You’ve gathered your family and friends, fundraised for the betterment of CHOC Children’s patients, shared your personal reasons for wanting to give back to CHOC, and now the morning of CHOC Walk in the Park is approaching. Keep in mind these tried and true tips from some of our longstanding CHOC Walk teams:
Fundraising tips
- Remember that in fundraising, every dollar counts in making a difference. Have fun while raising money for the children. – Team Hope
- We recommend teaming up with a CHOC Guild. The Littlest Angel Guild in Yorba Linda/Anaheim Hills gave us a lot of help and guidance. It will also give you a chance to meet more people with a common goal to give back to CHOC. It’s also great to have a corporate sponsor. We are so lucky and grateful for Hill Brothers Chemical Company and their generosity. Hill Brothers Chemical Company has supported Miranda, our family, The Littlest Angel Guild, and CHOC since 2009. – Team Miranda
- We’ve had success with bake sales and Dining for Dollars, where we partner with local restaurants who will donate a portion of proceeds on a certain night toward our CHOC Walk team’s fundraising goal. –Team IronJax
- Get the word out and be creative! Make a list of everyone you know and send a personalized email inviting them to support your team. Hold garage sales, lemonade stands and bake sales. Save up money by recycling bottles and cans throughout the year. Hold an open house boutique where vendors come together to sell their items and donate a portion of their proceeds to your team. Most importantly, keep at it and don’t get discouraged! Every dollar raised is one dollar closer to your goal. It all adds up! –Team Robby Batman Gomez
- Sending creative emails that include personal photos to your network go a long way. I send a save the date out about two months ahead of the walk, and remind people the reasons why we walk, thank all the past walkers from our team, and give an update on funds we’ve raised in the past. During the fundraising process, I send an email to my team with a video slideshow showing Mac’s year. I do this to share what a wonderful, fulfilled life he has because of CHOC. –Team MAC
Participant check-in/Packet pickup
- One thing that helped tremendously when picking up other team members’ wristbands and shirts, was having their email, phone number and shirt size on hand. I picked up 14 walker packets and having the emails ready to go was a huge help. – Team Brave Boyle
- If you’re picking up for other people, just make sure they have the $85 or more in their account in order to get their wristband for them. It’s also best to distribute wristbands to your friends or teammates BEFORE the walk day as it will be chaotic and people may be late. – Team Brave Boyle
- Don’t forget if you signed up to have your shirt shipped you don’t need to go to check in. Your shirt and wristband will arrive the week before the Walk. If you don’t receive anything, call our office at 714-509-4000. –Team Kailualani
- If you have cash or check donations, it helps to enter them online in your fundraising headquarters on chocwalk.org to speed up the check-in process! –Team Kailualani
Team spirit
- Have fun with your team! Our team makes signs to show our team pride and support for CHOC, and we all dress in a theme. –Team CHOC Children’s HR Walking for Noah
- Many teams make banners and signs for their CHOC patients to show their support and why they walk – no idea is too small! -Team Torres
- It’s a great idea to get your kids involved in the Walk to teach them about philanthropy and volunteering at an early age. -Team Torres
Event day tips
- Before our first CHOC Walk, we got good advice about meeting as a group somewhere outside the park, in Downtown Disney. As a newbie that was a GREAT help. – Team Brave Boyle
- On the day of the walk, allow extra time to park and find your way to the front of Disneyland as the trams are not running. – Team Hope
- If you arrive late, you won’t be able to walk the full CHOC Walk route and will be redirected to a certain entrance based on your timing, so don’t be late! The opening ceremony is at 6:15 a.m., the Walk begins at 6:30 a.m., and the entrance cutoff time is 7:30 a.m. – Team Kailualani
- Consider getting a hotel within walking distance to skip out on the traffic and enjoy a fun night around town before the CHOC Walk. Some nearby hotels offer special rates for CHOC Walk participants. Afterward, don’t try and exit toward Harbor, you’ll feel like a salmon trying to swim upstream. –Team IronJax
- Give your team a timeline for CHOC Walk, consisting of:
- Recommended time to leave the house the morning of CHOC Walk, and explain why you’ll need extra time due to the size of the crowd.
- What time to meet at your team’s chosen meeting area.
- What time you plan on entering the park.
- Contact information for other team members in case someone has a hard time locating your team the morning of CHOC Walk.
- Places where you plan on taking a group picture during the route.
- Location to meet and regroup at the end of the route. We usually do a giant group thank you, and I designate an area because we can get split up during the route. –Team Justin’s Helpers
- Don’t forget you can purchase discounted Disney tickets AFTER the walk with your CHOC Walk wristband. There will be ticket carts available in Downtown Disney near ESPN Zone, as well as the ticket booths in the esplanade, and you will need to have your wristband on in order to purchase. -Team Torres
