“Step & Stride with Ruby” Official Rules

Official Rules for “Step & Stride with Ruby” Sponsored by AARP (“Sponsor”) 601 E St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20049. No purchase necessary. Program runs from 2/01/07 through 1/31/08.

1. General. “Step & Stride with Ruby” is a one-year walking program designed and supported by AARP for the Red Hat Society. The goal of the program is to encourage Red Hatters to increase their physical activity and experience all of the benefits of an active lifestyle.
   
   
2. Eligibility. will select a test number of chapters to participate in the “Step & Stride with Ruby” Program as part of an AARP study. For those chapters selected for the study, AARP will fund the entire chapter’s participation. Only “Step & Stride with Ruby” participants who are members of a U.S. chapter in the 50 united states or Guam (excluding Puerto Rico) that is selected for the study supported by AARP will be eligible to win prizes. Chapters not selected for the study, or chapters selected for the study but located outside of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, may participate as well but are not eligible for study program materials, prizes or awards. However, they may purchase a non-branded step counter and and “Step & Stride with Ruby” Participant Guide for $13 from Health Enhancement Systems. See the FAQs for information on how to participate if not selected for the study.
   
   
3. How to Apply for AARP Study. To enter your chapter for a chance to be selected to participate in the study, complete the “Step & Stride with Ruby” online application at www.stepstride.com no later than 11/30/06. As noted above, AARP will select a test number of chapters for a study and fund the entire chapter’s participation.
   
   
4. Participation Requirements. Chapters selected for the study funded by AARP (“Test Chapters”) will be notified by 12/15/06. AARP will select chapters from the pool of applicants according to AARP’s study criteria. Test Chapters will be selected by AARP in its sole discretion. Neither the individual chapters nor the Red Hat Society national office will have any influence on which chapters are selected. Participant materials will be distributed to the Test Chapters in January with a program start date of 2/1/07.
   
   Each Test Chapter must designate a Countess. The Countess is the group leader for “Step & Stride with Ruby” for each chapter. Chapters may divide up responsibilities among more than 1 member, but the Countess is ultimately responsible for:
   • Attending program orientation in Washington DC on January 23-24, 2007 (expenses paid by AARP)
   • Recruiting chapter participants
   • Distributing participant materials at the start of the program
   • Organizing monthly walking events (a Countess “Step & Stride with Ruby” Implementation Guide with sample events is provided)
   • Collecting step totals at the end of each month
   • Recording chapter step totals online
   • Distributing awards at the end of the program
   • Distributing and collecting pre-program surveys
   
   
   Each Test Chapter member enrolled in “Step & Stride with Ruby” will receive a participant packet with a step counter, guide, “Step & Stride with Ruby” rules, Ruby’s attire card and monthly log cards. Participants must record their steps and turn them in to the “Step & Stride with Ruby” Countess for their chapter at a monthly gathering/event. Participants must also sign a liability waiver, and complete a survey that will be distributed to them both before the program begins and after the program ends (referred to as “pre and post-surveys”).
   
   When a participant turns in her monthly step total she will get a sticker (Item of Ruby’s attire) to affix to her Ruby’s attire card. There are 12 different stickers of Ruby’s attire that participants can earn – 1 for each month of the Program. The “Countess” must enter each participant’s step counts online. When each chapter’s step counts are updated the online display will rank the chapter against other chapters. The chapter with the highest average steps per member (which will be calculated in the manner described in Paragraph 5, below) will rank first, second highest average per member will rank second, and so on.
   
   
5. Scoring. Each chapter’s average step count will be calculated by taking the total number of steps counted by chapter participants and logged by the Countess divided by the total number of chapter members. For example, if Chapter A has 20 members but only 10 are enrolled in “Step & Stride with Ruby”, the total number of steps counted by the 10 participants will be added together and divided by 20 to produce an average number of steps for the chapter. If Chapter B also has 20 members, but has 18 enrolled in “Step & Stride with Ruby”, their total number of steps (which should be higher, given that there are 18, rather than 10, participants) will also be divided by 20. Assuming all members in both chapters walk about the same amount, Chapter B will have the higher average because it has 8 more participating members contributing to the total number of steps that are averaged across the 20 chapter members. Additionally, because the Chapter’s average step count is based on the number of members in the Chapter as of the date the program starts (the “Membership Number”) this number cannot change, even if new members join the chapter. If new members join the Test Chapter after the program has begun, they cannot participate; only members who were in the chapter when the program started can participate.
   
