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Alliston Walk for Dog Guides raises $1,915

September 30, 2021   ·   0 Comments

On Saturday September 25, the third annual Alliston Lions Club & Pet Valu Walk for Dog Guides took place with 30 participants (including Lions) and 11 dogs taking part. The Walk is the largest annual fundraiser for Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides.

“We raised a total of $1915 for Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides,” Lion Jaime Karsch, Walk for Dog Guides Committee Chair, told The Times. “The Walk was a great success, with one hundred per cent of the money going directly towards the training and placement of Dog Guides for Canadians with medical or physical disabilities. Participants mentioned that cars slowed down to see what was going on, honked and waved.”

All participants received a coffee courtesy of McDonald’s Alliston, a pizza slice and drink from Boston Pizza Alliston, and a “doggy-bag” with lots of goodies to take home compliments of Pet Valu.

“We also received a donation from Royal LePage RCR Realty,” confirmed Karsch.

In all, there are seven types of Dog Guides available: Canine Vision for the blind or visually impaired; Hearing Dogs for the deaf and hard of hearing; Service Dogs for people with a physical disability; Seizure Response for people with epilepsy; Autism Assistance for children with autism spectrum disorder; Diabetic Alert for Type 1 diabetics with hypoglycemic unawareness; and Support Dogs for professional agencies with people in traumatic situations.

It costs approximately $35,000 to breed, train and match a life-saving Dog Guide with a person or family. There is no government funding for the Walk, and the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides relies on donations to make the program a success, with local Lion Club organizations raising about 20 per cent of the required funds annually. 

Pet Valu is the national event sponsor and covers all administrative and promotional costs, ensuring 100 per cent of the proceeds go to Lions Foundation of Canada. 

For more information, visit www.walkfordogguides.com 

By Wendy Gabrek


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