Chairman's Planning Guide

Goblin Games (2004 Lights-On Program)

1. Primary Purpose. (What is the one reason you want to successfully run this project?)

Lights-On’s purpose is to fulfill one of the necessary projects established under the Community Area of Opportunity in the chapter’s 2004 Plan of the Year: #C-1, to conduct 6 projects geared toward underprivileged families and youth.

2. Give a brief description of the proposed project and background information. Follow this with a listing of the specific and measurable goals to be accomplished by this project.

Description:

Historical Information:

Since 1995, the chapter has always conducted a “Lights-On Program” in conjunction with the Haunted House. This program, geared toward younger children (ages 2 – 7), allows kids and accompanying parent(s) to tour the Haunted House with the lights on, meeting friendly monsters and playing Halloween themed games/activities along the way. Typically, goodie bags are provided, and kids “win” a small prize or piece of candy at each game/activity station to add to their goodie bag. For most of its history, Lights-On was conducted as a fundraiser and part of the regular Haunted House fundraiser. We charged $3 admission per child (accompanying parents free).

The 2004 Program:

For 2004, despite not having our regular Haunted House, we will still conduct a Lights-On Program, called the Goblin Games. Instead of being a fundraiser, this project will be a community development initiative aimed at lower income kids as well as the general public. We hope to hold the Goblin Games at the Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center, 1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, on the following dates:

Friday, October 29, 2004
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Sunday, October 31, 2004

The rec center has had its hours cut back since the last time we held an event there. Weekend hours are now only 10 am – 2 pm. Therefore, the times for the Goblin Games remain uncertain until we can finalize the details depending upon the availability of the rec Center. As of 8/9/04, the rec center had not yet finalized its Halloween plans and asked that we send them some information in writing, followed by a meeting to discuss physical details.

The rec center coordinator indicated that they will conduct their own Halloween event, called Family Octoberfest, on Friday, October 29th, starting at 5 pm. This event caters to 5-13 year olds and consists of a moonbounce, spooky movies, a haunted house, etc. Since our Goblin Games targets a slightly younger age bracket, we will discuss in a face-to-face meeting the pros and cons of holding the two events at the same time (like we did last year). Depending on the results of that meeting, the project chairs may decide to keep, eliminate or modify some of the dates listed above.

Regardless of where the event takes place, the Goblin Games will consist of the following:

“Bowling for Bones” – knocking down bowling pins painted like bones
“Pin the Wart on the Witch” – aiming and throwing Velcro-covered balls to stick as “warts” on a witch’s face
“Skeleton Toss” – throwing plastic skull disks into a basket held by a skeleton
“Monster Mash” – using beanbags to knock down Halloween-related kewpie dolls
“Ring Toss” – throwing rubber rings around a lifelike hand
“Ghost Drop” – using your chin to drop little ghosts into a cauldron
“Trick or Treat” – pick a piece of paper out of a pumpkin and may have to do a trick to get the prize

Additional activities will include:

A coloring station
Yuck Boxes – reaching into a mysterious box to feel and guess what squishy, yucky or weird things lie within
Face Painting

The games and activities have already been built/created from Lights-On programs of previous years. Only a few games will require some minor repairs. The costs to repair/upgrade the games/activities will be taken out of the donations collected (see below).

Underprivileged Children:

Although this event is open to the public, we will also make special invitations to the Carpenter’s Shelter to ask if they would like to participate in the Goblin Games free of charge. Additionally, the local children who typically hang around the Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center on a regular basis tend to come from lower income families and will be invited to attend.

Goodie Bags:

Upon entering the Goblin Games, each child will receive a Goodie Bag filled with a few small items. As he/she proceeds from game to game, he will receive more items to add to the bag (examples: spider ring, candy, tic tac toe game, etc.). He will also receive a coloring book and/or some Halloween outlines to color at the coloring station.

Admission:

Since the facility is being donated by the City of Alexandria, we must comply with the City’s rules and regulations. Specifically, we cannot advertise or charge an admission price for this event. However, we also cannot afford to lose money buying candy and prizes for this event. Our solution is to set up a donation box at the table where the children receive their goodie bags. We hope to make at least $50 in donations to cover our basic expenses. In addition, we will seek sponsorship from Target, BJ’s, Wal-Mart, etc. to cover our expenses.

Fortunately, we have numerous prizes leftover from previous years as well as at least 200 empty goodie bags. We may have an Alexandria Jaycee Keyman willing to print our coloring books for free. We also have many crayons and markers leftover from previous coloring stations. Our expenses will therefore be kept to a minimum – candy, face paints, and some minor repairs to the existing games.

Goals:

Goal #1:To involve at least 10 Jaycees per day that we hold the Lights-On Program.

Goal #2:To attract at least 100 children to participate in the Lights-On Program over the course of the event.

Goal #3: To gain public exposure about the Lights-On Program through at least 3 media outlets (newspapers, television, radio, and/or websites) and through flyers posted throughout the neighborhood and City.

