Lauren's Letter

For the past eight years I have found a home with Team Survivor.  As we know, nothing is permanent, and so it is with my association with this wonderful organization.  It's time for me to move on, but it is with a heavy heart that I do so.  

Our interconnectedness will assure that each of you will always be a part of my life and the spirit of Team Survivor will always be a part of me.  Thank you for the opportunity to have worked with and to have known the amazing women of Team Survivor.      

Sincerely,

Lauren Scott 

NATS Newsworthy

• We would like to distribute this newsletter to your Board members, please send us your e-mail list, we will add them to our list. We will not share this data with anyone else. 
• Save the Date: The National Leadership Conference will take place in TAMPA, FL from September 27-30, 2007. We are finalizing the agenda and will get that to you in the next month so that you can book your flights.
• We are in the final edits of the new website and brochures. Each Affiliate will have their own page, I'll be sending an e-mail with details soon.
• If you have not submitted your information for Dragon Boating, please get in touch with me by June 3rd.
• Please feel free to contact me anytime. My cell: 206.854.3177, my e-mail: mandy@teamsurvivor.org. I am here to support you.

Let's Get Connected - Upcoming Conference Call for All

June 19th: 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific

We want to connect all of you to create an Affiliate Network. The first topic of discusion will be a sound off to express your frustrations and get positive responses directly from fellow Affiliates. Mandy will be on the call.

The call in number for this call is: 800-820-4690.

If you are interested in a specific topic for the next call, 

let us know. 

If you have something to share with us and would like to be featured in future newsletters, please send us an e-mail.

Getting the Word Out

In the June issue of Body + Soul magazine, which is published by 

Martha Stewart, and is all about organic products/natural foods, natural wellness, yoga, etc. there was a call to action on the letters page.

CANCER SURVIVORS

Have you or someone you know survived cancer? What did you learn 

from the experience, and what advice would you offer to others? Look for a selection of stories in our October 2007 issue, which is distributed to over 500,000 people. Please share your story and include your name, address and daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Send your letters to:

Body + Soul   42 Pleasant Street   Watertown, MA 02472

Or mail@bodyandsoulmag.com

We ask that you share your story, or a story of a member that moved 

you. We have an opportunity to raise awareness so that we can get more

women invovled in our programs. 

Here are some tips for writing a submission for a newspaper or magazine:

• Know your target audience and personalize your approach
• Include a photo to make your newsletter even more appealing.
• Keep it brief and exciting: use action words, speak in the present.
• Include your contact information. 

Team Survivor Madison has recently received some FREE positive press:

Madison Magazine

Learn more about a few TEAMSurvivor Madison, Inc. members and their journey 

with breast cancer in the June 2007 issue of Madison Magazine. Read it online at:

http://www.madisonmagazine.com/article.php?section_id=918&xstate=view_story&story_id=232589 

Channel 3

Channel 3 (CBS affiliate) ran a two-part series on TEAMSurvivor Madison, Inc.

Part 1, Sun. , 5/20

http://www.channel3000.com/news3multimedia/index.html

Click on "Team Survivor" in left column

Part 2, Mon., 5/21

http://www.channel3000.com/index.html

Scroll down the page to "News 3" video subhead

Click on "Team Survivor Madison Achieving the Extraordinary" under that subhead. 

Wisconsin State Journal

Susan Lampert Smith, wrote about her triathlon experience thus far in her column on Wed., 5/16. For the affiliate members who attended the national meeting last October, we "challenged" our keynote speaker and a local newspaper columnist to participate with our chapter. She stepped up 

and we also invited the Channel 3 anchor above! Susan's column is available online at: 

http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/05/16/0705160001.php

Want to know how they did it? Send them an e-mail: teamsurvivormadison@yahoo.com

www.teamsurvivormadison.com

"Together, Women with Cancer Achieving the Extraordinary"

Featured Affiliate-Team Survivor Perseverance (AK)

Affiliate Leader: Nicki Germain info@teamsurvivorak.org

· # of active members: 23

· Most "popular" program: Weekly programs - Yoga, 

Seasonal event - Klondike Road Relay

· Most successful member outreach or recruitment effort: 

We have booths at health fairs and cancer related events. 

