Become A Champion

Our champions are people who have taken on the cause to find a cure. They are families grieving the loss of a family member. They are friends and loved ones affected by the disease. They are concerned companies and committed students. They help this quest for a cure by …

• making their own personal donations
• sponsoring conferences
• hosting memorial golf tournaments
• organizing other charity events
• asking their communities to make donations in lieu of gifts for birthdays and anniversaries
• creating corporate programs for matching employee donations

Read some of the inspiring stories about our champions to get ideas for how you can make a difference, too.

Wells Fargo Bank
Each branch of Wells Fargo is given an annual donation budget and each branch manager is allowed to choose a local charity each year that will receive the donation. Since Wells Fargo and most other banks throughout the United States have a donation budget, this is an excellent opportunity for champions across the country who have a passion for raising funds for research. Visit your local bank and inquire with the branch manager.

50th Anniversary Party
One couple hosted their 50-year anniversary party, whereby all guests were asked to consider a donation to medical research in lieu of a gift. They summed up their thoughts as follows: “We wanted to celebrate this event with our family and friends, but at this point in our lives we don’t need any more stuff’. We decided to use this opportunity to channel the generosity of our friends and relatives to the cause we are most passionate about. We thought that this was a great way to enjoy our anniversary party with donations going to research. Our idea was a tremendous success.”

Awake-A-Thon
High School KEY Clubs organize many fund raising activities. One of the most unique is what they call an annual Awake-A-Thon where students come to the school gymnasium and participate in various activities throughout the night. KEY (Kiwanis Educating Youth) is a part of Kiwanis International, an organization striving to educate young men and women to volunteer spare time in their local communities. This organization develops and mentors youth as leaders, builds playgrounds, raises awareness or funds for research, and undertakes many more local projects. No problem is ever too big or too small for KEY Clubs!

Charity Golf Tournament
Many companies sponsor an annual charity golf tournament with the proceeds going to their charity of choice. Golfers are charged a fee to cover golf, cart, dinner and give-a-ways. Revenue comes from local companies who sponsor each golf hole, as well as certain contests and raffles that occur throughout the day.

Charity Concert
One high school student organized a Charity Concert raising over $3,400 for medical research. Here is her description of the event:
“At the actual concert, after all of the set-up, the first thing that I did was welcome everyone who attended. Then the LifeTeen Band that I am a part of sang a few songs. After that, my piano teacher, played a few pieces on the piano. When he finished, we had an intermission for about fifteen minutes so that the audience could enjoy the refreshments we had provided. After the intermission I talked a little bit about why I decided to hold the concert. I had to do a community service project for my Government class, so I decided that it would be a good idea to host a concert that would help fund research.

A One Man Bike Ride
There was a Man, and there was a Charity Golf Tournament. The man decided to play in the Golf Tournament. He then made another choice — to ride his bike 50 miles from his office to the Golf Course prior to tee-off. He asked around for a few individual sponsors, and things took off from there! He simply had an idea, acted upon it, and raised over $7,500. His simple idea showed us: anything is possible if enough people care.

Do You Have an Idea ?