   
6. Changes in Participants. The number of individuals in the Chapter participating in the walking program, however, can change, subject to the following conditions: If Chapter A has 20 members, and 10 members start participating in the program at the beginning of the program (month 1) and in the 2^nd month of the program, other “original” chapter members become interested and want to start walking, they can join as participants at that time.
   
   
7. Determination of Winning Chapters. At the end of the Program, the Test Chapter with the highest average step count will be declared the 1^st Place Winner, the Test Chapter with the second highest average step count will be declared the 2^nd Place Winner, and the Test Chapter with the third highest average step count will be declared the 3^rd Place Winner.
   
   
8. Prizes for Winning Test Chapters.
   
   1^st Place: Each Successful Participant in the 1^st Place winning Test Chapter will receive one (1) five hundred dollar ($500.00) gift certificate to a national business. The term “Successful Participant” means an enrolled Program participant who has submitted her monthly step total to her chapter Countess each month during the program (12 months total).
   
   2^nd Place: Each Successful Participant in the 2^nd Place winning Test Chapter will receive one (1) two hundred and fifty dollar ($250.00) gift certificate to a national business.
   
   3^rd Place: Each Successful Participant in the 3^rd Place winning Test Chapter will receive one (1) one hundred dollar ($100.00) gift certificate to a national business.
   
   No substitution or transfer of prizes is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the advertised prize or any component thereof is not available. Gift certificate usage is subject to terms and conditions of participating business.
   
   
9. Pro-rating of Prizes for Participants who walk less than 12 months. If a Participant in a Winning Chapter did not record steps in all 12 of the months during the program, that Participant’s prize will be pro-rated according to the number of months she participated. For example, if a Participant in the Test Chapter that wins 1^st Place only tracked steps in 6 of the 12 months of the program, that Participant will receive one (1) two hundred and fifty ($250.00) gift certificate to a national business.
   
   
10. Prize for Participants Who Complete the Program. Every Test Chapter member that enrolls as a Program participant and completes the program (i.e. has a filled Ruby attire card) will receive an official “Step & Stride with Ruby” T-shirt!
    
    
11. Monthly Random Drawings and Prizes: Each month of the Program, Sponsor will conduct a random drawing to select one (1) Monthly Prize Winner to receive a fifty dollar ($50.00) gift certificate to a national business. To encourage competition among chapters and stimulate sociability, each Test Chapter will participate in monthly scavenger hunts, (e.g. collecting the most restaurant menus). The prize pool for each drawing will consist of the names of the members from each Test Chapter who are enrolled as participants in the Program, if that Test Chapter completes the scavenger hunt, and the individual selected participated in that month's scavenger hunt. Monthly drawings will take place on or about the 28th of each month of the 12-month Program, for a total of 12 Monthly Prize Winners selected during the Program. The drawings will be conducted by AARP. Sponsor’s decisions in all matters relating to the Program are final. Each Test Chapter member who is enrolled as a participant in the Program will automatically receive one (1) entry into each monthly drawing, if her Test Chapter participated in the Monthly scavenger hunt. The odds of winning a Monthly Prize will depend upon the total number of Test Chapter members who are enrolled in the program and the total number of Test Chapters that complete the Scavenger Hunt. A person can win more than one time. No substitution or transfer of prizes is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the advertised prize or any component thereof is not available. Gift certificate usage is subject to terms and conditions of participating business.
    
    
12. General Terms and Conditions. Participation in the Program and/or the monthly drawing(s) constitutes your consent to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules prior to awarding a prize. Except where prohibited, acceptance of a prize constitutes each winner’s consent to the publication of his or her name, biographical information and likeness in any media, including without limitation the Internet, for any commercial or promotional purpose, without limitation or further compensation. Participants are solely responsible for their own conduct and agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the Program, the monthly drawings, and/or any prize(s) won. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, stolen, late, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, illegible, corrupted applications, entries, or submissions, or for transactions that are lost or fail to enter the processing system, that are processed, reported, or transmitted late, or that are not received or lost for any reason including computer, telephone, or any other malfunction including human error. Sponsor, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel or modify this Program if fraud, technical failures (including but not limited to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention), or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor compromise the integrity of the Program. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any participant who attempts to tamper with the Program in any manner. All federal, state, local and municipal laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited.
    
    
13. Winners and Official Rules. For questions about this Program, a copy of these Official Rules or information about the winning chapters and/or monthly drawing winners, contact Margaret Hawkins, AARP, 601 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20049.