Goal #4:To make our Goblin Games available free of charge to at least one group that represents underprivileged youth.

Goal #5:To re-activate at least one Jaycee who has not been out to a project in six months or more.

Goal #6:To activate at least two new Jaycees who have been members for six months or less.

3. What are the specific manpower assignments? (Show names and duties.)

A. Alicia A. - Chapter President

president @alexjaycees.org

Responsible for all Chapter activities; and oversees the smooth operation of the chapter.

B. Julie T. – C.D. VP

Assigns a Director to oversee the Project Chairperson; keeps the Executive Board aware of the progress of the project, and helps out as needed by both the director in charge and project chair.

C. Sharon T. – C.D. Director

(phone and email deleted)

Recruits the Project Chairperson; makes sure the Project Chairperson is trained (if necessary); communicates with the Project Chairperson on the progress of the event periodically; and gives feedback to the VP.

D. Christy H. and Kristie K. - Project Chairs

Christy – (phone and email deleted)

Kristie - (phone and )

Writes the CPG; plans the project; communicates with the assigned Director and the Nannie J. Lee Rec Center staff; recruits the necessary manpower, promotes the project to the membership through project flyers, eventline announcements, newsletter articles, website and listserve; runs the project on the day of the event, saves all documentation on the project; and completes final CPG in book format.

E. Tim C. - Eventline Announcement Coordinator

Records eventline announcement regarding event.

F. Cathy L. – Newsletter Editor

Makes sure the Goblin Games article gets printed in the October newsletter.

G. Jannie Wray – Nannie J. Lee Rec. Center Executive Director

703/838-4845, 703/838-5031 (fax)

Coordinates facility use, publicity, and manpower issues with the Jaycees. Also coordinates logistics between the Rec Center’s Family Octoberfest and our Goblin Games.

H. Wendy B. – Alexandria Jaycee Keyman

(phone and email deleted)

Provides complimentary copying of the coloring books per her employer, Goodway Graphics.

4. What specific materials, supplies, and resources will be required?

Chapter Furnished:

Publicity: press releases, chapter letterhead, media list, eventline, website, listserve, newsletter, flyers, “Suggested Donation” signage

Manpower: CPG, roster, sign-in sheet, pens, hand stamp

Games/Activities:

“Bowling for Bones” – bowling pins, bowling frame, bowling balls, one prize
“Pin the Wart on the Witch” – witch flag, Velcro-covered balls, one prize
“Skeleton Toss” – plastic skull disks, basket, skeleton, one prize
“Monster Mash” – beanbags, 3 kewpie dolls, one prize
“Ring Toss” – rubber rings, hand coming out of board (2), one prize
“Ghost Drop” – clothespin ghosts, cauldron, platform to stand on, one prize
“Trick or Treat” – paper, cauldron/pumpkin

Coloring station – tablecloth or butcher paper to protect table, coloring books and/or Halloween coloring papers, crayons, markers

Yuck Boxes – 5 Xerox boxes painted black with holes cut out for a hand to reach inside, fishing worms in oil, pin art, battery-operated weasel, 2 other items to feel (TBD), batteries, paper towels or towels to wipe hands, one prize
Face Painting – face paints, brushes, mirrors, wet wipes, tissues
Goodie Bags – several hundred, pre-stuffed with a few items
Brochures about the Alexandria Jaycees
Display about the Alexandria Jaycees
Black robes
Stamp and ink pad to stamp kids’ hands who have already received goodie bags

Member Furnished:

Costumes, Jaycee name badges, digital cameras

5. Describe the potential problems and solutions to successfully complete this project.

Problem 1: Not enough people pay the suggested donation.

Solution: Ask Target, Wal-Mart or other businesses to donate gift certificates to pay for the prizes and/or candy. This way, whatever money we collect is supplemental, not essential.

Problem 2: Not enough volunteers.

Solution: Aggressively promote this project on the eventline, newsletter, website, listserve, and with flyers at chapter meetings and events. Be sure the State Director promotes this project on other chapters' listserves.

Problem 3: Volunteers don’t have age-appropriate costumes.

Solution: Provide basic black robes from the former Haunted House that can be worn and enhanced with their own headbands, scarves, hats, etc.

Problem 4: Only a few kids come to the event.

Solution: Send press releases out to media outlets well ahead of time. Circulate flyers around the City and the neighborhood stores near the Rec Center. Ask the Rec Center to promote to other Rec Centers in the area. Call reporters a few days before and invite them to cover the event.

Problem 5: Too many kids come to the event.

Solution: In the event that too many kids come and we don’t have enough Goodie Bags, post a sign saying we ran out and stop asking for suggested donations. Let the kids play the games for fun and enjoy themselves.

Problem 6: Event gets cancelled for reasons beyond our control.

Solution: Project chair will call all volunteers and make sure everyone knows of the cancellation. Information will also be posted on website, listserve and eventline immediately. Put a sign at the Rec Center so the public knows. Afterwards, send an apology letter to the editor of the Gazette Packet and other news media.

