Recruiting Team Members | Thanking Your Team | How to Register & Donate | Motivating Your Team | Talking Points
TEAM CAPTAIN
Being a Team Captain is fun and rewarding!
Running or walking in the E-Racing the Blues© 5k Run/Walk and 10k Run as a group brings people together in a fun and exciting way. While participating in a healthy activity, your team will help raise community awareness of mental illness and will support Mental Health Association in Delaware’s programs and services. You will also be eligible for special recognition prizes:
The Team Captain whose team has the most members.
The race participant who raises the most money (donations).
Your role as Team Captain is as easy as ONE – TWO – THREE!
1. Create your team page and recruit team members.
On the www.eracingtheblues.org website, click the START A TEAM button and follow the steps to set-up your personal team page. With your own login and password, you will be able to enter your team site at any time to update your team page, create email messages for team members and donors, and access all team records. Once you have created your team, you then need to go in and register for that team!
Thank your team participants.
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Sample Thank You letter
To: (Team Member)
From: (E-Racing the Blues© 5k Run/Walk and 10k Run Captain)
Thank you very much for joining (insert team name) to E-Race the Blues! Your participation will help support many Delawareans whose lives are and have been impacted by depression, anxiety, suicide and other mental health illnesses. As a team, we can make a difference by raising funds to help the Mental Health Association in Delaware provide a wide variety of statewide programs and services.
Please contact me at (insert phone number) or by email (insert email address) if you have any questions or concerns. I will be in touch prior to October 31st to finalize race day details. Thank you again. I look forward to sharing a fun and rewarding experience!
2. Tell team members how to register and donate.
There are several ways team members can register for the event.
Team members can register online by accessing www.eracingtheblues.org. You can also contact the MHA office (302) 654-6833 for registration forms that you can hand deliver, mail, or email to potential members.
Team members can register in person and/or drop off their registration form and entry fees to Delaware Running Company, 4021 C Kennett Pike, Greenville Crossings (next to Janssen’s former location) Wilmington DE 19807; (302) 655-SHOE.
Team members can also personally send the forms to the MHA office (please remind team members to put your name on the registration forms). Or, if you collect the registration forms, please mail to the MHA office at the following address by 10/28.
E-Racing the Blues©
Mental Health Association in Delaware
100 West 10th Street, Suite 600
Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone – (302) 654-6833 Fax – (302) 654-6838
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3. Lead, motivate, and inspire team members.
Encourage your team to recruit other team members and sponsors.
Send or email team members information about the event. Event details can be found on the race website.
You can choose a creative team name and/or maybe your team members would like to wear similar shirts, company shirts, or the E-Racing the Blues© T-shirts during the race.
In order for race day to run smoothly, we strongly recommend that you (1) communicate with team members about the day of the event such as a location for team members to meet, times, etc., and that you (2) collect all team materials (registrations/donations) before race day or verify that all materials (especially that waivers have been signed) were completed.
On race day, PARTICIPATE AND HAVE FUN! Feel proud knowing that you and your team are raising funds to improve lives of thousands of Delawareans.
Thank you very much for your participation and leadership as an E-Racing the Blues© 5k Run/Walk and 10k Run Team Captain! Your support for the event and MHA demonstrates your interest in the health and well-being of people in Delaware.
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Here are some key facts that you might find useful when you talk to potential team members or donors about the race and MHA.
MHA is committed to supporting comprehensive mental health systems that focus on prevention and early intervention to detect and treat early signs of mental illness before they become a problem.
MHA provides services to individuals, families, and communities who struggle to maintain productive lives while managing issues of mental health.
The Mental Health Association in Delaware’s mission focuses on support, education, and advocacy to enhance the overall health of Delawareans and to combat the stigma of mental illness.
Funds raised through the 8th Annual E-Racing the Blues© 5k Run/Walk and 10k Run support many worthwhile MHA programs:
Education & Prevention Activities, Information & Referral Services, and Depression Screenings — serving thousands of Delawareans in the community, at work, and at school.
Statewide Support Groups — serving hundreds of people experiencing depression or anxiety disorders, loss of a loved one to violence or suicide, and to parents whose children suffer from a mental illness.
Delaware’s Statewide Suicide Prevention Plan and Suicide Coalition – co-sponsor with the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
Child Mental Health Matters in Delaware – statewide collaboration with community agencies and school districts to provide comprehensive programming and services focusing on enhanced access to care and educational resources for children, teachers, and parents.
Active Minds Program – mental health advocacy and awareness campus organization
Educational Conferences for Medical and Mental Health Professionals and the Public - People of Color Mental Health Conferences, Suicide Prevention Conference, May is Mental Health Month events, and Town Hall seminars.
Advocacy and Awareness Campaigns - targeting state legislators and business leaders.
Why are these issues important?
Depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions can seriously impact an individual’s everyday life and well-being. Mental illness affects families and relationships, overall productivity at home and at work, and impacts our country’s increasing healthcare costs. And mental illness, most seriously, is a common factor in relation to suicide.
So what role does exercise, such as walking and running and even programs incorporating other activities such as swimming, weightlifting and yoga, have on mental health?
Each year more scientific studies confirm that regular exercise has a real and significant effect on stress and depression - and may work as well as medication. A new study reported in the journal of Psychosomatic Medicine concluded that the individuals who participated in group or individual exercise routines did as well on questionnaires of depression symptoms as those who were treated with antidepressant drugs. Other reports also show that exercise can improve disturbed sleep patterns, can help to control weight, and almost regularly has a positive effect on mood.
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