SUBZERO HEROES 2016

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Subzero Heroes is scheduled for Saturday February 13, 2016!

Pre-registration is open by visiting this link.

MARCH 31 – your profile will move over to Walk

On March 31, 2015 your Subzero Heroes profile will be moved over to the Walk event of your choice. I was planning to do this sooner, however we still have money coming in for Subzero Heroes…I want to make sure that all the funds are done from this event before we  move.

If anyone has set up their Walk profile that’s fine, I’ll just move the money (rather than your whole profile) from Subzero to that profile when I make the March 31 move.

Join us at the Awards Ceremony on February 27th!

Awards Ceremony

Scheduled for Friday, February 27 2015 at Mahoney’s Irish Pub in Poughkeepsie, NY at 5:30 pm.  Join our Heroes to celebrate a job well done!

View event photos, relive the excitement and pick up your “Certificate of Coolness”. Enjoy appetizers and drinks provided by Mahoney’s!

The cost is $15 per person. Heroes get in FREE.
RSVP here.

What a day we had!

The numbers are in and at the moment Subzero Heroes has raised $95,000 in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease (yes this is a full $20,000 ABOVE our original goal). The bitter cold, frigid below-normal temps didn’t keep people away…far from it; we had more people there than ever before. Nobody complained about the last minute change in parking- in fact people were inspiringly cheerful and agreeable even when being told they wouldn’t be able to drive directly to the event. Truly; I’m stunned over how well things went. The funds raised, the coverage in the media, and more than anything that outstanding sense of community among the volunteers and participants are all whatmakes this event the show-stopping good time that it has been since we held the first jump five years ago. Everything all just fell into place.

Some thank-yous:

I’d like to thank all of the companies who sponsored the event, especially WBPM and Bob Miller who are true champions of this event.

I’d like to thank our top three: Paul VanBlarcum, Bob Miller and Jimmy Anzalone whose combined individual fundraising efforts totaled almost $27,000.

I’d like to thank Scott Swartz and the kids from the Culinary Institute who served hot soup to our guests.

Al Baker, Kevin Svoboda and John Schlemmer, thank you for staying late to help clean up after the event.

Brendan Boyce thank you for coming up with this concept and for working behind the scenes tirelessly each year!

Thanks to all the Alzheimer’s Association staff who worked alongside everyone else to raise funds and who made this go smoothly, including Joan and Rich who headed off registration in our Poughkeepsie office and at the jump site, to Meg, Jen, Donna, Emma, Michele, Liz and of course CEO Elaine Sproat who was actually the fourth highest fundraiser at the event!

The Heroes who made it in the water, the Sidekicks at the edge of the beach, the representatives from local media outlets and all of our families and friends who came out to see the spectacle THANK YOU.

Here is a terrific video of the event. And the photos and personal footage has only started to be shared. Please don’t forget to send me your pictures and/or share them on the Subzero Heroes Facebook Page.

Two points I want to make:

Matching gifts are FREE MONEY. Find out if your corporation matches by visiting www.matchinggifts.com/alz.

I’m hoping to see you at the upcoming awards ceremony scheduled for Friday, February 27th at 5:30 at Mahoney’s Irish Pub in Poughkeepsie. There will be food and drinks – $15 per person and FREE to Heroes. Certificates will be distributed and anyone who didn’t geta t-shirt yesterday will be able to pick one up. Individuals who raised $1500 or more can pick up their Superman Level Sweatshirt as well. Follow this link to RSVP online.

Congratulations all on a job very very well done.

Off Site Parking arranged

As mentioned on the call we have some challenges this year on two fronts: #1 the enormous amount of snow that was dumped this week, and #2 the record breaking number of participants who plan to attend the jump.

We had to think creatively about parking, as the town police have made it clear that the snow is blocking access to the curb so that no cars will be allowed to park there. SO here is the plan. 

There will be TWO registration areas. The first will be AT the jump (at Berean Park on Reservoir Road in Highland) and the second will be at the Alzheimer’s Association Poughkeepsie office at 2 Jefferson Plaza in Poughkeepsie.

