Save the Date!

We have a planning meeting on Tuesday, November 17th at 6:30pm!  Mark your calendars now so you won't miss it! For location and details, leave a comment here with your e-mail address or e-mail any board member.  Hope to see you there!

Brent Bays Foundation - "What can I do to help?" (An email that was originally sent 10/28)

Hello Everyone!
I just wanted to send out an update to all of you so that (hopefully) you will feel like you are "in the loop" even if you did not make it to our meeting last night.  If you did make it, thank you for coming - you've been included on this e-mail so that you know what I'm sending to the rest of our volunteers... Hopefully what I type here is accurate and up to speed. If you have something to add please let me know!  Your input is always welcome...

Please pass this on to anybody and everybody who might be interested in taking part in this adventure.

Alright, so to those of you who could not make it to our very first meeting last night, you were missed!  You are still vitally important to the success of this mission.  If you are wondering how you can help, here are just a few suggestions:

- If you want to know what in the world is going on, please consider reading through the blog at http://brentbays5k.blogspot.com/ and getting up to date information there. There is also a group on facebook that is updated very regularly with information as it comes available. If you would like to be a member of the facebook group, please let us know and we will be happy to invite you to it!
- If you would like to help the board ask businesses for sponsorship donations, please contact the Sponsorship Committee Co-Chairs. (see below)
- If you would like to help with creating an overall budget, overseeing the foundations spending, and making financial recommendations to volunteers on the board, please contact the Finance Chair.
- If you would like to help with promoting the event and creating/distributing/publishing/gaining advertising materials, and ordering t-shirts, please contact the Media Committee Co-Chairs.
- If you would like to volunteer on event day (such as with registration, giving out water, manning the swag tent, being a course marshal, etc. etc. etc.) please us know and we will add you to a list of event day volunteers, and you will be contacted again as Spring approaches.
- If you would like to help with logistical planning of the race (such as hiring a timing company, obtaining race bibs, acquiring supplies - like trash bags/cans and orange cones, etc., working with public safety, etc. etc.) please contact the Chair or Vice Chair of the Board.
- If you just want to be on every event-related email list, reply to this message and let me know.  With this, you can be informed of new committees and tasks that come up as we form them as needed.  This might help you find a place to jump in if something isn't already grabbing your attention.
- If you would like to be removed from this e-mail list, please say a quick prayer for us and then let me know :) I promise not to bug you anymore!
- If you have ideas or areas of concern, or any special gifts/talents that are not listed here, please reply to this email and give us your ideas! We welcome all the help we can get.

As we progress, the plan is to form committees of people who can work together to get these big jobs done. Your response to this email, including your taking of the initiative to contact a chairperson, will not necessarily put you into a deeply committed role. Your involvement with this project depends on how much you want to be involved.  You can take these suggestions and run with them, or you can read over them and pray about them for us. No matter your commitment level, you are deeply appreciated and needed!

I've found myself with a pretty good sized to-do list.  :)  I hope this email helps bring everybody up to speed!  Let me know what questions you have, and I will do my best to find an answer for you.
Thank you so much for being an important part of this project!

In Christ,
Maggie Truitt

Maggie Truitt	maggietruitt@gmail.com	Co-Chair
Rich Truitt	rtrui2t@gmail.com	Co-Chair
Rachel Mestad	kansas7258@aol.com	Co-Chair of Media
Heather Shirley	Heather.Shirley@jocogov.org	Co-Chair of Media
Dena Ranz	dena.ranz@danisco.com	Co-Chair of Sponsorship
Michelle Walker	mlw@stowers.org	Co-Chair of Sponsorship
Valerie Meade	Valerie.Meade@jocogov.org	Secretary
Cara Duchesne	caraduchesne@yahoo.com	Treasurer

We are official! We have bylaws and other legal necessities!

The Brent Bays 5K organization is now officially recognized as the "Brent Bays Foundation."

Our meeting last night was wonderful. God was undoubtedly with us as eight of us met around a dining room table and discussed this adventure we are on.

