8th Annual Walk and Dog Dash

Canines for Service annual fundraiser the Walk and Dog Dash will be held at

Hugh MacRae Park in Wilmington, North Carolina on March 29, 2014.  Registration is now open for individuals and individual and team fundraising at walk.caninesforservice.org.   Individual registration is $25 with children 12 and under free!  Day of event registration is $35.  Individuals and teams are encouraged to raise money for our program and virtual participation is encouraged for those not in the immediate area. Individuals raising $100 or more will receive a special recognition; just click on the link for fundraising.  Virtual participation and fundraising is encouraged. 

Businesses interested in sponsoring or participating in this event may visit our website at http://www.caninesforservice.org/walk---dog-dash.html or call Laura at 910-362-8181. Don’t miss your opportunity to promote your business while helping to change lives, four paws at a time.

Along with our Walk, this year’s event brings back the Dog Dash – a fun run for people and their favorite canines!  Anyone completing the untimed run with their canine will be eligible to win a  prize. Other activities benefiting Canines for Service include: Vendors, food and music, Pet costume and look alike contests,  Doggie “Kissing Booth”, Doggie massage, reiki & belly rubs, Canine training demos, Doggie paw prints booth, Photo booth, and a raffle.  P.T.’s Olde Fashioned Grill will be selling breakfast and lunch, with a portion of proceeds being donated to Canines for Service. Bring extra money to shop with our vendors, buy your raffle tickets, and participate in the many activities that support Canines for Service.

Support for the 2014 Walk and Dog Dash comes in part from CBS 10 WILM, Sunrise Broadcasting, Sunny 104.5, StarNews Media, Queensboro,  Dock Street Printing, PawPrints Magazine, P.T.'s Olde Fashioned Grill Food Truck, Port City Java and more.  Event, hospitality food sponsorships, and vendor tables  are available; for more information call 910-362-8181.

The Walk and Dog Dash raises money for the Canines for Service’s programs. Funding is used to support growing programs within the organization such as the Canines for Veterans, Canines for Therapy and Canines for Literacy and the service dog program. Service dogs, valued at $40,000 each, assist people with disabilities to regain their independence with the help of the quality trained dogs that can complete over 350 tasks.  “We continue to see a growth in the need for our services.  With the national visibility of our organization, now more than ever, we need the support of our local community.”  said President and CEO Rick Hairston. “This walk is a wonderful opportunity to learn about our many programs and support our mission through a sponsorship, donation, or participation.

Canines for Service is a non-profit corporation dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to achieve greater independence. The group trains and places certified service dogs with the help of volunteer foster families and military prisoners, provides pet therapy certification classes and helps children in our community improve their reading skills. Since its inception in 1996, Canines for Service has provided over $9 million in services to our community. For more information, call 910-362-8181 or visit www.caninesforservice.org.

Dog Bless You Helps Veterans

Dog Bless You, a Facebook Campaign has selected Canines for Veterans as one of the recipients for their Spirit of ’76 Facebook Campaign.  From Memorial Day (May 28^th) to Independence Day (July 4^th), Dog Bless You, a non-profit community created by explore.org founder and Annenberg Foundation Director and Vice President, Charlie Annenberg, will celebrate dogs and soldiers in America and bring service and companion dogs to war veterans through a challenge grant that incorporates Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

For every 1,000 new subscribers on the Dog Bless You Facebook, Pinterest, or Tumblr pages, explore.org will donate the costs of one service or companion dog to a war veteran.  Through a grant made possible by the Annenberg Foundation, explore.org will donate up to 76 dogs with the help of non-profit organizations throughout the US. The Spirit of ’76 is a celebration of 1776, the birth year of our country’s independence. The campaign offers a chance for people to come together and raise awareness surrounding the healing role dogs can play in the lives of those affected by war. The Facebook page, Tumblr page, and Pinterest page will feature photos, videos and discussions aimed at educating and inspiring.

“This is a great example how foundations are incorporating social media into the opportunities for grantees” says Rick Hairston, President/CEO of Canines for Service.  Dog Bless You is a creative way to feature the service Canines for Veterans is providing to our warriors while creating a needed funding source to continue to provide this medical option to our Veterans.”

Canines for Veterans, a program of Canines for Service, is a triple win; providing quality trained service dogs to our veterans at no cost, teaching military prisoners new skills that they can use when released from prison and rescuing dogs from local shelters giving them a second chance at a new life.   The program is innovative and provides a professionally trained service dog within about one year from the dog entering training.  

