Indy Go-Kart Challenges

 HSC 2015 National Symposium, Regional YPAHD Day, Hike 4 Huntington’s in BC, a couple golf tournaments in Ontario, a used book sale, and quite a few Indy Go-Kart Challenges took place this fall! Indies were held in Essex ON, Mississauga ON, Winnipeg MB, and Langford BC on September 13^th, as well as in Halifax NS on October 25^th. 

The HD Indy Family Go-Kart Challenge was created by a small group of volunteers who wanted to raise funds and awareness for Huntington disease in Canada. The first event took place in Niagara Falls, ON, where participants raised $3,000. HSC’s Indies went national 19 years ago in 1996, and they have since raised well over $1 million for the HD community. Now, as Canada's largest fundraising Go-Kart event, this fun-filled, volunteer-led day is dedicated to Canadian families whose lives are affected by Huntington disease.

An Indy Go-Kart Challenge is a great family event where people of all ages can have a great time while raising money for a great cause. Kick off the next school year with a fun day for the family!

Ride for a Cure: Straight from the Horse’s Mouth

The Ride for a Cure trail ride took place on August 29^th, and it was the 6^th year of the event! If you love nature, community, and supporting a great cause, this event is perfect for you. In the last 6 years, the event has expanded in terms of participants, supporters, and even the weekend surrounding the day of the trail ride.

When this event was first created, the Peace Country Chapter decided to focus on one big event, and using their strengths and connections in this small community, they found that a trail ride would be a good fit with their target audience and sponsors. Since then, the event has an added chili cook-off the night before the event as well as a pancake breakfast the morning after for those who choose to camp overnight.

The 20km trail is beautiful, leading through creeks and forests. Some individuals even choose to run or hike the trail instead of ride on horse-back. Every so often, there is an informational sign along the trail to learn more about Huntington disease. Organizer, Mack Erno believes that this event has brought a lot of awareness to the area, “Some even save their donation dollars specifically for our cause”.

The growing event has close to 140 riders and 250 supporters for dinner at the event. People often come from as far as 5 hours away, and Bev Heim-Myers, CEO of HSC is a regular guest. in 2015, the event even had a friend from China coming to participate! Through mostly word of mouth, their website and Facebook page, Peace Country brings together this small community to do great things for those affected by HD.

TeamHD: We Have a New Landing Page!

TeamHD had a few changes in 2015, going from the National Running Team of Huntington Society of Canada to a more inclusive team of volunteers, organizers, participants and donors. With these changes came a whole new opportunity to get involved and create events for HSC.

To take advantage of this opportunity, we wanted to create a hub for all things TeamHD, and so we are excited to present to you our new landing page! At TeamHD.ca, you can find everything you need to be a part of our team. Learn about us, register for events, follow us on Facebook, read tips for fundraising, and see a list of FAQs in case you have a question.

Most importantly, we have a way to start a new event! First, fill out our online form that asks all the important questions. Once you’re finished, the form will be submitted to us and we can go from there having all the information we need to help you! Our hope is that this makes the process more streamlined and will encourage more people to organize events in their community.

Another great thing about the new landing page is that it can be used to promote events too! If one of your friends or potential donors wants to know more about HSC events and TeamHD, sending them to TeamHD.ca can give them the information they need to become part of the team too by participating or donating to the cause.

Go check out our new landing page! We hope you enjoy it.

Event Promotion: Videos

Looking through a Facebook photo album is a great way to get a feel of how an event went and see how much fun was had by those who attended. This event season, we received a lot of great photos from organizers and participants to share with the teamHD community! From the likes and comments they got on our Facebook group, it looked like everyone enjoyed going through and engaging with the event, whether they were able to attend or not.

Here at the National Office, we have not only received photos and videos from the community (such as the Coachman’s Cove Walk and Climb to Conquer events in Newfoundland), we made some as well. Using photos and videos taken at events by staff, participants, organizers, and volunteers, we created videos for the Durham Region Flag Raisings, the Toronto GEMS Walk, and Bert’s 362 KM Run for HD!

Here are some examples of how you can promote your event:

17th Annual GEMS Walk, Toronto, 2015
2015 Coachman's Cove Walk

Videos are a great way to not only reflect on how the event went this year, but also to promote the event next year and for years to come! Using simple video applications on your personal computer like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, you can make a photo slideshow with effects and music to go along! You can also take video clips from the event and cut and paste them to make something similar to a movie trailer. There are some great templates that can make it quick and easy to create promotional material.

Things to share in your video can include, but are not limited to:

• Date and location of the event
• Photos of notable attendees
• Games/activities offered at the event
• Fundraising total
• Testimonials
• Photos of people wearing HD swag

Do you have photos or videos you would like to share with us from any of the events this season? We would love to help you with ideas of how you can use your success this year to expand and promote for the next! For support, email events@huntingtonsociety.ca.

Climb to Conquer: Reaching the Peak of Community

The Climb to Conquer event took place in Pasadena, Newfoundland on June 27^th, 2015. The group of around 100 people from the Pasadena area came out to climb and walk for Huntington Disease. With the use of personal Facebook pages organizer, Rich Wheeler promoted this event to his friends, family, and business contacts with help from a fitness partner.

