Payment for Uniform Kits

 

UNIFORM KIT PAYMENTS

COST AND PROCESS

The Final Leg Planning Committee has done the sums and worked out the costing for the Torch Runner Uniform Kits for the 2023 LETR Final Leg.

The Uniform Kit, which comprises a backpack, two pairs of running shorts, four running shirts, two polo shirts, a lightweight jacket, four pairs of socks (to be supplied in Berlin) and a baseball cap will cost each LETR Program USD$275.  This price includes all shipping, handling and customs duties expenses.

The payment process is as easy as we could make it, utilising the Fundraising Page website to handle the transactions.  We request that all programs make their payment by credit card.  If there are difficulties in doing so, please contact Kami Delameter from Special Olympics International (kdelameter@specialolympics.com) to make alternative arrangements.

You will be taken to the Uniform Kit Payment Page where you click on the 'Make a Donation' button

Clicking on that button brings you to this screen 

Click on the OTHER button and enter 275 in the amount field.  Complete the remainder of the form with your credit card details.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PAYMENT FOR UNIFORM KITS ONLY APPLIES TO TORCH RUNNER MEMBERS OF THE FINAL LEG TEAM.

An email with these details will be sent out to the LETR / SO Program staff listed as having nominated the Torch Runner and being responsible for making these payments.

If you have any questions about this process, don't hesitate to reach out to either Mark McCorkle or myself.

 

Fundraising off to a Great Start!

Our fundraising efforts are off to a great start with over $30,000 raised so far! Tyler Seymour from the great state of Georgia is off to the early lead with $3,425. Nice start Tyler!

We have a total of 54 Team members registered already. If you have not registered already, scan the image below and you can get started and help support our fantastic athletes!

Keep up the great work!

Greetings from Berlin!

Greg Dawson and I are in Berlin for a handful of days meeting with our colleagues at the Local Organizing Committee. We had the pleasure meeting eight of your German teammates, who are pictured above with our torch in front of the Brandenburg Gate.

Today (28 April) was the official public release of the Final Leg Torch, pictured below.

A few of the local Special Olympics athletes with the Torch, along with the Games Mascot named Unity

Local school children visiting the Brandenburg Gate got to meet Unity and hold the Torch

As many of you may know, Germany does not yet have an LETR program. Today, Greg and I met with the officers and gave them an introduction to our movement, Special Olympics, and the Final Leg.

Beginning tomorrow, we will be doing recon on each of the running routes.

You are going to have a fantastic time in Germany!

 

How many miles

How Many Miles Did You Run Today?

Just a very friendly and not so subtle reminder to make sure you are piling up the miles. All of us want you to thoroughly enjoy every moment you're in Germany, and one of the best ways to do that is to ensure your are physically prepared. Your goal when you land in Berlin is to be able to sustain a 10-minute per mile pace for at least three miles. If you accomplish that goal, the running in Germany will be a piece of cake and you will be able to smile, breathe, take in the sights and participate in the cadences.

Keep on runnin'!

 

Do you want some Final Leg Patches

 

Do you want some Final Leg Patches to give away or trade?

Those of you who have already received their Uniform Kit will have noticed that the backpack has a velcro Final Leg patch attached to the front panel.  This is a change from the past when the backpacks had the Final Leg logo embroidered on the front.

One of the reasons for this change of direction was the realisation that you might want to continue using the backpack well into the future and may not want it readily identified as a relic of the 2023 LETR Final Leg.

An upside of this decision is that we've had a few extra patches made up and everyone on the team is going to get an extra one that they can keep, give away or trade at some later stage.

WHAT IF YOU WANT ADDITIONAL PATCHES?

Well we hope you do, because as I said earlier, we've had a few extra made up.  This could tie in with your fundraising efforts - as a way of thanking some of your donors - or simply as a gift for friends when you get home.

Extra patches are going to be available to purchase.  They will cost USD$10 each and to try and make it easy as possible, we'll be asking Kami to set up a payment site on the Fundraising Page - it's not there yet so don't bother looking - we'll let you know when it's active.

You'll also be able to buy some in Berlin from the Logistics Team - again by credit card only.

There is not an unlimited supply of the patches and when they are gone - they're gone.

Thanks

Scott

 Update on the Final Leg Fundraiser

It occurred to me today that there was a vital piece of information that I had neglected to include in the Final Leg Fundraising Information Package.

Yes - what to do if someone wants to give you a check (shouldn't that be spelled 'cheque'?).