So, what makes CFV different?    For one thing, 95% of the dogs in the program are from rescue  and all are temperament and health tested to ensure the right fit for the service work the dog will be trained to do.  Next, training standards have been developed and approved by the U.S, Department of Labor as an Apprenticeship program which includes 3600 hours of training for the handler and an average of 2,500 hours for each dog; the first of it's kind for a prison service dog training program.  The skills to assist a Veteran with PTSD have been developed by and with individuals that have PTSD and are compliant to federal law (Americans With Disability Act).  After completing an application and review for a service dog, each client receives individualized instruction when they learn to work with their service dog.    Because we work with each recipient individually, they get the specific training needed for the skills needed, can ask as many questions as they need to understand and we can reduce the training time for the team to an average of 5 days.  That saves the client time, money and most of all anxiety of being in a unfamiliar location. And, we don't stop there.  Once the client has completed training and goes home with their new service dog, CFV is there for the team for follow-up and we provide the liability insurance coverage for the service dog by maintaining the ownership.   

Canines for Service, previously known as Carolina Canines for Service, empowers people with disabilities to achieve greater independence through the gift of quality trained service dogs. Through the volunteer efforts of foster families and military prisoners, the organization trains certified service dogs and then partners the canines with eligible recipients.  

Canines for Service is asking the community and supporters to like Dog Bless You on Facebook from now to July 4^th and share this with your friends to help veterans receive service dogs.

6th Annual Walk for Those Who Can't

The 6th Annual Walk for Those Who Can't is right around the corner.  The team is working to bring you a fun 2012 Walk.  Based on your input, we have created a longer route and we have added vendors.  


Besides the fun, the great fundraising prizes (like a week in Florida) and the raffle items available, we all have at the Walk for Those Who Can't, this event is important to Canines for Service.  It helps us to raise money needed for programs that serve people in our communities.  The largest fundraiser for Canines for Service in the Wilmington area, the funds raised help to provide people waiting for their service dog, a 4-legged gift of independence, provides training and certification for pet owners and their dogs to become pet therapy teams and volunteer visiting nursing homes, assisted living, hospitals and working with children.  Requests for our services are up.  Our wait list for a service dog in the Canines for Service program is 2 to 4 years and for Veterans up to 10 months in the Canines for Veterans program.  We have many facilities in our community who are waiting for certified therapy teams to visit with the residents.  And, schools are asking for our Canines for Literacy team to come help the children with their reading.  

We need you to help us.  If you are already fundraising, thank you!  If you have not started, there is still time. Just visit Walk for Those Who Can't and click the Register to Walk button or Donate to A Team or buy a raffle ticket or two, three or more. Every little bit helps and 91 cents of every dollar goes directly to our programs. 


Here are a few tips that our walkers are using to become fundraisers! Follow these and you can’t go wrong.
1- ASK. Asking for money is hard, but you will find that people want to support you and the cause that you believe in. People believe in dog helping people and they will want to help.
2- Ask Again. Participants who send follow-up emails to people who have not responded after the first ask are more successful fundraisers. Your friends are busy -- they WANT to be reminded about the opportunity to help!
3- Thank You! Log into your account to easily see who has made a gift toward your goal. Send a thank you note right away and even follow up after the event by sending a picture of you and your pet at the walk so that your supporters share in the day. 


Thank you to our sponsors making the 2012 Walk possible.  CBS 10 Wilm, Sunrise Broadcasting, Sunny 104.5, Z107.5, Jammin 99.9, 98.7 Coastal Carolina's Modern Rock, ESPN Radio, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Dog Living Magazine, StarNews Media, Queensboro Shirt Company, Unleashed - The Dog and Cat Store, Dock Street Printing, Indian Springs Water Co., Port City Java and PawPrints Magazine.  And to our doggie bandana sponsors A Country Veterinary, Chippewa Aerospace, Inc. , Dineen Animal Hospital, Galligan Chiropractic, North College Road Animal Hospital, Paw Beach Pet Resort, Pine Valley Animal Hospital, Therapy Works Of Wilmington.   Table Top Exhibitors: Dog Connection Inc., Kona-Ice Of Coastal Carolina LLC, Nature's Select Of Coastal Carolina, Inc., Norman's Books,  Pampered Chef - Jesse Watts, Paw Beach Pet Resort, Pet's Pal Inn, Splish Splash Dog Wash, Unleashed, The Dog And Cat Store, Wilmington Animal Healthcare, And Woof 4 Dog Gifts.


Looking forward to seeing you there!

Looking Ahead

Happy New Year! 

