Dear Team Iowa members,
Our computers/emails are back up and running again (I hope). I have several things to talk about today.
(1) PJ Wyatt – Many of you on this list know PJ. He has been an avid basketball player on our team for the past couple of Games. PJ lives in Cedar Rapids and is a schoolteacher. Recently, his kidney failed. On Monday, February 25, 2008 he received a new kidney at the U of I. If anybody would like to send him a card, he is staying at his mom’s at 514 – 15th Avenue N., Clinton, IA 52732. His mother has asked all of us to say a prayer for the donor family and their loss. From the whole team – “PJ, we wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you at the 2010 Games on the Basketball court.”
(2) Survey Monkey. If you are getting this email from me, you should have received a message from Shelley Knepper to complete a survey via survey monkey. The first question on this survey is “do you plan to attend the 2008 U. S. Transplant Games.” You need to answer “yes” or “no.” If you answer “no,” that is the end of your survey. If you answer “yes”, you need to complete the rest of the survey – letting us know your travel plans, # people coming with you to the Games, team sports you wish to participate in, uniform sizes, etc. WE NEED EVERYBODY TO ANSWER THIS SURVEY BY NEXT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12th.
We are trying to finalize plans for the bus, the hospitality suite, an opening party and a closing party for the team, uniforms, team sports, whether or not we need to try to add more rooms to our hotel block, etc. We can’t make plans that include you in our count if we don’t hear from you.
Beginning Monday, March 17th, we will only communicate with the people who are planning to go to the Games. If you want to continue to receive important updates, you must answer the survey and let us know your intentions.
(3) HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
(4) GO TEAM IOWA!
--Diane
Friday, March 7, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Update #22: Computers down, 5K/Race Walk confusion
Please remember that our computers and emails at the NKF of Iowa office will be going down at 9:30 a.m. (Wednesday) and I don’t know when they will come back up – I will email you again when we are back in business.
Below is a message that I received Wednesday morning from National regarding the 5K event at the Games and the differentiation between athletes participating and non-athletes participating. Please read this – if you have questions, let me know after I have email again.
Managers:
The 5K at the Games is actually two events conducted concurrently. The first is a road race, which is one of the twelve sports that are being organized for transplant recipients ("Athletes") competing in the Games. The second is a run/walk for organ, eye and tissue donation awareness, which is open to all other Games participants ("Non-Athletes") and the general public.
Athletes register for the "5K Road Race" as one of the competition options in the Sports section of their registration. There is no additional charge to participate in this event and, as stated in the Upgrades section of the Athlete's registration, the public 5K Race t-shirt is not included. However, this t-shirt can be purchased as an upgrade for an additional $8.
Non-Athletes register for the "5K Race for Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Awareness" in the Upgrades section of the online registration and pay a fee of $15 thru June 5th (or $20 on race day). This fee includes a 5K t-shirt.
Below is a message that I received Wednesday morning from National regarding the 5K event at the Games and the differentiation between athletes participating and non-athletes participating. Please read this – if you have questions, let me know after I have email again.
Managers:
The 5K at the Games is actually two events conducted concurrently. The first is a road race, which is one of the twelve sports that are being organized for transplant recipients ("Athletes") competing in the Games. The second is a run/walk for organ, eye and tissue donation awareness, which is open to all other Games participants ("Non-Athletes") and the general public.
Athletes register for the "5K Road Race" as one of the competition options in the Sports section of their registration. There is no additional charge to participate in this event and, as stated in the Upgrades section of the Athlete's registration, the public 5K Race t-shirt is not included. However, this t-shirt can be purchased as an upgrade for an additional $8.
Non-Athletes register for the "5K Race for Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Awareness" in the Upgrades section of the online registration and pay a fee of $15 thru June 5th (or $20 on race day). This fee includes a 5K t-shirt.
Update #21: NKF Iowa computers down, Notes about the Games, Golf Tournament Auction items needed
For Your Information – the NKF of Iowa office has been having some computer problems. We are having an IT consultant in our office today Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Our computer system will go down approximately 9:30 a.m. – and when it comes back up, nobody knows. So, I would suggest that you DO NOT email us until I send out another update and assure you that we are back up and running. If you send us emails before notification that we are back in business, you risk that we will never get the message. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
I want to commend most of you! Many of you have navigated the on-line registration system and successfully registered and made your hotel reservation within our Team Iowa block of rooms. Congratulations! Some of you have contacted the NKF of Iowa office and requested help with registration – we have already registered several of you this way. For the rest of you….. Please do not procrastinate. Early bird registration runs through the month of March – until March 31st. We need all of you to register by then to avoid extra registration fees and penalties. Please, please get on-line and attempt to register. If you need help, give us a call or email us to set up a time for us to take your registration over the phone. You do not need to come to the office to do this – we can easily handle this over the phone. We are here to help you in any way we can. If you have registration questions, please ask them – you know what they say, “the only dumb questions are the ones you don’t ask.”