It seems that there is no facility available on the fundraising platform to 'make a donation by check'  The only method of payment available is by debit or credit card.

The most important thing to remember is NOT to turn the person away because you can't lodge the check on-line through the system.  Take possession of the check and then contact Final Leg team member Kami Delameter - her day job is Senior Manager, LETR with Special Olympics International. 

Kami will guide you through the process of where to send the check, how it should be made out etc and ensure that your fundraising account is credited with that donation.

Kami can be contacted at:  kdelameter@specialolympics.org

Scott

Using Social Media

 USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE THE FINAL LEG

As we get close to the start of the Final Leg, it's time to start thinking about what can be done to promote your involvement in the 2023 LETR Final Leg in Berlin.

The obvious 'new-age' way to tell your family, friends and colleagues about your journey to Berlin is through Social Media.

To help maximise the impact that your social posts have, Final Leg team member (and social media wizard) Shawn Byrne has prepared a 'hint sheet' for all of you to use when creating your social posts for the event.

In addition, he has also created two Facebook and Twitter friendly images that you can incorporate into one or more of your posts

There is a downloadable zip file containing all three images shown in this post on the Team Portal.

Or you can CLICK HERE to download the zip file.

Thanks to Shawn Byrne for his work on these images.

Hope they are of some help

Scott

Launch of the 2023 Final Leg Fundraiser

 

The 2023 Final Leg Fundraiser is ready to go

This is an announcement that should have been made some time ago, but like many aspects of the build-up to the 2023 LETR Final Leg, it has not been a straight-forward process.

But - we got there!  Finally!  At Last!

The concept of Final Leg Team members conducting fundraising in conjunction with a Final Leg event started back in 2011 in Athens, when team members assisted in raising funds to subsidize the travel costs of the ten Special Olympics athletes who joined the team.  Fundraising continued in 2013 in Korea, 2017 in Austria and 2019 in Abu Dhabi where the team raised almost USD$400,000.

This year, we have decided on a fundraising approach that is simple and easy to manage. You will not be called upon to commit to daring acts of bravery - no need to leap from the top of a tall building, or to dive into a pool of shark infested waters this time round.

The focus this year is for you to seek support from your community and network of friends and colleagues for the 2023 Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg in Berlin.

Having said that, your participation in the fundraiser in 100% voluntary.

We've pulled together an Information Package that provides you with assistance on how to sign up, how to maximise social media, to learn about the Incentive Program and the Revenue Sharing model.  Click on the button below to open the package.

We've also put all these documents, plus the social media images (and a downloadable zip file) as well as a QR Code to take you to the Fundraising Page in the Team Portal on the LETR website.

This is what the QR Code looks like - click on it and it will take you to the Fundraising webpage:

We hope you will take up the challenge and sign up to assist both your local LETR or Special Olympics program and the LETR International Executive Council.

Thanks

Scott

 DID YOU KNOW THAT WE OFTEN SING AS WE RUN?

That's not a trick question.  For decades now Torch Runners have kept themselves amused by running to a 'Cadence'.  Perhaps this came from the military? - who knows.  

Cadence is defined as 'the rhythmic flow of sounds or words' and we do it to motivate, to announce our presence as we run and often just to make noise.

The LETR Final Leg has for many years used four standard Torch Run Cadences.  Today, I'll present the first one to you.  

This one has a twin sister - when we are running through the streets of Berlin, we'll use this version, but when we are outside of Berlin - in the state of Brandenburg, we'll swap out the word Berlin in the second last line for Brandenburg.

There is a full copy of all four standard cadences available to download in the Team Portal as well as images like the one above of the others.

Can you do any better?

If you think you can produce a better cadence that what we are currently using, discuss it with your team leader and if they agree, send it in to Mark, Greg or myself.  Maybe something in German - we will be in Germany after all.

Something to think about

Scott

Final Leg Fundraiser

We know many of you are anxious to start raising money for our Final Leg in Berlin. After searching high and low for appropriate venues that work with our time constraints and transportation needs, the Planning Committee has made the decision that the FINAL LEG itself will be our fundraising mechanism. Much like many programs around the world, we will use our Final Leg Torch Run in Germany. It should be an easy sell to your constituents. "Help support me and the athletes of Special Olympics as I participate in the LETR Final Leg Torch Run," or something to that effect.

The fundraising page is being constructed as we speak, and we should be rolling it out early next week with detailed instructions on how to set up your individual and team pages.

Additionally, Scott Whyte will be publishing the individual fundraising incentives, which we think are pretty extraordinary.

Stay tuned!