We have started amonthly "focus on fitness" evening, open to all.

We place our brochures in local medical offices. Having Doctors and 

Nurses on our Board has encouraged promotion of our programs on a 

one-on-one basis with newly diagnosed women.

· Biggest challenge: Volunteers who can/will commit and follow through.

· Most successful fund-raising program: Bra-Dazzler Juried Art Exhibition

and Auction.  Check our website for photos from the 2006 exhibit.

Anything else you want to add:  An open invitation to all from other

groups to join us, September 7th-9th for the Klondike Road Relay.

Fundraising Forum: Game Night

Put the Fun Back in Fundraising

Fundraising does not have to be dull. You can literally make a a game out of it.  Invite your friends and their friends over on a Friday night and have people make a donation to join in on the game. 

It's amazing how many new games are out there these days, so feel free to use a new game, or go with the age old "Trivial Pursuit" and create a Quiz Night. If the dinner fundraiser seemed like too much, you can ditch the dinner idea and just ask people to make a donation to your Affiliate.  If you do not feel like hosting, maybe someone else will want to, or better yet, get a local restaurant to host it - a win-win because they get more customers and you don't have to clean up.

How to run a Quiz night:

• Pick out a fun game
• Establish the rules, how many people per team, prepare an answer sheet, etc.
• Send out invites to all Team Survivor members, friends and family
• Solicit 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes. If a restaurant is hosting the quiz night you can ask for gift certificates in nominal amounts which gets people back to the restaurant - another win-win. The prizes do not need to be huge, people like funny prizes, too.
• Make sure that the game will be fun for everyone, keep your audience in mind.
• Have a start and end time, so the game can transition into free time with friends
• Have an outgoing person serve as the Moderator

Not a game person? You could borrow/rent a Karaoke machine and charge people $5 - $10 per song/person. If you take photos, you can charge a fee for not posting the photos on youtube, to their co-workers, etc. 

Board Bio: Cameron Sweeney

Hometown: Cary, NC

Board member since: 2003

How you got involved with Team Survivor: I've been involved from the beginning when Sally Edwards pitched her idea to Danskin. I got more and more involved and was eventually asked to be on the Board.

Other facets of her life: President, Triangle Sports, Inc. (sports marketing consulting); Danskin Women's Triathlon Series Manager since 1994; appointed to Town of Cary Greenways Committee of citizen volunteers

Vision for Team Survivor: It is my hope to see Team Survivor continue to grow. The goal of the national organization is to provide support to the affiliate network so local affiliates can get a wide audience of survivors involved in fitness and the optimism that comes with accomplishing goals.

Hobbies: I am passionate about my family & dogs, politics and 

UNC Tar Heels athletics.

Strength in Numbers - Avoiding Burnout

As strong women, we often try to take on more than we need to. Running a Team Survivor is not as easy as it seems, asking for help is the first step in making sure your Affiliate will remain strong through the years. If you are feeling overwhelmed with your Affiliate, please read this article.

Do you have enough support on your Board? Are the members of your Board doing their part? You should have at least three women on your Board that take on a couple hours of volunteer work per week. You need a dynamic group to keep Team Survivor going. We suggest getting the following type of people on your Board:

1.A 'Doer' - someone that is enthusiastic about Team Survivor, who has the time to make improvements and follow up. 

2. A Nurse/Doctor - Someone that truly understands cancer and what the women are going through

3. A Lawyer: To make sure you are doing everything by the book

4. A Host: Someone that enjoys hosting parties/fundraisers

5. A Walk/Talk leader: Someone outgoing, welcoming that can be   

   the pulse of your group.

6. A Coach: Someone that motivates others

We all have our strengths and weaknesses, you should find the gaps so that you can focus on your strengths. It is nearly impossible to run a Team Survivor Affiliate on your own, even though we are programmed to try to do it all and be a: good employee, sister, daughter, friend and  partner, we can only do so much. 

Don't know where to find these women? They may already be on your team, but can't commit to running the whole show. We are grass roots and since we do not charge for most of our events, we can ask for everyone to take on a task to support Team Survivor. 

Don't have these women in your life? Try Craigslist.org, contact local volunteer networks, it's amazing that once you start seeking additions to your life, these people appear.