This Foundation that we are establishing has potential to turn into something wildly positive in the Gardner community (and beyond!). We are making a commitment to support and love Brent Bays and his family through our volunteerism and hard work, but we have also committed to helping better the world through this foundation. With God as our guide, we agreed that the Brent Bays Foundation would be the groundwork needed to help other people who are battling cancer and facing financial stress because of it. With Brent's blessing, we are making a foundation in his honor that will not only benefit him and his family - but could possibly help Gardner families for generations to come.

How thrilling it is to be a part of something like this!

Minutes from last night's meeting will give you a detailed picture of what last night's meeting was like. For now, you'll have to settle with my very random, very broad, and very objective bullet points:

• We have elected officers! We officially have a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Co-Chairs of a Media Committee and Co-Chairs of a Sponsorship Committee. 
•  We have some dates!  I won't publicly broadcast the dates just yet, but you should know that we narrowed it down to three and will chose a date based on convenience and location. 
• We have a route - three, actually! We voted on three locations for the 5K event, and will nail down a definite route very soon. That, also, will be EXCITEDLY broadcast as soon as possible. :)
• We have general guidelines for Sponsorship solicitations.  This will be shared publicly as soon as the board of directors approves a final draft. Our hope is that anybody and everybody will help us obtain corporate and individual sponsors!
• We have Bylaws!  Although this is not my favorite part of being on a board of directors (by any means), adopting bylaws as a group is essential.  We all signed the official bylaws. Click HERE to check them out!
• We are going to have a super cool logo that will probably be designed by a Gardner 3rd grader or 8th grader!!
  

As I said, these are just a few of the exciting things we talked about - and taking a look at the meeting minutes would be your best bet if you are looking for some more detailed information. I just wanted to update the blog to let everybody know about our progress! I honestly cannot contain my excitement. What an honor it is to be a part of something like this.  God worked through Brent to help us dream and to encourage us to act on our dreams.  Amazing!

Please leave a comment here if you have any questions or concerns.... or if you just want to send a quick note of encouragement! Your prayers are needed and much appreciated!

A note to blog readers

Thanks for checking out the blog. Just that you come by to read updates means a lot to us - as it means that we are on your mind and possibly in your prayers as we embark on this adventure.

Please see this blog as a filing cabinet of sorts. It's a place where we will store information for the general public - so that you can follow our progress with the planning of this 5K event.

If you read something here that speaks to you, please never hesitate to email a board member for more information.

Again, I thank you for coming by! Comments are always welcome. :)

Brent Bays 5K - The First Meeting (Email originally sent out 10/22/09)

Greetings Team!


I had a very encouraging meeting with the director of Gardner Parks & Rec yesterday. Jeff knows and loves Brent Bays and is very supportive of this project. He gave me some wonderful tips and ideas - I can't wait to share them with all of you!


Our first meeting for the Brent Bays 5K will be this coming Tuesday, October 27th at 6:00pm. We will be meeting at: (location retracted). This first meeting is very important in order for us to move forward with our non-profit status. During this meeting, we will establish ourselves as a "board" - which simply means we will commit ourselves to the project as a unified people, working together to raise money for a single charitable cause: to benefit Brent Bays and his family financially.


I am asking that you reply to this email with your RSVP for Tuesday's meeting. If I do not get an e-mail response by 3pm on Friday, I will try to call and touch base with you. I want to make sure you are committed, or - if you've changed your mind - I want to make sure that I do not take any more of your time with e-mails like this one in the future.


If you are planning to come on Tuesday, please take some time to look over three important documents. The first one is the Agenda for Tuesday's meeting. As a non-profit organization, we are required to send agendas out at least three days in advance. You have the opportunity to look it over and let me know if you feel that there is anything that needs to be added to the agenda. Agenda here:(link retracted)


The second thing I want to bring to your attention is our bylaws. The bylaws are simply rules that we will follow so that we can maintain a non-profit status. We will be voting on these bylaws at the meeting on Tuesday, and each person at the meeting will be asked to sign them, indicating your agreement. It's all just a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo - but it's very important to us as we proceed. Bylaws here: (link retracted)


Lastly, please look over the descriptions of the officer positions. Again, electing officers on our board is necessary so that we can maintain a non-profit organization status. This is a document that I created by cutting/pasting descriptions from the bylaws, and then adding my own interpretation as it relates to our purpose. If you have questions about the officer positions, please feel free to e-mail me anytime. Officer positions here: (link retracted)


Here is a very important note: As you look over the officer/chair positions, you may feel pulled to volunteer for one of the positions. If you feel yourself being called into one of the designated officer, please let me know ASAP. It is important to me that you are serving in an area where you are comfortable, and able to thrive. I would never ask anybody to volunteer for a task that they hate. Likewise, I want to know what kind of tasks you love, so that we can hook you up with something that gets you excited and keeps you motivated!


