One of the least obvious aspects of what an advocate does is the actual planning of fundraising events. In order to continue our mission of educating and advocating on behalf of those with Tourette Syndrome, we need to raise funds. For me, I chose to plan a track and field event. However, planning the event, the logistics of supplies, organization, and scheduling, were all challenges I had to overcome.
Coming up with the idea wasn’t actually as hard as one would think. I had recently built a new circle for shotput and discus and wanted to try it out and show it off, and a meet was the best way to do that. When considering how it would be run, NJCTS came to mind and I figured a fundraiser would be the perfect way to run it.
My meet was specifically for shot put and discus, two events where heavy implements will be thrown. Sometimes, the implements can be thrown off course, and people need to be careful in order to keep safe, so I had to be extremely careful with regulating safety at the event.
Secondly, there were many supplies needed for the event. Refreshments for the attendees, and towels for dirty implements, needed to be kept in stock. While usually the simplest problem to solve, it can sometimes be complex, as when attendance is far greater than planned, there must still be refreshments or people’s experience will be degraded. Ensuring I stocked extra of everything in anticipation of this was key to preventing an otherwise inevitable shortage.
Next, the organizing of when people will throw was a challenge. A standard track meet has everyone throw in order, and take anywhere from 3-6 throws, one participant after the other. In the case of meets with many people however, there will sometimes be multiple sequences of participants so that not everyone is waiting an extremely long time in between throws. Deciding how many sequences to do was tough, as not everyone who attended had signed up in advance, However, with a fundraiser, you never want to turn people away, regardless of whether they signed up. So, we decided to wait until shortly after the scheduled start time to count up how many people we had, and in the end, two sequences was the perfect number.
Finally, and believe it or not, the most difficult, is determining the date of the event. I had some trouble as people leave for college, take summer trips, or have other commitments. It can be hard to find days where you, the participants and the extra help (officials and coaches) are all free. While it is impossible to find a date where EVERYONE is available, you do your best to find a date for the majority.
While planning an event may be difficult at times, it is challenging, but fun. It is a fulfilling activity and leads to benefits for not only you and your organization, but the participants who had fun at the event.
Nicholas Strausbaugh is a member of the NJCTS Youth Council, and a TS Advocate and mentor.