Vinnie The Vertebrate Costume Rental Policies

Vinnie's Message

Vinnie the Vertebrate will be used to promote Standing Tall America, Vinnie’s Five Rules for Healthy Posture and any other appropriate curriculum presentation regarding natural health care and chiropractic; anything beyond those messages will be subject to approval by Northwestern Health Sciences University.

Costume Package

• Vinnie the Vertebrate costume;
• If desired, a Power Point presentation designed for the specific age group of the audience attending the event;
• Vinnie the Vertebrate talking points that follow along with the Power Point.

Costume Usage

• Vinnie must be used for the purpose of spinal health education in the areas of chiropractic for use in elementary, middle and high schools, community health events, as well as related public events. Vinnie the Vertebrate may also be used in other public locations with initial approval of Northwestern Health Sciences University.
• Anyone who has received confirmation of Vinnie the Vertebrate rental is held accountable for the consistency and integrity of the character.
• Vinnie the Vertebrate is to be portrayed as a fun, lively and helpful character. Vinnie the Vertebrate is a helpful character; he may only be accompanied with positive and constructive messages.
• Vinnie the Vertebrate must always be portrayed as a respectful character that is always appropriate while out in the community.
• The University has the right to deny use based on 1) availability; and 2) based on relevance of your organization using Vinnie the Vertebrate's character.
• Vinnie the Vertebrate is not to be used to endorse any person, product, company, candidate for political office or any political party unless previously approved by Northwestern Health Sciences University.
• Northwestern expects that you would take care of the Vinnie the Vertebrate costume as if it were your own.

Security Deposit

• Vinnie can only be reserved one year in advance.
• A refundable deposit of $400 (minus shipping costs) is due once your reservation request has been accepted and placed "on-hold" in the Online Vinnie Rental Calendar. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of your "on-hold" status, along with instructions on how to complete your reservation. Please Note: Your reservation request is NOT complete or confirmed until the security deposit is paid.
• Cost of shipping is the responsibility of the renter.
  The cost to ship from the University to the renter will be deducted from the security deposit before it's reimbursed. Payment and shipping arrangements for returning the costume to the University are paid for and handled by the renter. The cost of shipping typically ranges from $100 - $400 EACH WAY depending on the location.
  The costume can be picked up and returned to the University without any shipping or handling fees. Renters within a reasonable distance from the University (appx. one- to two-hours drive time) are strongly encouraged to pick-up the costume.
• The deposit will not be returned if a) costume rental is canceled within one week of event; or b) if the costume is returned damaged, the cost of repair will be deducted from the security deposit; or c) if the costume is returned, but missing pieces.
• If the event is canceled, and the product has already been shipped, all shipping fees will be deducted from the security deposit.
• Deposit will be refunded within one month of the costume transaction provided everything was returned on-time and undamaged.

Rental Fees

• The fee for rental of the Vinnie the Vertebrate costume varies as listed below:
  
  

  Status	Cost per rental*
  Lifetime Member of Northwestern Alumni Association; Non-profit organizations (501(c)3)	$0
  Active Member of Northwestern Alumni Association	$50
  Alumnus from Northwestern, non-member of Association	$75
  Other practitioners	$100

• *Rental fees and security deposit are due before the costume can be picked-up/shipped.
• *The cost per rental is for three days; weekends and holidays count as one day. If your rental is longer than three days, additional fees will need to be discussed.

Shipping

The cost of shipping is the responsibility of the renter. The cost to ship from the University to the renter will be deducted from the security deposit before it's reimbursed. Payment and shipping arrangements for returning the costume to the University are paid for and handled by the renter. The cost of shipping typically ranges from $100 - $400 EACH WAY depending on the location*. The costume must be insured for $6,500.

The costume can be picked up and returned to the University without any shipping or handling fees. Renters within a reasonable distance from the University (appx. one hour of drive time) are strongly encouraged to pick-up the costume.

• Local renters (those within one- to two-hours driving time) will pick-up the costume one business day before their reservation dates and return it one business day after.
• Non-local renters will be shipped the costume via UPS Gound Shipment five days before their reservation dates. Vinnie should be shipped back to the University in the same manner the next business day following the event.

*Shipping estimates are available at UPS and FedEx. The costume is shipped in a crate is 88 lbs. and 32"L x 36"w x 26"h. The costume must be insured to $6,500.

Miscellaneous Requirements

• Vinnie costume rentals are for three days (pick-up day before event, use day of event, and return day after event) unless previous arrangements are made.
• A minimum of two weeks notice is required for all costume rentals. If possible, please notify us a month in advance for proper planning for use of Vinnie costume.
• The University has priority over the use of Vinnie, please see calendar to confirm your dates availability.
• In accepting these policies for the rental of this costume, you are acknowledging that you will recieve only a costume and it is your responsibility to provide the staff to support the costume.
• Please submit three to five photos of Vinnie at your event. When submitting the photos please send to rchapman@nwhealth.edu as a JPEG or GIF file.
• Any special circumstances regarding our policy can be discussed with the Community Relations Coordinator at (952) 888-4777, ext. 169.

Process

• Once you have read and reviewed our Vinnie costume policy please make sure to submit your complete reservation form to have your application processed.
• Once you have received a confirmation e-mail, please follow the instructions inside the e-mail to complete the payment processing.
• Click here to begin the process of requesting Vinnie the Vertebrate at your event.
  

Vinnie Costume Rental Calendar You can go online now and check the University calendar for the dates you are interested. However, you must complete the reservation process and secure your deposit in order to reserve the Vinnie Costume. If you have specific questions regarding the costume, please contact Ryan Chapman at (952) 888-4777, ext. 169.