Let's Get Started!

Get ready for this year's Angelman Syndrome Foundation Walk-a-thon in Dallas, TX! My name is Diane H. and I've jumped in to get this year's walk going. Crazy and scary but I'm excited nonetheless! It will be held

May 15, 2010
Registration begins at 8:00am
Walk begins at 9:00am
Mingle and lunch at 11:00am

This year's Dallas walk is going to be great and we are going to need lots of help to get it going! Currently, we are securing a site in Allen, TX for the walk. Once that is set, I will let ya'll know. (I will be updating this blog as frequently as possible to keep everyone in the loop as to what is going on.)

Fundraising: I am not sure when online registration/fundraising will be up and running but registration through the ASF office will begin Monday, March 1st. You can also raise money besides just sending people online to donate. If you want to get creative, you can design your own t-shirts/promotional items and sell them to raise money (we were thinking of putting our son's pic with a message on bubbles to sell to friends and neighbors). One family last year did a great job making their own t-shirts. But be careful with what you put on those items because the ASF logo is trademarked and you will need permission if you choose to use it.

Also, try holding a silent auction. Get companies to donate services or goods to the auction (great way to market yourself) or get people to donate goods/giftcards, etc to be auctioned off for the highest bid, with all earnings going to the foundation. We also did this last year and had a good response, and I know another family did as well and had much success. Feel free to share any other fundraiser ideas!

Volunteers: We need lots of volunteers to make this event happen, so please please share your talents and time with us! We are in need of team leaders (and helpers) for the following areas:

Refreshments
Registration
Publicity
Finance
Signs
Sponsorship

Sponsorship: The deadline for corporate sponsors to be on the goody bag items/t-shirt is April 1st- so we still have a month! For any corporate sponsors of $50-$999, the sponsor may provide their own promotional items to be placed in the goody bags (along with other recognition). Sponsors $1,000 and over will have their logo placed on the promotional items, on the t-shirt and foundation bag (along with other recognition). There are also teirs and increased recognition for those donating $5,000-$9,999, and for $10,000 and above.

Please think of anyone you know who might be interested in doing this, or your own company or the company you work for.

Refreshments: This year I am hoping to have a simple hot dog lunch after the walk so we can all mingle a little longer and eat. We had around 300 people last year, so it won't be too difficult to get the donations for the food items we need. I will get a list together of items soon. Last year I asked our local grocery store if they would donate and they just gave me a $25 gift card to spend in the store and that got us more than enough apples and bananas for the event. I might be requesting a handful of you to do the same thing this year, or just be willing to donate a similar amount to go to a specific item.

Signs: For signs, we are just looking for directional signs (such as were the actual walk begins, registration is, etc) so people attending the event will have easy directions to get where they need to be. This is pretty simple- maybe even think if you know of a church youth group who would like to put in some community service hours and do this.

If you are interested in any of these team areas and would like to be a team leader or assist in any way, please contact me at dallasangelmanwalkathon@gmail.com (I know it's kind of obnoxiously long...) Or leave a comment on this blog- I've got the comment moderation on, so if you'd like to leave a phone number or email address it will be seen only by me.

Thank you all so much!!

Facts About Angelman Syndrome

Angelman Syndrome has confounded and confused the medical community and parents of individuals with Angelman Syndrome for hundreds of years. Initially presumed to be rare, it is now believed thousands of Angelman Syndrome cases have gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as cerebral palsy, autism or other childhood disorders.

Angelman Syndrome affects males, females and all racial/ethnic groups equally. The prevalence of AS among children and young adults is 1/15,000 and there are estimated to be between 1,000 and 5,000 cases in the Unites States and Canada. Please visit www.angelman.org to learn more.

The Angelman Syndrome Foundation was established in 1990 to provide a network of information and support resources across the country. ASF is dedicated to providing information, educational opportunities and support to those who need out help.

The Angelman Syndrome Foundation’s (ASF) mission is:
• To educate concerned families, the medical and educational communities, and the general public about Angelman Syndrome (AS);
• To establish a support network for persons with (AS) and their families;
• To promote research to improve the diagnostic process, treatment and management of AS;
• And to promote research to find a cure for AS.

The Angelman Syndrome Foundation’s vision is:
• to improve the lives of individuals with AS and their families.