PhantomNick

As promised, made my donation to your page, and got ya up over $300! Really cannot wait for you to arrive on Friday!! They all did... Jason, you are the BEST!! Thank you so much for helping out our Team TPR participants as much as you do! Also, as usual, your fundraising total is most impressive! I can't remember if they send out information emails or not.....but if they do, I wouldn't hold your breath for one before Sunday. I don't want this to sound bad, as I absolutely LOVE this event and the organization it supports, but to be honest, I feel like the new coordinator for this event is just on "auto-pilot" with things, and not very interested in responding to questions or communicating in general. Last year I chalked it up to the transition of taking things over, but this year is more of the same. We truly were spoiled by the phenomenal work that the previous coordinator (Kara) did.....she was even active on the boards here to keep everyone motivated and share some insight into what kind of great things happen down there. Just my 2 cents I guess.

Just wanted to include this little picture (via GKTW) that has a perfect message as we drum up those last minute donations! Feel free to use this and blast it out via your social media and/or email to those potential donors who might be procrastinating!! Truth! Go Team TPR!! On a personal note, I've had a little surge of donations this week, and now sit a mere $3 from my original goal of $2,000 raised!! I'm very excited, and hope to keep going even further! If anyone would happen to feel generous and want to throw a couple bucks my way to help reach that goal, I would greatly appreciate it! This truly is one of my favorite times of the year......Go Team TPR!! ONE WEEK LEFT!

^ Well, you and Kylie just received more donations.....just sent $10 to you both! Gotta send some donating love to my Pittsburgh Pals!! Go Team TPR!! I'll be running another update on our totals later to see where we stand!

^ Well, that didn't take too long! A couple more donations have bumped our Team TPR at Cedar Point up over $4,000.....$4,043 and counting to be exact! Incidentally, it's pretty cool to see that there will be 2 others (you and your girlfriend) up there from the 'Burgh! I live in a suburb about 20 minutes north of downtown myself. Looking forward to meeting you guys on the 7th!

^ Yeah, the vet bill was somewhere between ouch and ooof! It will be a tremendous trip!! I still to this day absolutely LOVE driving on the Causeway when that skyline first pops into view....breathtaking every single time! People at work have been joking with me that if there was ever any doubt that Morgan was my kid, those are erased due to the fact that she's making her first Cedar Point appearance at just 4 months old! I just want to also say how incredibly PROUD I am of the efforts by Team TPR! Over $31,000 and counting.....just remarkable! Keep up the tremendous work these last 10 or so days, everyone! Here's to $35K......and, dare I say it?......possibly breaking the $40K mark!

I do hope you realize that I haven't forgotten about you, dear! Money's a little more sparse this year for donations, between our new darling Morgan, a new hot water tank, and our dog's recent 4-day vet extravaganza (always something, lol!)......but rest assured I will be sending you a donation either this weekend or early next week (after payday). Can't forget about my Coasting for Kids partner!! I'm very much looking forward to our Cedar Point journey for this year's event!

Dustin pretty much covered all of these in his reply to you, but I wanted to elaborate a little bit on #4. I'm pretty much in Robb's camp (see his above post), in that we do like to see some enthusiasm and effort towards the fundraising process, as that's what this event is all about. You'd be surprised how quickly you can get to the $75 minimum by using email/social media to contact your network of family and friends. Now, that said, I'm sure others here will certainly lend a hand, especially since we are in need of a representative at Michigan's Adventure!! In fact, if you search back and find the post, one of our generous members was at one point offering to help anyone that joined at the 2 parks we were still needing riders for. I really hope you (and your friend!) decide to join up at Michigan's Adventure!! We would really appreciate having Team TPR represented there, and you WILL have an absolute blast, I promise you! Plus, you just can't go wrong supporting this amazing cause! Thanks! The fundraising deadline has been set by GKTW for Friday, June 5th at NOON. As far as I know, this includes Valleyfair participants. You could try emailing Kaylee at GKTW, but be warned that she is not the best at replying to emails with questions about the event. I had sent one with a couple questions about the new policy for offline donations about 3 weeks ago, and haven't heard anything back as of yet. 10 DAYS before the deadline, Team TPR!! Keep the awesome momentum going during the home stretch!!

Sounds like fun to me! Just donated $10 to your page, Dustin! Happy Memorial Day weekend indeed......and go Team TPR!! I know it can be frustrating at times, and I've had times where I've felt slightly bummed that some folks who I think would love to support this don't seem to share the passion I have for the organization and decide to pass on donating. But, after doing this the past 3 years, I've learned to not take anything personally, because in reality, we sometimes don't know what kind of financial things/unexpected expenses people have going on in their lives. And I honestly feel that if we at least are spreading the word about GKTW and opening people's eyes to what they do, then we're doing our job! All we can do is to keep on reaching out to potential donors and do our best to fundraise as much as possible. Plus, don't forget, keep reminding people about it, as a lot of times there's a surge at the end. Some people just wait until there's an actual deadline approaching before they donate. In the last 2 weeks, maybe you could also post one of the great YouTube videos via your social media as well.....I've found sometimes if people see a personal story and become more emotionally invested in the cause, then they're more likely to open their wallets. But don't get discouraged!! You're doing a good job, so keep up the nice work for GKTW and Team TPR!