ALL GUESTS TO THIS EVENT SHOULD CARPOOL to cut down on the number of cars coming to the jump. Cars should first stop at Berean Park at 9:30 to drop off the individuals in their car as well as tents and supplies. We will have volunteers at the jump area to check everyone in and to assist with tent setup.

The DRIVER should then proceed over to the Poughkeepsie office (which is four miles away, just over the Mid Hudson Bridge at 2 Jefferson Plaza). Maps will be provided by the volunteers who are at Berean Lake if anyone doesn’t know the way.

Once at the Poughkeepsie parking lot, the driver will proceed inside the building and be checked into the event by a volunteer at our office on the first floor (suite 103). A large coach bus will depart with the first batch of event attendees at 10:30, the second batch will be picked up at 11:00 and the third at 11:30.

In this way I’m hoping to have everyone at the event by noon.

The bus will be on hand to bring event attendee drivers back to their cars starting at 1pm.

Questions? Call me at 845-416-8324, email me at kfinnegan@alz.org!

Parking!!!

More news about the jump and parking..I just got back from the site- we can’t park on the street this year OR in the parking lot at the park because of the snow. The road is no good because the cars would be out in the middle of the road. The parking lot AT the park is too small to begin with (only fits 50 cars) and it turns out we are going to have to use that area for tent set up (as there is too much snow on the field to pitch tents), food, port o johns, and emergency responders.

I am in the process of finding a parking lot where the participants can park – and hiring a chartered minibus to take everyone from the lot to the event.

Please keep your eye on this blog for the latest about where to park that morning!

MANDATORY conference call for all attendees

There will be a mandatory conference call scheduled for the following dates and times:

Monday, February 9 at 2pm

Tuesday February 10 at 1pm, 4pm and 8pm

All registered Heroes and Sidekicks will be required to call in to one of these conference calls. The number is 712.432.0800  and the ID is 860641.

Jump order as of February 5 2015

THE DEADLINE TO TURN IN FUNDS IS THURSDAY FEBRUARY 12TH! Funds turned in at the jump will not change the jumporder.

Funds can be submitted to any Alzheimer’s Association office Monday – Friday between the hours of 8:30-4:30. Click here to find your closest office.

Congratulations to our current top ten as of February 5!!! Click here for the full list. On this list the individuals within each team are now averaged together so that Teams may jump together.
Bob Miller – 6842
Paul VanBlarcum – 5705
Elaine Sproat – 3620
Michele Muir – 3135
Bill Merecka – 2000
Meg Boyce – 1799
Keith Barclay – 1560
Michelle Olson – 1375
Sydnie Meakem – 1226
Karen Lesperance – 1220

Top Jumpers as of 2/2/2015

The jump  is less than TWO WEEKS AWAY. There is a lot that can happen in two weeks!

THE DEADLINE TO TURN IN FUNDS IS THURSDAY FEBRUARY 12TH! Funds turned in at the jump will not change the jump order.

Congratulations to our current top ten!!! Click here for the full list.

1. Bob Miller at $6842
2. Paul VanBlarcum at $5550
3. Elaine Sproat at $3620
4. Michele Muir at $3135
5. Bill Merecka at $2000
6. Meg Boyce at $1699
7. Keith Barclay at $1410
8. Michelle Olson at $1335
9. William Schleicher at $1203
10. Sydnie Meaqkem at $1146

Have you gone OVER YOUR GOAL?

The jump is still two weeks away and I’m seeing a lot of Heroes and Sidekicks who have reached or even GONE OVER goal!

If that’s happened to you – it’s time to raise your goal…nothing will raise more money than the email that says “I’m only $100 from my goal! Please donate today!”

SO if you have gone over goal (check here to see) – you can either log into your participant center OR email Karen at kfinnegan@alz.org or call 800-272-3900 to have your goal increased.

Let’s blow this event OUT OF THE WATER!