater Kansas City is all about granting the gift of mobility for area children, hosting a walk or run to raise money is a great way to spread the mission behind the Catie Cares program. While it might seem like a tall task to pull off, you can do it by following a few of our helpful tips.
1. Gather support by reaching out to members of your community. Either ask around at your child’s school, your church or around the neighborhood. Once you’ve identified key people willing to help you, set up a meeting to organize all the details.
2. In you meeting, set a date, starting time, length of the course and the route.
3. Once you’ve established where to have the race, think about how many people you want the race open to. If you plan on a large race, you will need to consider how many volunteers are needed and where to place spectators.
4. When thinking about the number of participants, set a registration fee. In most races, there’s a discount for those who sign up early with the cost rising a few dollars closer to the event.
5. After deciding on the basics, create a plan for registration, publicity, volunteers, safety, traffic management, first aid, food, rest rooms, clean up and entertainment.
6. To help with the costs associated with the race, make a list of potential sponsors you’d like to target. This could range from businesses to finance the event, to corporate donations for water, food or other race swag.
7. Get in contact with local law enforcement early to secure all the necessary requirements to host the race. They’ll also be able to assist with any necessary road closures, traffic barricades, and security issues.
8. To promote the event, turn to social media, local TV and radio stations, friends and family. You’ll need to gather volunteers, runners and walkers. Also, make sure to contact local running groups and athletic clubs for advertising opportunities.
Most importantly, have fun with the event! Since you’re hosting on behalf of Variety, make sure to contact us at varietykc@gmail.com so we can join in on the excitement.