I realize that e-mail can seem very impersonal, but I want you to know that I've prayed for each and every one of you. Brent and Sarah Bays have touched many lives in our community. As I work on this project and start talking to people in Gardner, I am amazed at how many people know Brent and/or Sarah and are in full support of helping this fund raiser succeed. It's deeply humbling to be a part of something like this. Your participation is genuinely, greatly appreciated.


Hope to see you Tuesday! Don't forget to reply right now if you know you can come!

Thanks everyone!


Maggie Truitt

Formation Meeting

In order to establish a non-profit organization, a formation meeting must be held. During this meeting, folks who are committed to being on the board of directors will adopt functional titles. Meeting everybody's busy schedule demands is a challenge!



Below is an email that was sent on 10/12/09:

We will meet two weeks from Tuesday, on October 27th at 6:00 pm. I hope you can make it! I decided to push the meeting back because we are meeting with Gardner Parks and Rec on Weds the 21st and I will have more information for you after that meeting.
When we meet on Tuesday, 10/27, we will talk about the titled positions (mentioned in the previous email below) and we will talk about the next steps to take.

I will email and/or call each of you to remind you of this very important FIRST MEETING that is scheduled for Tuesday 10/27 at 6:00 pm.

Thank you!

The Beginning (an e-mail sent 10/9/09)

Friends,
Thank you for your consideration in helping with the Brent Bays 5K event planning. The idea to plan a major event started as a dream, began as some brainstorming sessions, and is starting to look like something that will become a reality. I feel like I'm serving God directly when I dive into prayer and begin sending emails and pitching the idea to others. It's exciting, it's a little scary, and it's incredibly humbling.

Rich and I have been trying to get our feet on the ground, and are underway with the first step in planning - which is to create a 501 (c) 3 (non-profit) organization. Part of the process to become a non-profit organization is to have an established board of directors. That is, a group of people who are committed to volunteer time and energy to further our cause.

For our purposes, we are looking for volunteers who are willing to jump into specific roles: such as secretary, treasurer, media coordinator, and design director. Each of these roles would require a few hours of volunteer work per month until Jan-Feb, and then weekly meetings/efforts after that until event day. If you choose to accept a titled position within the non-profit organization, you are committing to help with the overall effort of the 5K event, but will be responsible for the duties associated with your role. I'd like to talk face-to-face about the specific roles we can take on, perhaps during a meeting next week. Rich and I are available on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evening of next week. If that is too soon, we are also available next Saturday, the 17th. If you are able to come to our first meeting for the Brent Bays 5K, please reply with a day/time you are available. We will do our best to accommodate everybody.

I'm also still pitching our idea to folks at New Life and, (hopefully by word of mouth) we will reach the baseball community here, too. Please DO let us know if you know of other people who may be committed to helping us with the process. I think that finding people to volunteer at the event and for smaller to-do items leading up to the event will be pretty easy to do. Brent has touched SO MANY lives in our community. It's the formation of our board that we are working on for now. Having 8-10 committed members on board seems ideal right now.

We are working primarily from a document we found online called "Organizing a 5K." That document, for anybody who is interested, can be found at www.woofinhoofin.org

After we get a non-profit secured, we will begin working with a time line and a budget, as well as (obviously) finding sponsors and getting donations from the community.

I got a message from Brent this morning that had me in puddles of tears. He is very thankful for this effort and seems deeply humbled by the amount of support we have for this dream. :) They've arrived safely at the Mayo clinic and are going through their first appointments today. Please pray!

I have to tell you - I am really excited about this. I have hope and prayer that this fund raising event will be successful and meaningful for the Bays family, but I also have confidence and certainty that this process is bringing me closer to God. Thanks for joining us on this wild ride!!

In Christ,
Maggie