Now that all the excitement is over and the holiday break has been had, we are back to business we are looking forward to a promising 2012.

Programs

Canines for Service – continues to be based from the Wilmington corporate office.  Demands for services continue and we need foster families (individual, couple, traditional or non-traditional) to step-up to the cause.  We cannot serve people in need unless we have puppies in training coming up the ranks to fill those needs in 2-4 years.   The commitment is great, but the reward is even bigger.  Our goal for 2012 is to bring the foster program to Charleston, SC.    Our second goal for this program is to obtain our U.S. Department of Labor approval for service dog technician training program.  Canines for Service continues on the forefront of service dog training standards and the U.S. Department of Labor approval confirms a level of standards for the trainer.  This apprenticeship program approval will make it possible to offer a vocational curriculum in service dog training. 

Canines for Veterans – continues to serve our wounded and injured service members from 1991 – current.  We know the demands are high and Canines for Veterans is on track to meet the needs with 10 to 15 service dog partnering planned for this year.    Working with the brig to increase the number of prison handlers and then increase the number of dogs in training is a goal for this program.

Canines for Therapy – continues in Wilmington and in Raleigh taught by Teamworks Dog Training.  To meet the continued needs in Wilmington, two staff members are in the process of becoming AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluators so our enrollees will be able to complete this evaluation before enrolling in the therapy class.  Our goal is to bring this program into Charleston within the first quarter of 2012.

Canines for Literacy – continues in the greater Wilmington area in 5 elementary schools.  Request for the program have never been higher, but we need certified Canines for Therapy teams so we can increase the number of children served.

Events

Events already on the calendar:

Canines for Therapy Class (Wilmington), January 17th

Conscience Fair (Wilmington) on Feb 4th

Run for the Roses (Raleigh) on Feb 12th

Southeastern Wildlife Exp (Charleston) on Feb 17^th- 19^th

Coastal Living Show (Wilmington) on March 17^th – 18^th

Walk for Those Who Can’t (Wilmington) on March 24^th

Azalea Festival Parade (Wilmington) on April 14th

Locations

Canines for Service is seeking facility space in Charleston/North Charleston, preferably donated or very low cost, to offer the Canines for Therapy program and begin the service dog training curriculum.  A minimum of 2,000 to 5,000 sq feet of space is needed.  If you know of space or have space you would like to talk with us about, please call, 866-910-3647.

Volunteers

Don’t be shy, we need you!  In Wilmington area, Canines for Therapy teams are needed and Canines for Literacy teams.  Foster families to raise a service dog for someone in need and event volunteers are always needed.  With our 6^th annual Walk for Those Who Can’t on March 24^th we need a team of folks to help gain sponsors and tabletop exhibitors or volunteer for hospitality or event day activities.  And, opportunities are available for Board Members.  

Can’t volunteer?  How about holding a fundraiser?  Check our information on being CFS Supporter.

We've got a lot going, but we need your continued support; financially, and as  corporate sponsors or volunteers. Help us make 2012 a great year.  We can’t do it without you!

Walk for Those Who Can't Just Weeks Away

The 5th annual Walk for Those Who Can't is just a couple of weeks away, there are a number of questions for individuals and teams. Here are the most frequently asked and how Carolina Canines is handling this:

• People have registered under Join This Team and the amount I've raised is not showing. How do I know how much I've raised? Online registrations are tallied separate from donations in Firstgiving.com. Carolina Canines will be totaling online registrations + donations + offline donations and registrations for a Team and Individual Total.
• When can a Team Captain pick up the T-shirts for my team? Team t-shirts can be picked up the morning of the Walk on Saturday, March 26, 2011 beginning at 9 am. There will be a Team Registration table at Huge MacRae Park, Shelter 5 for all pre-registered teams. Only the Team Captain needs to check in for the entire team.
• Can I bring by teams registrations and donation to the office before the Walk? Team Captains can bring their Teams registrations to our office (1200 N. 23rd St., Ste 101, Wilmington, NC) until  Wednesday, March 23, 2011 if the Team wants to be included in the Top Fundraising Team and be eligible to receive special recognition the day of the Walk. If you need to make arrangements to come to the office after 4:30 pm, please call us to make an arrangement.
• I have not registered for the Walk, can I register the day of the Walk? People can certainly register the day of the Walk.  Registration/sign-in begins at 9:00 a.m.
• I registered online to I need to sign in on the day of the Walk? Yes. We ask you to check-in at the Registration area, Shelter #5 the day of the event to receive your t-shirt.
• Can I bring my dog to this event?  This is a pet friendly event as long as your pet is friendly. Please only 2 dogs per person.  A 6ft non-retractable leash is a must.  You must clean up after your pet.

