Mild to Wild

So, I'm helping my family out with Relay For Life. We have formed a team and are walking in the Republic Relay at the end of June. We're supposed to be gathering donations and quite frankly I have a hard time asking people for money even when I know it's for a good cause. I would just rather come up with the money on my own. Unfortunately, my cousin committed us to $200 per person. My husband and I are both on the team and I don't have $400 I would like to spend out-of-pocket. So, my husband is asking some companies for a donation. We have two specific companies in mind and we think they will be happy to comply. It's still very difficult to ask. In return for a donation we would like to have a sign made to put around our campsite the night of the Relay so everyone there will know that these companies helped us reach our goal. We are asking the company for a $100 donation. The sign is just going to be a simple one-sided coraplast sign with a metal H stake. I want the sign to look nice but it's not going to be worth $100 because we can't spend all our donation on a sign. So, I started making some phone calls to find out what sign was going to cost me. I first called Payne Sign Company here in Springfield. She was extremely nice but basically each sign will cost $75 and that includes set-up fees. She mentioned I might call a nationally known company and ask them to donate money to make our signs. I appreciated her help and made that phone call but that company I will leave unnamed said they could help in other ways but a cash donation or paying for products was not possible. I thanked them and went about my phone calling. I called 5 other companies. Three companies never called me back. One company quoted me prices but it was still going to cost $38 for a one-sided sign. So, I'd get $100 from the company I asked for a donation and then I'd have to turn around and spend $38. I'd actually only be receiving a donation of $62. Doesn't sound like a good deal. I talked to another company and actually came right out and asked them. What can you do for me? I gave my sob story of having to spend too much of my donation and asked me if they would maybe split the cost. That company agreed to cut the cost in half as long as I would post signs around my campsite with their name on it. Reluctantly, I said ok. Although, I really don't still want to be out-of-pocket $25. I guess, at least, at this point I am keeping 75% of my donation. I stopped calling. I e-mailed all the information to my Team Captain and as I finished the e-mail the phone rang.

Hello...I said. He said, "I'm looking for Stephanie." I said, "That's me". He told me he was from Mild to Wild Graphics. They are located in Republic, MO. I had already talked to that other company so I just simply pretended like I was still making my phone calls. I told him, "My family has put together a Relay For Life team and we are asking for donations from businesses. The businesses that are donating money we would like to do something nice for them in return. We would like to have a 18x24 coraplast sign with their logo on it and maybe something about how they helped us reach our goal. We will stake those around our tent for everyone to see and we want them to look nice because for one sign we are asking for a $100 donation.” He asked me what Relay for Life was for. I told him it was to benefit the American Cancer Society and he said, “How about I donate those signs for you…I’ll do them for Free”. I told him that would be great and asked him to make sure he made a couple signs with his company name on them so we could post them around our campsite, also. He explained how his life has recently been touched by cancer in many ways. We got to talk for several minutes. He is a super nice guy and I'm not just saying that because he donated signs for our team. He was very personal. This is my online plug for him and I will tell anyone who every asks me about signs or car decals or anything else. His website is, http://www.mildtowild.net. Check it out! Make sure if you live in the Republic, Springfield, Battlefield, Willard, Nixa area or anywhere near you contact Alan and he will help you out.