Join the Movement: Volunteer for Bike MS
March 28-29,2009
Register today to volunteer for the 23rd Annual bike MS Round Up Ride 2009! It takes nearly 300 volunteers to support a successful Ride. Volunteering alone or with a group is an excellent way to Join the Movement! Read through the volunteer opportunities below to find the perfect position for you!
bike MS: Round Up Ride 2009 presented by Discount Tire takes place in historic Florence, AZ located just 45 minutes away from the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas. This ride is the largest and best supported two-day, fully catered cycling event in Arizona, attracting over 1,000 cyclists from across the country each year. Without the strength and dedication of our volunteers, our event wouldn't be nearly as successful!
Volunteer Opportunities Include:
Pre Event
Assemble Rider Packets - This job includes taking several promotional items and placing them in the Rider Bags for the Bike MS event. This job must be performed at the NMSS office only.
Packet Pick-Up – Volunteers will be needed at several locations for riders to turn in donations and receive rider numbers and packets.
Separate T-shirts - This is as easy as it sounds-we need volunteers to separate the t-shirts for us for early check-ins. This will need to be done at the NMSS office.
Bike MS: ROUND-UP RIDE Brochure Distribution - Now until just before the Bike MS we will have brochures to distribute to area bike shops and other businesses. We will need many volunteers to assist with this.
Create Event Signs and Posters - Volunteers will make their own inspirational, motivational, encouraging sign to use at the start/finish lines Florence. All sign will need to be made outside the office and placed on wooden stakes or metal stakes and brought to the office 1 week prior to the event.
Loading Trucks -This job starts at the SRP. We will need 10 volunteers to load the supplies to each truck under supervision of rest stop coordinator and NMSS staff.
Set Up Team -This will take place at Heritage Park on the Friday before the Bike MS and continue on Saturday morning prior to the start of the ride. We will need assistance setting up tables, chairs, cones, signs, etc.
Event-Saturday & Sunday
Parking Attendant – Monitor parking lots and help assist and direct arriving participants on where to park.
Kiss and Ride Parking - This will be for cyclist’s that are being dropped off by a friend or family member. We will need volunteers to help with the flow of the traffic to make sure that NO ONE actually parks there. This will probably be a fast-paced responsibility so make sure you are prepared for that.
Information Table & Ticket/Logo Item Sales – Volunteers needed to sell meal tickets to non-riders or volunteers (guests) throughout the weekend.
Registration - This will be handled by one group of individuals that is organized through the MS Society. Training will be provided 2 weeks prior to the event.
Clean Up Heritage Park - We will need volunteers to work in shifts to continuously “sweep” through the event site to ensure there is no trash on the ground at Heritage Park. Once all cyclist’s have started the ride -all the clean up volunteers need to meet at the registration table for instructions. These volunteers will also assist NMSS staff members as needed.
Luggage Team - We will need volunteers to assist with transfer of cyclists’ luggage from the parking lots and keep secure until riders claim it. This job requires the ability to lift 30 pounds.
General Bike Parking - Bike corral volunteers are essential for securing the rider’s bikes. This job will be done in shifts to maintain continual supervision of the corral.
Tent Village Assistants - We will need 8 volunteers to be stationed at Heritage Park in Florence to assist our rider teams unload/load items for their tents. You will also be asked to assist the Tent Village coordinator with any trash that needs to be emptied, re-stocking of food or beverages as well. Additional duties may be assigned.
Rest Stop -This will take approximately 10-12 volunteers to run each rest stop to ensure the comfort and safety of the riders along the route. All supplies will be supplied by the NMSS office. Please check in at the rest where you have been assigned at the designated time. The Saturday Lunch Rest stop will require more volunteers to manage the food for the riders that are taking the longer routes. For information on “sponsoring” a rest stop please contact Sarah Meeks at the Arizona Chapter office at 480-968-2488 option 2 or smeeks@aza.nmss.org.
Heritage Park Lunch Team - We will need 5 volunteers to work lunch at Heritage Park for the volunteers at the Park and the cyclists returning from the shorter route options. The main responsibility is to ensure all foods are kept supplied throughout the day. And to arrange for lunch to be delivered to the rest stops for the volunteers. Sunday lunch team will stay on an extended shift until all riders are off the course.
Dinner Team - We will need 2 volunteers for this. This job entails keeping the drink bins full, clearing off the tables of any trash, making sure the food does not get too low, etc. Specific instructions will be given prior to the event.
Finish Line Set-Up and Hand Out Medals - Volunteers will set up the Finish Line area to greet the returning riders and thank them for their efforts. Hand out the medals and thank them for their support. Please remember this is going to be a job that will require standing for 3 hours and exposure to sun. We will provide some tents to rotate to for breaks. This will also involve directing the friends and family to a safe area for the safety of the riders.
Rest Stop Trucks – On Saturday, the trucks will be restocked for the Sunday rest stops. At the conclusion of the ride, the trucks will return to Heritage Park to be loaded with supplies for return to the office and storage in Phoenix.
SAG Drivers -This Volunteer position will work with the HAMS to provide support to the riders throughout the event. We are looking for 10 volunteers with a van or SUV with a bike rack to drive the bike route to provide support to those cyclists that cannot make it to the closest rest stop for numerous reasons. All gas is paid for by the NMSS office. All drivers must posses a valid driver’s license and, in addition, each driver will have a driving record pulled on them. This is to ensure the safety of the volunteers and the Chapter.
Sunday Breakfast Team - We will need approximately 6 volunteers to work breakfast. This will involve making sure ALL food bins are full, the coffee urns are full, fruit is cut up, bagels are cut, etc. Instructions will be given the morning of the event.
Monday, March 30, Unload rest stop trucks and transfer to storage - The Monday after the Bike MS we will need volunteers to join the NMSS staff to unload the rest stop trucks and put all left over supplies in our storage. After a successful ride this volunteer position that is greatly needed. All volunteers will meet at the NMSS office.
Click here to register now as a bike MS volunteer.
For more information about volunteer opportunities for bike MS, contact Jacqueline Valencia at 480-968-2488 x219 or at jvalencia@aza.nmss.org.