^ Welcome! Looks like you're doing a fine job with your fundraising thus far!! Great work! One thing I wanted to point out though.....it looks like your signature banner is actually pointing to my page (which I posted in the banner example) instead of yours. I do appreciate the extra clicks onto mine, but I'd assume you'd rather have it go to yours. For your signature, you would need to have this following code: [url=http://support.gktw.org/site/TR/CoastingForKids/General?px=1222355&pg=personal&fr_id=1360][img=http://themeparkreview.com/forum/files/c4k_2015_banner4.jpg][/url] Which would give you your desired banner like this: Just thought I'd help out. Good luck the rest of the way! Go Team TPR!!

ATTENTION TPR MEMBERS!!! We need your help so that we can have representatives at ALL 11 Cedar Fair parks for the Coasting for Kids event!! ------------------------------------------------- Currently, we have NO participants registered for the Team TPR that is setup at Worlds of Fun!!. Do you live near Worlds of Fun? Would you like to enjoy an awesome day of riding, while also supporting this fantastic charity?? If you can answer YES to these questions, then simply go to the park sign-up page here and register today: http://support.gktw.org/site/TR?fr_id=1391&pg=entry (**BE SURE TO REGISTER UNDER TEAM TPR**) For more information, just visit our Coasting for Kids 2015 thread (in the Stickies section of the forum). I'm sure you'll get some help from here to make sure you meet the $75 minimum fundraising requirement to participate! But with only 2 and a half weeks to go before the event, please don't delay!! Join Team TPR today! Thanks!

ATTENTION TPR MEMBERS!!! We need your help so that we can have representatives at ALL 11 Cedar Fair parks for the Coasting for Kids event!! ------------------------------------------------- Currently, we have NO participants registered for the Team TPR that is setup at Michigan's Adventure!!. Do you live near Michigan's Adventure? Would you like to enjoy an awesome day of riding, while also supporting this fantastic charity?? If you can answer YES to these questions, then simply go to the park sign-up page here and register today: http://support.gktw.org/site/TR?fr_id=1382&pg=entry (**BE SURE TO REGISTER UNDER TEAM TPR**) For more information, just visit our Coasting for Kids 2015 thread (in the Stickies section of the forum). I'm sure you'll get some help from here to make sure you meet the $75 minimum fundraising requirement to participate! But with only 2 and a half weeks to go before the event, please don't delay!! Join Team TPR today! Thanks!

ATTENTION TPR MEMBERS!!! We need your help so that we can have representatives at ALL 11 Cedar Fair parks for the Coasting for Kids event!! ------------------------------------------------- Currently, we have no participants registered for the Team TPR that is setup at Michigan's Adventure & Worlds of Fun. Do you live near Michigan's Adventure? Would you like to enjoy an awesome day of riding, while also supporting this fantastic charity?? If you can answer YES to these questions, then simply go to the park sign-up page here and register today: http://support.gktw.org/site/TR?fr_id=1382&pg=entry (**BE SURE TO REGISTER UNDER TEAM TPR**) Do you live near Worlds of Fun? Would you like to enjoy an awesome day of riding, while also supporting this fantastic charity?? If you can answer YES to these questions, then simply go to the park sign-up page here and register today: http://support.gktw.org/site/TR?fr_id=1391&pg=entry (**BE SURE TO REGISTER UNDER TEAM TPR**) I'm sure you'll get some help from here to make sure you meet the $75 minimum fundraising requirement to participate! But with only 2 and a half weeks to go before the event, please don't delay!! Join Team TPR today! Thanks!

^ Nice work, Matt!! Good luck reaching the $500 plateau! I'm sure you'll make it there! So, in searching around the GKTW YouTube channel, I came across a pretty cool video that recaps their "Extreme Village Makeover" that took place the early part of 2014. See, these kinds of things are all possible thanks to donations that go to GKTW, like the ones you are all collecting on your Coasting for Kids fundraising pages. And with a collective effort like Team TPR, the impact is even greater! People are often curious about what their donations can help do.....post this video on your social media pages, and let people know that their donations DO make a BIG difference!! Check it out!