Climb to Conquer combined the walk event and climb event this year, with about 50 participants in each. The climbers climbed to the top of Killdevil Mountain in about 2 hours, took photos and had refreshments at the top, and began their descent. Once safely at the bottom, the climbers met at the local Lion’s club with the walkers who had just finished their 5 km walk around town for a barbeque and prizes. This event had a goal of $5,000 and blew it out of the water with $12,000!

Rich has received tremendous feedback from this event.  Everyone enjoyed the day and there was an opportunity to spread awareness to those who did not know about HD.  Rich’s wife, Ruby is the only person in the community with HD so awareness is a very important component at Climb to Conquer.

“Seeing the support from friends and family who participate is a real satisfaction for me. Sometimes when a person is facing a fatal disease they feel they are alone. We have so much support here from people who just stop us when we walk.” – Rich Wheeler

Rich and Ruby have been involved in organizing events since 2013, and have since organized climbs, as they live in the hiking capital of Newfoundland! They have also started brainstorming a new cross country hike event for next year in the Gros Morne area followed by a social/dance.

“I try to personally thank each and every person who participates. I thanked one lady on the climb when she reached the bottom. I said that it was a tough climb, and thanks for coming along. She said, ‘It wasn’t tough compared to what Ruby is facing with HD’. That says it all!” – Rich Wheeler

To see photos from Climb to Conquer, click here. 

Killdevil Mountain is a 1,837 ft / 560 m mountain peak near Pasadena, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Based on peakery data, it ranks as the 99th highest mountain in Newfoundland and Labrador and the 9418th highest mountain in Canada. See the Killdevil Mountain map, 3D fly around, and the Killdevil Mountain photos to get a better sense of the mountain.

See more at: http://peakery.com/killdevil-mountain-canada/#sthash.ieSYIGWE.dpuf

Fundraising Pages: Tips and Tricks

The Chapters of the Huntington Society of Canada host numerous fundraising events that raise approximately one million dollars every year for the cause. This amazing feat is accomplished in part by participants utilizing an online fundraising system for a number of these events. The system is a great way to connect with donors, keep donations organized, and track your progress. We chatted with a few of our most successful fundraisers about their online practices to put together tips and tricks on how to make the fundraising experience simple and successful!

It is important to personalize your fundraising page. Inserting a photo of yourself or your family can have an impact on potential donors. Many of our fundraisers also include a write up about their personal connection with Huntington disease and why the HSC mission is important to you. Feel free to share as much or as little of your personal story as you are comfortable with.

It is also helpful for donors to understand how their donations are being used. Adding a sentence or two about HSC’s efforts in providing care for HD-affected families and funding cutting edge research can also make donors feel confident about their gift.

Reach out to your friends, family, co-workers, and others that you know. You can include some of what is on your personal page, your fundraising goal, and other information relevant to the event. Many of our participants have experienced generous donations from peripheral contacts who were unaware of the disease, or their connection to it. Some fundraisers have found that they have regular donors that they can rely on year after year. These fundraisers receive positive feedback, thanking them for updates and expressing their excitement for the upcoming event.

The right timing for emails is also very important. If they are sent too far in advance, people may forget. Two to three weeks before the event has proved to be a good time, but you will know what is best for your contacts. Don’t be afraid to send a follow-up email. Some really appreciate the reminder!

Remember to email the donors right away to thank them and always send a follow-up email with photos of the event and the fundraising total. This is important to maintain a good relationship and show how much their support meant.

The Huntington Society of Canada will be introducing a new fundraising system this summer and will be supplying materials to help you learn the new system and succeed in your fundraising goals. Stay tuned for more information and thank you for all the hard work you do to raise money for those affected by Huntington disease.

*The Huntington Society of Canada (HSC) recognizes that some individuals at-risk for HD may choose not to share their personal stories, as genetic information is not protected in Canada. Genetic test results can be used to the detriment of an individual by insurance companies and employers in Canada. The Society is advocating for genetic fairness in Canada, however, at this time, protection is not in place. Choosing to share for the purpose of fundraising is a personal decision. If you have questions concerning this topic, the Society encourages you to reach out to our National Office at 1 800 998 7398.

Toronto Run & Hike for Huntington Disease: Community Coming Together

The Toronto Run & Hike for Huntington Disease is historically, the most highly attended fundraising hosted by a Huntington Society Chapter, attracting not only family and friends of those affected by HD but connected individuals from the medical community, research community and beyond. This event is a time for the larger community to come together and connect over their shared goal and passion of helping to create a world without Huntington disease.

Though the Toronto Run & Hike for HD is jam packed with fun, it distinguishes itself from many fun-runs by providing chip timing for their running participants. Serious runners have even come from beyond Ontario, and even Canada to the run to time themselves and help with the cause. Still, most participants are families coming together for a fun run and to raise money for Huntington disease research and services provided by HSC. Familiar faces from the medical and research community in Toronto have included Dr. Mark Guttman, a Toronto Neurologist and Clare Gibbons of the Genetics Program at North York General Hospital. CEO of the Huntington Society of Canada, Bev Heim-Myers is also usually in attendance to welcome participants and cheer them on.

Check out pictures of the 2015 Toronto Run  at Wilket Creek Park here to see the community of those who are passionate about ending Huntington disease!