Below is everything you need to know for planning the show in your scheduled town. I left spaces for your notes. Write down every person that you talk to and what information they gave as well as any resources and how they are planning to help. Share all this information with the Heart Gallery office so we can use the resources next year. Here is a link for national adoption day to register your event.
http://www.nationaladoptionday.org/2006/participate/plan.asp
Also visit www.twsp.net/hg/calender/private for details about your town and e-mail all details for your show to the office ASAP for web updates.
You want to start in the courtroom with a consummation (adoption) if available, and adjourn to a nearby office space or building for the reception or show. Entertainment and snacks are always nice but not necessary. Think about your town, day and audience. We learned from the last show that if you have a Tuesday go from 10 or 11 – 2 or 3 so you can get the lunch crowd. If Wednesday at church is the best populations then do that. Saturday’s and Friday nights are more of a family type entertainment crowd. Go to the people and it will be a great show. Call the City Manager of your town; explain the heart gallery tour in recognition of National Adoption Month and that the heart gallery will be in their town on the scheduled date for an adoption day. We are bringing awareness for our need to find adoptive families. Ask him or her when most people might attend and where (three hours max). After you have scheduled the time and place contact the Mayor, he or she may want to make a proclamation. Contact the Sheriff and Judge as well. See if your area has a Young Lawyers Association, they are willing to help.
LOCATION: contact name, phone number, physical address and driving directions.
You may want to find out who in your town helps children in any way, and recognize them publicly. Ask their friend or secretary to write a paragraph celebrating their works to be read at the show.
PERSON CHOSEN FOR RECOGNITION: name and phone number time of recognition
CITY MANAGER: name and phone number, time of appearance
MAYOR: name and phone number what time to speak at show.
SHERIFF: name and phone number what time to speak at reception
JUDGE: name and phone number what time for appearance. Try to schedule a consummation (if available) with the judges’ assistant for the media to cover.
Contact the Rotary Club in you town about sponsoring the show or any other organizations in your area that may be willing to sponsor. Look online for the value of your towns’ sponsorship. Sponsorships may not contain logos or distribute business materials unless they are directly related to adoption (Buckner, CASA, etc.). This is a State of Texas mandatory rule.
Recruit volunteers. Each town will need two volunteers to be at the event. You will need to organize a time for them to be available to receive the “show” , set it up, stay through the duration(there will be a worker from the TDFPS at each event) tear it down and take it to the next town scheduled. It takes about 2 hours to set up the show. The show comes with an emergency kit and the transporters will need a truck or van. The material is not heavy however; the easels are only taken down to ½ their size and have long carry bags. Special care must be given to the photos, as they will break and cannot get wet or sit on the damp ground. If you plan your town outside consider elements and the wind. The portraits will blow away. Contact the local CASA in your area by way of the judge for volunteers, the local CAC, or anyone you may know that would be willing to help. We are working with local Child Placement Agencies to sponsor each show, so that may be an option as well. Denice or I will let you know if we have volunteers for your town’s event.
VOLUNTEERS: name, phone number, time available to receive show, time of arrival at next scheduled town.
Contact the Media. We will send you a press release that you may modify to fit your town, such as, 3 children will be adopted this day or entertainment and refreshments provided at the event, anything special that the public may want to know. You will want to run the press release with your local newspaper at least 2 weeks before the event and again 2 days before. The newspaper will also want to cover the actual event. Contact the local radio station in your town, they usually have a time each day that they cover upcoming local events, schedule an interview close to the show date. Build the hype with the media, you have to first see and speak a successful show to create one. Speak about our organization with passion, the dreams we have of finding a “forever family” for all foster children in East Texas. Speak in the present tense as if it has already begun (which according to statistics it has). Get the word out to the school offices for teacher attendance, get into the bulletin at every church and speak at your church about the event. These are all great places to find parents.
*Make sure you ask each local media and the chamber and city to list this event on their website or newsletter or whatever they do in their calendar of events
* Towns by Louisiana should utilize that media as well.
NEWSPAPER: contact name, phone number, when article will run, have them at the show when the Mayor and Judge will speak.
RADIO: contact name, phone number, time of interview.
CHURCHES: contact name, phone number, time of presentation
Speak to the school choir or band; they may want to put on a performance. This will help make a bigger event for the community. Do you need a stage or sound system? What time will each person speak? These are items to determine when planning your event.
ENTERTAINMENT: contact name, phone number, time of appearance.
Thanks for all your hard work and HAVE FUN!
Dawn Donovan
817-312-7108
Denice Grugle
903-521-4570