Clean Run Magazine - April 2009 - 28

Canines Competing for Charity By Martha Faulk A few years ago, I flew with EmmaLou, my Border Terrier, to California to participate in the Wags for Wishes agility trial held in Del Mar. It was an exciting four-ring AKC trial featuring many other dog events and a large number of vendors. I was amazed to learn that all profits from the event went to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. But in fact, there were many agility venues in 2008 raising money for worthy causes throughout the U.S. Three agility trials, held in North Carolina, Florida, and Arizona, respectively, are profiled below. They all plan the same fundraising events for 2009 and 2010. Toys for Tots in North Carolina On a brisk December morning in Raleigh, North Carolina, the U.S. Marines arrived in full uniform to kick off the 5th annual Toys for Tots agility trial with a ceremonial presentation of colors. According to Ron Young, the guiding force behind this NADAC-sponsored event, “We had so many toys that the Marines couldn’t fit them in the van they came in and actually had to come back with a bigger van.” Young came up with the idea of a fundraiser benefiting the Toys for Tots program in a discussion with Sharon Nelson, founder of NADAC, a few years ago. Since there is no agility club responsible for the event, a number of volunteers donate their time and efforts to make sure the fundraiser surpasses the previous year’s proceeds. Young says, “The 2008 trial raised a grand total of $12,650 and filled four boxes of toys. This year was our best year ever, giving us a five-year total of $52,669.” The NADAC organization sponsors the event without taking any fees and even provides a way for people to enter and support the trial without actually intending to participate. The three judges, Sarah Fix, Maureen Burke, and Mike Whall, donated all their fees and expenses, some traveling quite a distance to participate. Michele Godlevski, owner of Teamworks Dog Training, provides the agility field free of charge each year. This year, the event consisted of two rings with over 800 runs. Although the bulk of the proceeds came from entries, about $3,000 of the total came from raffle proceeds, donations, and donations for food. Some people mailed toys for the collection boxes from across the country. To learn more about this event to be held in the first weekend of December in 2009, check the NADAC website, www.nadac.com, later this year. Mid-Florida Golden Retriever Club In 2003, the Mid-Florida Golden Retriever Club (MFGRC) lost a valuable member, Nancy McCune, to breast cancer. That year the Board of Directors agreed unanimously to hold a raffle in McCune’s memory in conjunction with their annual AKC agility trial and to donate proceeds to benefit breast cancer research. In 2006, one of the founding members of the MFGRC, Joanna Bedford, also lost her battle with breast cancer. All agility premiums, says Robin Scott, agility trial chair, now designate that the raffle proceeds benefit breast cancer research in memory of both McCune and Bedford. Instead of the usual raffle benefits for trial workers, Scott believes the raffle proceeds for breast cancer research “benefit every worker in one way or another since most everyone has a friend or family member struck by this horrible disease.” The first year Toys for Tots organizers Courtesy of Charles Menn Ron Young running “Sassy” Courtesy of Charles Menn MFGRC’s first raffle honoring McCune © Pix ‘n Pages Robin Scott drawing raffle tickets © Pix ‘n Pages 28 Clean Run | April 09

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Clean Run Magazine - April 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - April 2009