Problem 7: Kids try to go through the games more than once to get more candy, or kids older than 7 try to get in just to receive candy.

Solution: Clearly post a sign at the entrance saying only kids ages 7 and younger can enter. Stamp each child’s hand so we can see if he’s already entered the games before. Post a monitor at the doorway to check hands, especially on Halloween night.

6. Complete a proposed budget indicating all anticipated income and expenses.

Anticipated Expenses:Actual Expenses:

Xeroxing of coloring books (donated)$100$100

Candy(donated)$50$50.00*

Repairs to Games$25$0

Facepainting Supplies$0$28.72

TOTAL$175$178.72

Anticipated Revenue:Actual Revenue:

Xeroxing of coloring books (donated)$100$100

Candy(donated)$50$43.15

Donations at event$25$75.90

TOTAL$175$219.05

Return of Appropriation to Chapter: $40.33

* One bag of candy was purchased and opened before we realized that a chapter member’s family had already donated enough candy to satisfy our needs.

7. List the specific steps to bring this project to a successful completion showing planned dates for each step.

08/09/04Submit CPG to Executive Board for approval

08/11/04Get preliminary details from rec Center regarding times and start seeking sponsorships from businesses.

week of 8/16Hold face-to-face meeting with rec center coordinator; select dates and times.

08/23/04Announce Event at Chapter Meeting and begin asking for donations for non-perishable prizes (pencils, erasers, stickers, etc) or monetary donations to purchase these items.

08/28/04Visit storage unit to determine what games will require repairs and visit the rec Center to get a look at the room. Begin making any necessary repairs to the games.

09/04/04Submit necessary forms to rec Center; discuss logistics; present preliminary draft of publicity flyer for rec Center approval.

09/27/04Finalize details with rec Center. Begin list serve announcements, website promotion and newsletter promotion. Announce event at Chapter Meeting to start getting volunteers for shifts and continue to ask for donations for perishable and non-perishable items.

10/01/04Send out press releases to local media outlets. Begin circulating approved flyer. Continue signing up volunteers for shifts and donations.

10/17/04Purchase new items as necessary. Stuff Goodie Bags.

10/25/04Announce Event at Chapter Meeting and get volunteers for any slots that remain empty on the shifts.

10/30/04Hold event. Time TBD

10/31/04Hold event. Time TBD

11/08/04Submit final CPG for Board of Directors approval.
11/13/04Put together CPG Book for state awards.

8. Record any revision of the original plan.

Initially, we had intended to run Goblin Games on three separate days. However, in our preliminary meeting with the rec center staff, we decided that Goblin Games should be run independently of the rec center’s own Haunted House because it gets too confusing (the older children want the free candy and don’t understand that the games are too “young” for them). Therefore, based on the rec center’s availability, we ended up holding Goblin Games just one afternoon (Saturday, October 30 from 1 – 5 pm).

However, the rec center was in serious need of help for its own Haunted House and asked us to lend a hand. We ended up help the Rec. Center with construction on Wednesday, Oct. 27 from 6 – 10 pm and then provided actors and arts and crafts room help during the actual Haunted House on Friday, Oct. 29 from 5 – 8 pm. This worked out well and left the Rec. Center staff with a vey positive impression of the Jaycees.

9. What changes or recommendations do you have for a future chairman?

Several of the games are in need of repair and/or need to be reworked/replaced. In addition, we are running low on goodie bag supplies. We recommend pulling the Goblin Games items out of the storage bin in early September, sifting through everything (use inventory attached to end of this CPG), and spend time working on repairs and fixes.

Also, send letters out earlier (in August) to Target, Wal-Mart, etc. requesting gift certificates to help pay for candy and facepainting costs. Although we sent out several letters this year, we ran out of time to follow-up and therefore received no corporate donations. Follow-up letters with a personal phone call and/or visit to the store manager.

Consider obtaining a new location with higher visibility (one that is not so difficult to locate). We had to make 8 signs to direct traffic and despite excellent publicity, had less than 50 children. Between 1 – 5 pm, we had no kids at all the first ½ hour and none the last ½ hour. The busiest times were between 2 and 4 pm.

There is no need to purchase pre-made facepaint. Simply use this inexpensive recipe to make the facepaints yourself:

1. 1 tsp. (slightly heaped) cornstarch.

2. ½ tsp. cold (aqueous) cream

3. ½ tsp. water

4. Food coloring

Mix together ingredients 1 and 2. Add ingredient 3. Add ingredient 4. Makes a small vial

For the 1-2 months prior to Goblin Games, make sure to distribute flyers promoting the event at Art on the Avenue (bring at least 100 copies to distribute), Family Fall Festival, yard sales and any other festival/event that may involve parents with small children. Also, hang flyers at places that have public bulletin boards, such as Ben & Jerry’s, Panerra Bread, local libraries and grocery stores, etc. Then, at the Goblin Games event itself, make sure to distribute flyers about upcoming Jaycee projects of general public interest, such as Santa Letters, canned food drives, Santa Calls, Christmas trees, etc.