Who is Friends of Heroes?
Team Friends of Heroes (FOH) was the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) first National Friends and Family fundraising team for Light The Night Walks. This team was formed in celebration of the life of two young cancer patients, Allie Scott and Sam Eisenberg. Sadly, Allie died just shy of her 9-month birthday in September 2004. Sam has successfully won his battle as he is currently in remission. Through the power of the Internet, Allie and Sam’s stories spread quickly to hundreds of thousands of individuals across the globe.

Motivated by the plight of Allie, Sam and many other children, a grassroots movement emerged in the formation of the first National Friends and Family Team for Light The Night. The team, originally named Friends of Allie, resulted in unprecedented fundraising results.

Since our first season as a team (2004), we have come to know and love many children fighting this battle. Sadly some of those children are no longer with us, but lots of them still are due to advances in research.
Finding a cure is the reason we continue to fundraise, walk, and support LLS. In 2007, the team changed its name from Friends of Allie to Friends of Heroes to better identify the group and align it with its mission to put a face on childhood cancer.

FOH now honors many children across the United States and Canada through our Affiliate teams program, and with the 2007 Light The Night season we plan to focus more on the children in our own communities.

What Is The Light The Night Walk?
Light The Night is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s national fundraising walk of 2- 3 miles to be held in over 250 locations in all major US markets and parts of Canada.  The Walks are held primarily in the fall. Walkers carry illuminated balloons to celebrate the lives of those affected by cancer – white balloons for survivors and red balloons for all other participants. The walks are supported by the national office and implemented by all 64 Chapters of the Society. In 2006, Light The Night is expected to raise over $30 million. 
 
Why Do We Walk?
We walk to support LLS, the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services.  Founded in 1949, the Society has been relentless in pursuit of its mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.  The Society has invested more than $360 million in research, $45.3 million in 2004 fiscal year alone.      

What is an Affiliate Team?
An FOH Affiliate team is a local team honoring an individual or representing a company. Affiliate teams are part of FOH–a national friends and family Light The Night team for LLS. Funds raised by Affiliate teams are pooled with the funds that all FOH teams raise each walk season.

Why should my team be an Affiliate team?
FOH’s goal is to eradicate pediatric blood cancer by raising awareness and money for research through LLS’s Light The Night walk. We support many families in our communities and have many honored heroes as a part of the team. By being an Affiliate team, monies raised are added in with the funds raised by FOH teams across the United States and Canada. These funds, if great enough, could mean a grant naming opportunity for Friends of Heroes through LLS.

What is the LLS Grant Naming Opportunity?
In recognition of the achievement of raising $100,000, $250,000, or $500,000 for the 2007 Light The Night Walk, all LLS National teams, including FOH, will have the opportunity to select a LLS National Research Grant to be named in its honor.  FOH has selected to be associated with grants focused on pediatric cancer. In 2007, FOA is working to surpass $160,000, bringing the team total to $1 million in four years!

What are the benefits of being an Affiliate team?
Affiliate teams are given all the support and materials that all national friends and family teams receive from LLS. This includes fill-in-your-info press releases, wrap-around fundraising support (paper balloons), etc. And while Affiliate teams will get individual credit for funds raised on a local level, the funds will be pooled with all of the teams nationwide to equal a much larger total. In the past two years, FOH and Affiliate teams have raised over 844,287 dollars. The goal for this year is to hit the 1 million dollar mark. With the help and dedication of Affiliate teams, that goal is possible! 

What tools will I have access to as an Affiliate team captain?
Affiliate team captains will have the national team leadership of FOH hard at work for them. Team leaders work closely with national LLS staff to make sure that all information is accurate and approved. National team leaders create press releases, a monthly newsletter, and fundraising programs, maintain a national team website, organize a national Awareness Day, and provide you with the information teams will need to seek out corporate sponsorships. There is also a national team leader that is dedicated to assisting Affiliate teams with all aspects of Light The Night—Kim Jones. Kim will work closely with each Affiliate team captain to make sure all needs are being met.

FOH has team logo gear for sale via CafePress http://www.cafepress.com/friendsofheroes, and downloads from the website of the same images if teams would like to incorporate the logo into existing designs.
The FOH national team website is a treasure chest of information and downloadable tools. You can find current teams listed, captains with contact information, and current totals. In the Walker Resources sections of the website, downloads including fundraising guides and tools, Awareness Day information, pre-formatted fundraising and sponsorship letters, newsletters, and public relations materials including LLS approved press releases.

Can my Affiliate team have a unique name?
Yes! Affiliate teams can have the team name of their choice.

How do I set up my FOH Affiliate team?
The team captain should contact the local chapter to set up the team. Tell them what the team name is, i.e. Peter’s Pals, and that it should be listed as an affiliate to the national Friends of Heroes team. Once a team is set up in the LLS system it will be listed on the Light The Night website (at your walk site) so other walkers can register and choose the team from a dropdown menu of teams. If walkers do not want to register online, a simple phone call to local chapter and a mention of the team name is all it takes. Once the team is set up with LLS, the team captain should send an email to Kim at affiliates@friendsofheroes.org with the team name and walk location so the team can be listed on the FOH website. A picture of the team hero or company logo can also be included for placement on the FOH website.

What is the role of a team captain for an Affiliate team?
An Affiliate team captain will have virtually the same role as an FOH team captain. The team captain will be in charge of setting up their team through their local LLS chapter (see How do I set up my FOH Affiliate team for more info). Recruiting and communication with team members are also huge parts of the team captain role.  Team captains for affiliate teams will need to update the FOH Affiliate Team liaison monthly on number of walkers, funds raised, and fundraising events held by the team.

For more information contact Kim at affiliates@friendsofheroes.org.