To register for the Walk, click here.
 
The 5th Annual Walk for Those Who Can't is made possible by our sponsors including 
CBS10WILM, Queensboro Shirt Company, StarNewsMedia, Carrabbas's Italian Grill, Sunrise Broadcasting, SunnyFM 104.5, 98.7 Coastal Modern Rock, DogLiving Magazine, Port City Java, Brightmore of Wilmington, PawPrints Magazine, Dock Street Printing, Bax Photography and Wilmington Animal Healthcare.

Fall... A Happening Time Of Year

Now that the hot days of summer are behind us and the cooler weather has arrived, things are jumping busy again for the crew at Carolina Canines for Service.  In reality, we are always busy, but there are just times it seems like a balancing act has to occur to be all the locations we need to be and get work accomplished back at the shop. 

If you are looking for something to do or want to support our programs, there are plenty of options to choose from.  Or, support all of them.. we'll love you for that! Here's a glance at what is happening on the next couple of weeks:

Coastal Hounds Walk the Town - Join Shallotte and Leland Rotary Clubs for the 2nd Annual Coastal Hounds Walk the Town on October 9, 2010 from 10 am- 1 pm at Shallotte Middle School. This event supports Carolina Canines for Veterans. For more information visit Coastal Hounds Walk the Town.

Military Appreciation Day - October 16, 2010 from 10 am - Noon aboard USS North Carolina Battleship.  An opportunity to show our gratitude and appreciation for our troops who are embattled in the trenches for our country. For those who have served in the past or are currently serving a tour of duty, we want to thank them for putting their lives on the line and an opportunity to support the friends and families of those serving in the military.

Hounds for Hero's - A Canine Good Time, October 17, 2010 from 3 to 6 pm Sweetgrass Pavilion at Wild Dunes Resort. Sponsored by Charleston Referral Exchange and Wild Dunes, Charleston's Island Resort. Advanced Tickets $15; $20 at door; Children under 7yrs Free, 7-13yrs $10. Food, Live Music, Local Vendors, Silent Auction, Prize Drawings, Beer and Wine Available at $2 For more information and to purchase tickets visit the Charleston Referral Exchange.


Carrabba's Fall Italian Feast -  The second annual Fall Italian Feast at Carrabba's Wilmington, NC on Friday, October 22, 2010 seatings at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; limited number of take-out orders beginning at 11:00 a.m. Tickets $25.00. To Pre-order your tickets, visit www.carolinacanines.org, call 910-362-1818 or email volunteer@carolinacanines.org.

A Global Masquerade -Passport 72 invites you to join us on Friday, October 29th, 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the prestigious Harbour Club in downtown Charleston for an exciting evening of mystery, intrigue and giving we are calling A Global Masquerade.
 
Christmas Tree Fundraiser Wilmington, NC - pre-order a fresh-cut Christmas trees from Sunnyside Christmas Tree Farm.  Pre-order, October 1- November 1, 2010 for delivery on December 4, 2010, Wilmington, NC, click here for information or to order on line.


Trees for the Troops - Charleston, SC - coming in November the Charleston community can pre-order fresh-cut Christmas trees to support the programs of Carolina Canines for Service.
We at Carolina Canines appreciate your continued support and we know the community we serve appreciates you too!

Community Support Through Giving

Carolina Canines for Service depends on the generosity of individuals, groups and civic organization to support the programs that serve our community. Recently the Shallotte Masonic Lodge 727 held a fundraiser to support the Carolina Canines for Veterans program.

Harvard Holden presented Rick Hairston with a check for $1,585 which the Shallotte Masonic Lodge 727 raised by raffling a custom cane. These funds will assist a Veteran to receive their service dog and be used to help in the expenses of team training when a recipient is partnered with their dog.

There are many people who want to be involved can help. The greatest need remains for people to foster a service dog in training with in the Wilmington, NC or Myrtle Beach, SC programs. Our ability to provide quality trained service dogs to those that need them depends of the generosity and commitment of people in our communities.

Another way to help is to hold a fundraiser like Shallotte Masonic Lodge 727 did. There are many ideas for fundraisers from bake sales to home shows.

