Successful Weekend

Human Race was a great success, to say the least! Although overall they raised less than last year, it was only a small percentage difference, and considering the economy it was a great accomplishment! When I arrived around 7:15am, the place was already packed! Over 50 different organizations had booths set up with information about their companies, as well as "freebies" to hand out. Many of them also had food and drinks for all of the runners and for other participants. United Way had a great booth; right on the corner so we were very noticeable. Our booth drew a lot of people, thanks in large part to our prize wheel! We had a wheel that people could spin their first time for free, and then the second time for $1. Some of the prizes consisted of a LIVE UNITED T-shirt, a cd, a sticker, a wristband, and the most desired - a yellow cow bell. The cow bells were also used for the Amgen Tour of California back in January and were a huge hit with the little kids! Some of the staff members working the booth, and I am sure parents as well, would agree the bells got pretty loud, pretty quickly! The line to spin the prize wheel was far longer than any other line though - we definitely engaged the crowds and brought awareness to our booth and initiatives. We were also selling the cow bells and LIVE UNITED shirts which were successful, and we also had pamphlets, fliers, magnets and business cards for 2-1-1, Healthy Kids and our regular United Way newsletter.
Me and Isaiah, the other intern, walked the Human Race course holding United Way branded signs. We were hoping to get people to notice the signs and brand, which would gain awareness to United Way and Healthy Kids. It was fun to be able to experience the course, even if we did just walk it. There were almost 10,000 people participating and about half of them were in unique costumes - which made it all the more entertaining. It was a great day, and we definitely made the community more aware about United Way and what we focus on.