Updates from National regarding the Games:
(1) CHILDREN'S COMPETITIONS AT THE GAMES
As a general rule, athletes will compete by gender in the following age
groups: 17-and-under, 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and
70 and over. This means that children may participate in virtually every competition being contested at the Games. Due to the popularity of badminton, bowling, table tennis and certain events in swimming and track and field with children, we have subdivided the 17-and-under category into the following age groups for these events: 2-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-17. In addition, we will conduct special competitions specifically for younger children (14-and-under), including the 1K in Cycling (rather than the 5K), 25m freestyle in Swimming (rather than the 50m) and 50m dash in Track and Field (rather than the 100m).
While actual event times are subject to change, every effort has been made to arrange a schedule that will allow children to participate in Kids' Time activities and youth competitions.
(2) SPORTS RULES & FORMATS: For additional details regarding 2008 Games sports rules and formats, please visit http://www.kidney.org/news/tgames/usgames/pdf/2008RulesDraft.pdf.
(3) 2008 MEDICAL WAIVER FORM
The 2008 Medical Form has been posted on the Team Managers' Resource Page. Please be sure that the form is filled out in its entirety for each athlete so that they can be accepted and approved. Most common reasons for returned medical waivers are:
* Physician's approval is more than four months prior to the event. (Prior to March 11th for this year's Games)
* Missing Blood Pressure
* Missing indication of athlete being/not being diabetic
* Missing indication by the Doctor of the athlete's level of clearance for in the Games (marking A, B, or C)
* Physician did not sign and/or date the form
(4) STAR SEARCH (AUDITION TAPES) - LAST CALL
It's not too late to submit tapes/cd's/performance materials to us!!! We have extended the deadline for all talent submissions to Friday, March 7, 2008.
We are currently scouting for transplant recipients, living donors and/or donor family members to sing or otherwise perform at the Opening and Closing ceremonies and other programs such as the Donor Recognition Ceremony and Living Donor Recognition Event being held as a part of the NKF 2008 U.S. Transplant Games. Please encourage your most talented team members and/or family members to send an audio or video audition tape
to:
Verena Huetteneder
National Kidney Foundation
30 East 33rd St.
New York, NY 10016
Tell your team members "YOU CAN BE A STAR AT THE GAMES!!!!" Any questions can be directed to verenah@kidney.org.
(5) ATTENDEE PROFILES
It is important for us to receive interesting athlete, living donor and donor stories, which allow us to "put a face" on organ donation, transplantation and the Games. Please ask your team members to submit their profiles on the Games Web site. They could be selected to be featured in a Games media story and/or the program's home page. They can simply go to www.transplantgames.org
click on athlete, living donor or donor family profile form (above rotating photos).
That’s all that is new news from National.
FROM TEAM IOWA STAFF AND VOLUNTEER MANAGERS:
(1) SURVEYS
Shelley has reported that less than one-half of you have completed the survey sent to you via survey monkey. Please, within the next couple of days – meaning this week – get this survey completed. You know what they say, “we are only as strong as our weakest link.” We need each of you to do your small part so that we can take care of the big picture for the team. We are trying to form teams, match up bowling partners, acquire uniform size needs, organize the bus, etc. and we need your help to do all of this.
(2) ITO AUCTION ITEMS
Some of your fellow team members that live in and around Muscatine will be holding the second annual Iowa Transplant Open Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 31st. They are asking for your help. Can any of you secure auction items?
Some ideas: a team member living in Dubuque could get an overnight stay at the Dubuque Hotel with the indoor waterpark and a gift certificate from Pizza Hut. These two items could be packaged together and sold as a weekend getaway to Dubuque for a family.
A team Iowa member that lives in Des Moines could do the same sort of thing – think of places that a visitor might want to go – ask them to donate tickets – add a night or two at a hotel and some restaurant gift certificates.
Maybe you have something at home you could donate – an antique piece of furniture, a piece of jewelry?
Are you an artist? Do you make a special dish? Do you have a special craft or hobby? Do you know somebody that owns a business? Ask them to donate to this event.
This is a great way for some of you who still need to earn scholarship points to help out. You can do it at your own time, in your own community, and there is no limit to what you can secure for the live and silent auction. Items need to be identified by the first of May so if you are interested – you have two months to work on this.
If you have some ideas, or need some ideas, contact me and we’ll discuss it.
(3) REMEMBER – no computers or email at the NKF of Iowa office from 9:30 a.m. March 5 until further notice.
GO TEAM IOWA!
