Take a moment to think about all the people you know: family members, friends, neighbours, the owners of small businesses you visit regularly.
Now think about how some of those people would welcome the opportunity to support local breast cancer research.
We’ve said many times that the BRIGHT Run couldn’t happen without our terrific community partners. We have those partners because of the hard work of the volunteer members of our community partnership committee.
It can be difficult, though, to find new potential partners. You can help!
Go back to thinking about the people you know. You have more information than you think you have about potential partners.
So, let us know if your pharmacist is interested in becoming a partner, or the restaurant down the street. The auto repair shop at the corner. Send an email to michelemandryk127@gmail.com and the community partnership committee will take it from there.
Sometimes, a new lead comes out of the blue. And another one just pops to mind. Here’s a little partnership story from long-time BRIGHT Run volunteer and participant Sandy Murphy:
“You never know when an opportunity will present itself. Sometimes, it’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
For the past few years, Lee Prokaska and I have volunteered at the summer staff appreciation barbecue at the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre. Last year, we had the good fortune to be set up beside a group of young employees from the Healthcare & Municipal Employees’ Credit Union (HMECU).
We kibitzed back and forth over several hours. Tristan, one of the HMECU staffers, asked: “What is the BRIGHT Run?” We explained what BRIGHT does and gave him one of our brochures.
As we were getting ready to leave, Tristan approached us and asked if BRIGHT accepts corporate sponsors. We gave a resounding YES. We passed his contact information over to the community partnership committee and, voila, we had a new silver level ($5,000) community partner!
The HMECU CEO formed a team and brought his family to the event. Now BRIGHT Run also has three new friends and volunteers!
Another opportunity came up at the Penny Sale table in the JCC lobby when we overheard someone say they had asked their financial advisor if they would be interested in becoming a community partner. I am not one who is comfortable asking people donate or sponsor, however I thought, “I can do that!”
All it took was an email to my financial advisor and when he agreed that I could share his information with the right people, it happened, resulting in another new community partner.”
Sandy gave it a shot and it worked! It may not seem easy to ask but give it a try. Just tell people what you’re supporting and why. You may be surprised what comes of it – a new community partner/sponsor, an item for the silent auction. The sky’s the limit!
Think about those people you know who might want to help. As Wayne Gretzky has said: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