^ That's awesome, Chuck!! Excellent work with your fundraising, as is the case with you every year! Want to hear a cool Tuesday FUN FACT, Team TPR riders?? Did you know that currently the Top 3 fundraisers across the country (looking at everyone registered at all 11 parks) are ALL FROM TEAM TPR!?! Yep, that's right! 1. Jason (KD) - $7,345 (WOW! You never cease to amaze us, Jason! Spectacular work!! ) 2. Hayley (Valleyfair) - $4,260 (Incredible job, Hayley!! You are surely embracing our cause and GKTW's mission! Kudos to you! ) 3. Chase (CGA) - $3,850 (We salute you, Chase, on hitting a home run with your fundraising!! Excellent job! ) Seriously, how spectacular is that?? I am just beyond proud to be a part of the coordinating of such a motivated, compassionate, and downright AMAZING group of coaster nerds here at TPR! To all of our Team TPR participants, and to TPR peeps who have donated to support this massive effort, I say THANK YOU!! And we're NOT DONE YET!!! There's still a little over 2 weeks before the fundraising "deadline" (although I believe the pages stay active for a bit after the event) on June 5th.....let's make these last couple weeks really count as we push our fundraising total into the stratosphere!! GO TEAM TPR!!!

Hey there, Team TPR friends! Just wanted to pass along a heads up: Over the weekend, I noticed that there were several spots on the Coasting for Kids site that were not updating rider fundraising totals whenever new donations came in. Basically, if you go to your individual fundraising page, no worries, as that seems to be updating fine. However, the totals on the main page (http://support.gktw.org/site/PageNavigator/coastingforkids_2015.html) have not updated in a couple days. Also, if you go to any of the park pages (for instance, http://support.gktw.org/site/TR?fr_id=1371&pg=entry), the "Team Honor Roll" scroll has not been updating for the last couple days (though if you click on a specific Team TPR, it does at least show the correct total there), and the "Top Fundraisers" section is not updating either (similar to the main page issue). I sent an email to Kaylee at GKTW just to make sure they're aware of it. Not a huge deal, but I wanted to at least pass it along in case there are some top fundraisers from Team TPR that might visit the main page to see if they've gotten any new donations. Also, if you haven't checked your email recently, you should. Kaylee sent out an email with their updated policy on "offline donations" for the event, as they are now recommending that offline donations be mailed to them if possible prior to the event. Not sure how I feel about that one, since I typically get some offline donations through the last few days of fundraising. Anyway, even if you opt to wait and just take your offline donations with you to the park, there is now a form that needs filled out for your offline donations. ---------- Switching gears a little bit, I felt it was time again to share another great Kara story about GKTW. This one is from 2013 and touches upon the founder of GKTW, and how he took a horrific childhood experience and used it as motivation to help create this wonderful place to help children. What this man has done considering those circumstances is nothing short of remarkable. Read on..... There's no question that his horrific childhood could've resulted in a very bitter and resentful man. But, he turned it around and ultimately has ended up giving kids what was taken from him. Like Henri, the deserving children that GKTW serves have been robbed of their childhood, but when they're on their wish trips they get the chance to simply enjoy being a kid...they get their childhood back. Henri is about to celebrate his 86th birthday on March 7, which coincides with our Founder's Day. Each year, Henri and Margot come to the Village to spend time with the families. The event is very private and low key, and each year I just sit there in awe as I watch him interact with the children, much of the time acting like a kid himself. He poses for photos and autographs books for the families, and every so often I catch a glimpse of his faded personal identification number tattooed by the Nazis on his left forearm. Thank you, Henri, for creating this amazing place! Henri Landwirth, GKTW Founder

The key is indeed under the mat! That would be Muppet Vision 3D at Disney's Hollywood Studios (Walt Disney World) That first pic had totally stumped me though!!

Wow! THANK YOU so much, Jason, for offering to do that!! That's awesome! Okay, come on folks! There's got to be some TPR folks that live close to Worlds of Fun and Michigan's Adventure! Please help us out and represent Team TPR for this fantastic event!! Trust me, you'll have an AMAZING time, and you'll feel wonderful from making a difference in the lives of these special kids. And thanks to Jason, all you have to do is sign up and you've met your minimum goal to participate!!

I have to say, Rougarou looks great, and I like the extra touches like the fog and growl! Also, it's good to hear that the ride is improved! I always liked the layout for Mantis, but the stand-up part sucked. Kudos to the park for breathing life back into the coaster! I'm stoked to ride it in about 3 weeks....it's pretty awesome that it's included in the Coasting for Kids lineup!! The Hotel Breakers renovations look pretty spectacular when compared to before. Now it really has the look that an in-park resort should! We're staying there when we head up for the charity event, and I'm looking forward to it! Oh yeah, and those new Maverick restraints?? Look, I LOVE Maverick, but I always thought the restraints were the one thing keeping it from absolute perfection (for me anyway). Yes, I know that might make me a "weak" enthusiast or whatever , but I would always get a couple jabs to the neck while riding. Not a huge deal, but annoying nonetheless. It's funny, because the first time I rode I-305, I thought "man, would I love these straps on Maverick!" Can't wait to check them out!!

