Sande Snead: Running to the Title of 'Woman of the Year'
Snead was given the award by the Virginia Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and used running-themed raffles to reach her fundraising goals.
When they introduced her as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s 2012 Virginia Chapter Woman of the Year on June 7th, Sande Snead’s eyes welled with tears.
“I’m a big cry baby,” she said.
Those tears stemmed from both a sense of overwhelming accomplishment and a release of emotions from her personal connection to the disease. Her father lost his four-year battle with Leukemia on May 6th, halfway through her campaign to become Woman of the Year.
“It made me fight harder to raise as much money as possible,” said Snead, who totaled nearly $31,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. “I know he was proud of me for running for Woman of the Year. He was proud of me for everything I do.”
The Man and Woman of the Year awards are given to the top male and female fundraisers over a 10-week period. All money raised is donated to blood cancer research in honor of local young people who are blood cancer survivors – the Young Man and the Young Lady of the Year. Among the eight competitors (four male and four female), a combined $140,000 was raised for LLS.
“I truly believe we had [my father] for four whole years after he was diagnosed because of the treatment options that the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society provided. I felt like LLS had given so much to me, and I wanted to be able to give back. I knew I could raise money to help other people.”
To solicit donations, Snead held events around Richmond, accepted individual donations, and sought out sponsors.
“I think events are key,” she said. “They aren’t huge money makers, but it shows you have skin in the game and that you are actively working.”
In many cases, Snead was able to find restaurants that were willing to host the events and donate a portion of the proceeds to her fundraising campaign. Julep’s was one restaurant in particular that stood behind the cause, providing appetizers for the event and donating a portion of the bar sales.
“That’s where we raffled off an African Safari trip, so that night alone we raised about $2,000,” Snead said of the event.
Raffles proved to be the top money makers throughout Snead’s campaign, including an 'Ultimate Runner’s Package' that was given away at a Richmond Kickers game. The package included two sets of socks, caps, T-shirts, an overnight stay at the Omni Richmond Downtown the night before the Anthem Richmond Marathon, and an overnight stay at Ashland’s Henry Clay Inn the night before the Patrick Henry Half Marathon. Glen Kelly and his wife, Dana, walked away with the prize.
Kelly, an active Richmonder, said, “You never expect to win. This marks the very first time we’ve ever won a raffle.”
For a race participant, having the option to stay in a hotel near the start line of the race eliminates any stress about parking and getting to the start on time. Both the Omni and the Henry Clay Inn contributed a one-night stay to the package, significantly increasing the overall value.
“I’m not sure Dana even knew what was in the prize pack when she entered. She was just donating to the cause because this is a shiny spot when it comes to medical research,” Kelly continued. “If people don’t know about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the success they’ve had, it’s worth Googling and learning about. In this case, donations really do work.”
Glen and Dana Kelly were only two of the hundreds of people that supported Snead during her fundraising journey.
She had dozens of family members, friends, and even strangers stand beside her. It was her brother-in-law, Kevin Shimp, that encouraged her to run for Woman of the Year in the first place. In 2011, Shimp was named Man of the Year, so he served as a major supporter and mentor to Snead. Additionally, her niece sold candy bars, and her daughters, Nicole and Brittany Fulk, stood by her for the duration of the campaign.
“They were tremendous,” said Snead of their efforts.
Nicole and Brittany helped sell raffle tickets, secured the hotel stays, and made the final two contributions to the cause at the stroke of midnight of June 6th when the fundraising period closed.
“They each donated $100. They’re just college students, so that was really special to me,” Snead said.
“You never anticipate who will say yes and who will say no. People were so generous, and that was the greatest part of this whole thing.”