--Diane
I want to commend most of you! Many of you have navigated the on-line registration system and successfully registered and made your hotel reservation within our Team Iowa block of rooms. Congratulations! Some of you have contacted the NKF of Iowa office and requested help with registration – we have already registered several of you this way. For the rest of you….. Please do not procrastinate. Early bird registration runs through the month of March – until March 31st. We need all of you to register by then to avoid extra registration fees and penalties. Please, please get on-line and attempt to register. If you need help, give us a call or email us to set up a time for us to take your registration over the phone. You do not need to come to the office to do this – we can easily handle this over the phone. We are here to help you in any way we can. If you have registration questions, please ask them – you know what they say, “the only dumb questions are the ones you don’t ask.”
Updates from National regarding the Games:
(1) CHILDREN'S COMPETITIONS AT THE GAMES
As a general rule, athletes will compete by gender in the following age
groups: 17-and-under, 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and
70 and over. This means that children may participate in virtually every competition being contested at the Games. Due to the popularity of badminton, bowling, table tennis and certain events in swimming and track and field with children, we have subdivided the 17-and-under category into the following age groups for these events: 2-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-17. In addition, we will conduct special competitions specifically for younger children (14-and-under), including the 1K in Cycling (rather than the 5K), 25m freestyle in Swimming (rather than the 50m) and 50m dash in Track and Field (rather than the 100m).
While actual event times are subject to change, every effort has been made to arrange a schedule that will allow children to participate in Kids' Time activities and youth competitions.
(2) SPORTS RULES & FORMATS: For additional details regarding 2008 Games sports rules and formats, please visit http://www.kidney.org/news/tgames/usgames/pdf/2008RulesDraft.pdf.
(3) 2008 MEDICAL WAIVER FORM
The 2008 Medical Form has been posted on the Team Managers' Resource Page. Please be sure that the form is filled out in its entirety for each athlete so that they can be accepted and approved. Most common reasons for returned medical waivers are:
* Physician's approval is more than four months prior to the event. (Prior to March 11th for this year's Games)
* Missing Blood Pressure
* Missing indication of athlete being/not being diabetic
* Missing indication by the Doctor of the athlete's level of clearance for in the Games (marking A, B, or C)
* Physician did not sign and/or date the form
(4) STAR SEARCH (AUDITION TAPES) - LAST CALL
It's not too late to submit tapes/cd's/performance materials to us!!! We have extended the deadline for all talent submissions to Friday, March 7, 2008.
We are currently scouting for transplant recipients, living donors and/or donor family members to sing or otherwise perform at the Opening and Closing ceremonies and other programs such as the Donor Recognition Ceremony and Living Donor Recognition Event being held as a part of the NKF 2008 U.S. Transplant Games. Please encourage your most talented team members and/or family members to send an audio or video audition tape
to:
Verena Huetteneder
National Kidney Foundation
30 East 33rd St.
New York, NY 10016
Tell your team members "YOU CAN BE A STAR AT THE GAMES!!!!" Any questions can be directed to verenah@kidney.org.
(5) ATTENDEE PROFILES
It is important for us to receive interesting athlete, living donor and donor stories, which allow us to "put a face" on organ donation, transplantation and the Games. Please ask your team members to submit their profiles on the Games Web site. They could be selected to be featured in a Games media story and/or the program's home page. They can simply go to www.transplantgames.org
click on athlete, living donor or donor family profile form (above rotating photos).
That’s all that is new news from National.
FROM TEAM IOWA STAFF AND VOLUNTEER MANAGERS:
(1) SURVEYS
Shelley has reported that less than one-half of you have completed the survey sent to you via survey monkey. Please, within the next couple of days – meaning this week – get this survey completed. You know what they say, “we are only as strong as our weakest link.” We need each of you to do your small part so that we can take care of the big picture for the team. We are trying to form teams, match up bowling partners, acquire uniform size needs, organize the bus, etc. and we need your help to do all of this.
(2) ITO AUCTION ITEMS
Some of your fellow team members that live in and around Muscatine will be holding the second annual Iowa Transplant Open Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 31st. They are asking for your help. Can any of you secure auction items?
Some ideas: a team member living in Dubuque could get an overnight stay at the Dubuque Hotel with the indoor waterpark and a gift certificate from Pizza Hut. These two items could be packaged together and sold as a weekend getaway to Dubuque for a family.
A team Iowa member that lives in Des Moines could do the same sort of thing – think of places that a visitor might want to go – ask them to donate tickets – add a night or two at a hotel and some restaurant gift certificates.
Maybe you have something at home you could donate – an antique piece of furniture, a piece of jewelry?
Are you an artist? Do you make a special dish? Do you have a special craft or hobby? Do you know somebody that owns a business? Ask them to donate to this event.
This is a great way for some of you who still need to earn scholarship points to help out. You can do it at your own time, in your own community, and there is no limit to what you can secure for the live and silent auction. Items need to be identified by the first of May so if you are interested – you have two months to work on this.
If you have some ideas, or need some ideas, contact me and we’ll discuss it.
(3) REMEMBER – no computers or email at the NKF of Iowa office from 9:30 a.m. March 5 until further notice.
GO TEAM IOWA!
--Diane
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