Just realized I never responded to this....sorry about that! As far as I know, there's no specific C4K discount at any of the Cedar Point Resort properties. I'll check into it though to be sure. I want to say the one year they did, but it would be posted right on the itinerary/details page. We're staying Sat. night at Hotel Breakers. I know that we used the AAA (if you're a member) discount, which at least saves 10%. Okay, Team TPR riders, I just updated our roster on the first page and added all the new participants! Welcome to everyone who recently joined!! Our roster now sits at a healthy 58 participants for Team TPR! I actually thought it should be over 60 based on how many I added, but it seems that we lost a few riders (3 or so, maybe?)....not sure what happened there, or if I inadvertently added people who weren't lined up with our team. We still have ZERO participants at Worlds of Fun or Michigan's Adventure.....If you live in the vicinity of either of these parks and want to participate in Coasting for Kids, please join up with Team TPR today!! Thanks! I also ran our latest totals, and I have to say that it's IMPRESSIVE!! To date, Team TPR has now raised an incredible $18,696 for Give Kids The World!!! Just an absolutely fantastic job so far, everyone! I'm so proud of this community we have here at TPR! So, as you can see, we are quickly closing in on $20K raised. Let's keep it up, guys and gals....the sky is the limit!!

I now know where to send the bill for replacement parts and daily preparation labor costs. Oh and I know who I would like to promote to operations manager. Training efficiency is difficult. You really need to your staff to buy into the philosophy as to why efficiency is important. Even more difficult is convincing teens and young adults who are there simply for a paycheck to work efficiently when there is no direct benefit for them. There is the correct Human Resource way of doing it, and there is the Cedar Point way of doing it. One of them involves positive reinforcement, the other involves fear for losing a job or making a work experience a living hell. I imagine Darien Lake's location prevents them from having a large base to build a staff from, so threatening job security or making a hostile environment that causes employees to quit is not the way to develop efficient operations. Inspiring and motivating efficiency, the correct HR way, is not an easy feat. Hopefully, Darien Lake can work to improve efficiency and friendliness of their staff. No offense, and I understand that you work in a park, but that first line of your reply seemed unnecessarily snappy. I don't honestly think it's an unreasonable thought process to think that the park's STAR coaster (let's face it, it's easily RoS with nothing else close) should be running 2 trains. I dunno, maybe it's me, but if you're ponying up the dough for a "big boy" attraction, then part of that is being prepared for associated costs of running multiple trains for efficiency. I'm assuming this is something that has been more of an issue with the newer owners, correct? I visited the park twice back when it was under Six Flags. Say what you will about them, but they had multiple trains to start the day on a couple of the coasters, especially RoS. It's one of those things that's definitely a fine line. I get saving some costs, but is it worth it when you have experiences like the poster above describes? A 2.5 hour wait is excessive for a park of this size, and if you irritate your guests to the point of not wanting to return due to bad experiences, then your bottom line takes a hit. Is that worth it to save money on not using a second train? I honestly don't know. Just my 2 cents on it. Either way, I do hope that the park can get that issue figured out to help improve the guest experience. I did enjoy DL on those 2 visits, and I'd like to return again someday.

Thanks again, Matt, for your very generous matching donations!! Go Team TPR! Awesome to see you back for another year, Jason!! Those of us with Team TPR who coordinate our efforts are definitely thrilled to see someone like you, who is always so dedicated to this wonderful cause. Your amazing dedication to fundraising all year long is simply remarkable! Thank you for all that you do to help make this event so successful each and every year. Along with your fundraising, you are also very generous with donations to other Team TPR members. Again, a huge THANKS for that as well! I don't have quite as much money to spread around this year, but I have sent you a donation of $35 in honor of your generosity, hard work, and support!! Thanks! Nick

Nice! I do like some fun "double your donation" action!! $25 donation made to your page, Adam! Good luck with the rest of your fundraising! $10 coming your way, Matt! Thanks for offering this awesome matching opportunity!

Thanks for sharing this, Robb! Looks like a pretty awesome list to me, and it certainly touches upon all the best looking coasters that are new (or remodeled) for this year. Nice work!

^ Hmmmm, this one's tougher! Cool idea, by the way! I am going with Canada's Wonderland, and I believe Behemoth resides there now. Crossing my fingers.....(and if my first one isn't correct, I also thought it might be Kings Island, and that's now where Diamondback sits). Thanks so much for the donation, Dustin!!

^ Hmmm, I didn't see a donation show up..... Or were you referring to Matt from Knott's? Wasn't sure since you quoted me but then mentioned Knott's (since I'm Coasting at CP this year). Sorry, long day at work, my brain's fried, so I got confused! As long as it made it to a team member for the cause, then I'm a happy camper!