Making a Difference for MDAThis document was developed by Central Region Vice President Micah Melling.

Participants of TheMovement from theCentral Region

� Kentucky

� Michigan

� Minnesota

� Missouri

� Nebraska

� North Dakota

� South Dakota

� Wisconsin

A Word from Your CRVP Micah Melling

The Movement

DECA Members,

Serving as the lead National Officer for TheMovement was one of the most exhilaratingexperiences of my time in office. The Move-ment is certainly a bold effort to make anenormous impact on those who suffer fromdebilitating muscle diseases. I am incrediblyproud of DECA’s efforts for MDA this year,and I know we are helping to find a cure formuscular dystrophy.

I would like to thank the leaders of The Movement in the Central Region.I had the privilege of personally working with each of these individuals.Together, we worked to make this endeavor a success.

� Kentucky - London Kutzman� Michigan - Casey Block and Maddie Mayleben� Minnesota - Dan Drill-Mellum and Vanessa Panchyshyn� Missouri - Cara Hartwig and Mike Richardson� Nebraska - Em Donald� North Dakota - Morgan Thompson� South Dakota Carter Christensen� Wisconsin - Christine O’Neil

More exciting information about The Movement can be found on the fol-lowing pages. If you have questions about the project, please email meat decavpmicah@gmail.com.

DECA Wishes,

Micah MellingCentral Region Vice PresidentDECA, Inc.2011-2012

A Recap of The Movement

InspireNorth Dakota DECAState Officers andCRVP Micah Mellingpose after an MDAMuscle Walk.

AdvocateMissouri DECA State Report-er Cara Hartwig speaks at anMDA reception at MissouriDECA’s State Conference.

EnjoyWisconsin DECA Vice Presi-dent of Community ServiceChristine O’Neil gets madeinto a “human sundae” tobenefit MDA.

The Movement is a fundraising effort for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Movement wasintroduced by National Officer Team 66 in cooperation with Jay Koontz, a former Oklahoma DECA StateOfficer. The project is a two-year endeavor with the ultimate goal of raising $1,000,000 for MDA. The

2011-2012 school year served as the “pilot” year for the project. This year’s goal was for DECA chapters to col-lectively raise $100,000 more for MDA than they did last year. The strategy to accomplish this goal was to uniteat least 25 chartered associations that would each convince a minimum of eight chapters to join The Movement.These chapters were charged with raising $500 more for MDA than they did last year, which would equate to anadditional $100,000. In total, twenty-two chartered associations joined The Movement and made MDA a focalpoint this year. (These associations are listed on page 3 of this document). Next year, the goal will be for DECAchapters to collectively raise $1,000,000 for MDA.

Participating chapters were asked to submit a contribution report to their National Regional Vice President. Al-though not every participant submitted a contribution report, the data that was submitted provides several en-couraging signs. Participants of The Movement that submitted a contribution report raised a combined total of$101,569 for MDA. Additionally, these chapters raised a combined $55,827 more for MDA than they last year.Therefore, since the project’s goal was to encourage chapters to raise funds at a higher level, we can specificallyattribute $55,827 of DECA’s fundraising total to The Movement. Furthermore, 62% of chapters that submitted acontribution report did not raise funds for MDA last year, which demonstrates The Movement encouraged morechapters to support MDA.

Due to the fact that not all participants submitted a contribution report, the data in the foregoing paragraph is notcomprehensive. However, the available data reveals two key accomplishments of The Movement: many partici-pants significantly increased their fundraising numbers for MDA, and more chapters supported MDA. When thecumulative MDA fundraising numbers are released at ICDC, the overall impact of The Movement will be moreclear as DECA will be able to compare last year’s total to this year’s total.

All participants of The Movement deserve to be thanked for their efforts. As DECA continues to focus its fund-raising efforts, major strides will be taken to find a cure for Muscular Dystrophy. Together, DECA chaptersthroughout the world can make a difference that will benefit the lives of countless people.

Participating CharteredAssociations

Central Region� Kentucky� Michigan� Minnesota� Missouri� Nebraska� North Dakota� South Dakota� Wisconsin

North Atlantic Region� Connecticut� Maine� New Hampshire� Pennsylvania� Vermont

Southern Region� Arkansas� Florida� Louisiana� North Carolina� Oklahoma� Puerto Rico� Tennessee� Texas

Western Region� Oregon

Helpful Hints for Raising Money for MDAPending the endorsement of the 2012-2013 National Officer Team, TheMovement will soon transition into its second year. The goal for 2012-2013 will be for DECA chapters to collectively raise $1,000,000 forMDA, something the organization has never done. Here are somehelpful hints that will aid chapters in raising money for MDA next year.

� Utilize The Movement’s Online Resources. The Movement hasrecently launched a website (www.ourmvmt.com). The project alsohas a Facebook page. Be sure to check out the useful informationon both of these online outlets!

� Stay in Contact with Your State Officers. Your state officers willreceive information from the National Officer Team about The Move-ment. In order to receive the latest news, be sure to stay in closecontact with your state officer team.

� Partner with Local Businesses. Try to partner with a few localbusinesses to assist with your fundraising efforts. Forming partner-ships with businesses will give your chapter more resources and pub-licity, and it would be an excellent public-relations opportunity for yourbusiness partners.

� Research Fundraising Ideas. Talk to chapters in your state that aresuccessful at fundraising for MDA. Get their tips and tricks. Also, goto a search engine and look up effective fundraisers. Giving yourfundraising efforts a “face lift” may be what you need to generatemore revenue than in past years!

� Be Passionate about MDA. Understanding the importance of sup-porting MDA will help motivate your chapter to take your fundraisingefforts to the next level. See the box below to learn more aboutMDA.

DECA’s Partnership with MDA� MDA is the leading organization in working to find a cure for

muscular dystrophy and in providing services for those with

debilitating muscle diseases.

� Symptoms of muscular dystrophy include: progressive muscle

wasting, inability to walk, respiratory difficulty, and limited range

of movement.

� MDA and DECA have been partners for over 30 years.

� DECA is MDA’s largest student donor, contributing over $400,000

each year.

� MDA sponsors DECA’s Community Service Project, sits on the

National Advisory Board, and gives DECA publicity at their telethon.