Carolina Canines for Service encourages third party events (i.e. golf outings, marathons, sales benefiting Carolina Canines, etc). As an event organizer, we ask that interested individuals provide all the elements needed to complete the event promotion. If you want our involvement in the event, then before an individual, company or organization proceeds with a special event or promotion to benefit the Carolina Canines, we do request the completion of a fundraising agreement be provided by the Carolina Canines. To receive a copy of the fundraising agreement, email us at information@carolinacanine.org

Walk for Those Who Can't -Tips for Creating a Fundraising Page

Here are some tips for individuals to register for the 2010 Walk for Those Who Can’t, joining a team and creating a fundraising page

First, register for the event and join a team:

Visit our nonprofit page at http://www.firstgiving.com/carolinacanines

• Click Get Started and Select 2010 Walk for Those Who Can’t
• To register for the event, click “Yes, register online now.”
• Select the registration type, the number of people you’re registering, and read and agree to the waiver, then click Continue.
• If you’ve used Firstgiving before, log in to your account. If not, enter your email and click Continue.
• Fill out your account details and click Continue.
• Next, enter your registration details and click Continue.
• Join or add your team.
• If you’re registering another person, enter their registration details and add them to a team.
• Confirm your registration submission.
  

Next, create your fundraising page:

• Click Create Your Page at the bottom of the registration confirmation screen.
• Choose your web address and click Create Your Page.
• You’ve successfully created your page.
• To tell your story, add photos, set a fundraising target, then click Personalize and Share Your Page. Once you’ve edited it, click Save and Continue.

Now, click Email Your Friends to share your fundraising page with your community.

It's that easy and you are on the way to helping the mission of Carolina Canines for the 4th Annual Walk for Those Who Can't.

Registering for the Walk for Those Who Can't, Just A Click Away

Are you interested in registering for the Walk For Those Who Can’t, but you are not sure where to begin? Here’s some simple tips to get started.

Do you want to form your own team?
Visit http://firstgiving.com/carolinacanines and click Register for An Event and select the 2010 Walk for Those Who Can’t and follow the instructions on screen to:

• Register online ($25 donation required)
• Create your own fundraising page
• Register off-line

Once you have made your selection, you can easily create your own fundraising page and recruit people to your team or ask family, friends and co-workers to sponsor you by making a donation

Do you want to join an existing team?
Visit http://firstgiving.com/carolinacanines and click Join a Team

• Register online ($25 donation required)
• Create your own fundraising page
• Register off-line
• Locate your team and join them.

Here is a link to some helpful Q&As: http://help.firstgiving.com/

Folks are welcomed and encouraged to register for the Walk, create a team, and recruit others to help you reach your goal. There will be special recognition for the Top Fundraising Team and Individual! The total of registrations plus donations will be used to determine the Top Fundraising Team and Individual. All registrations must be completed by Wednesday, March 24, 2010 to be eligible.

Come out and meet the Army Wives and let’s make this the best Walk for Those Who Can’t yet!

Carolina Canines Kicks Off 100 Days Fundraising Campaign

Carolina Canines for Service, Inc. launched the Power of 10 fundraising campaign on Monday, August 3. The goal of the 100-day initiative is to raise $60,000 – the cost to complete advanced training and place three service dogs.

The Power of 10 fundraising concept starts with 10 supporters donating 10 dollars each to Carolina Canines. They, in turn, ask ten of their friends to do the same, who in turn ask ten more friends ……… creating a powerful wave of support and fundraising dollars.

A kick-off for the campaign was held at Carolina Canines for volunteers, friends and supporters on Saturday, August 1. People gathered to enjoy complimentary hotdogs and drinks provided by the Board of Directors. Along with the Board Members, staff, clients and volunteers were on hand to get the wave of going. “This is an easy opportunity for our communities to help support the programs and services offered by Carolina Canines”, states Paula Zabkar, Board Secretary. “Power of 10 is easy, you donate $10 and ask 10 friends to do the same, and they ask 10 friends creating that powerful wave of support. You can do this in person or send an email. But, everyone already knows 10 friends they can ask. Include a personal story of your own about how your life has been touched by Carolina Canines or how you have touched others. By asking just 10 friends and those friends asking 10 friends anyone can easily raise $1,000 and reach our goal of $60,000.”

Did you know…..…

• 34 service dogs placed, valued at $1,292,000, but hundreds have been in training to achieve this



• 76% of placements are in North Carolina



• Service dogs are valued close to $40,000 each, know over 70 tasks and are provided at no cost to the person receiving the dog



• Carolina Canines for Veterans was started in January 2008 at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Brig and already five Wounded Warriors have received their service dogs



• Carolina Canines for Therapy has registered over 200 teams with over 90 active teams



• Paws for Reading helps children improve their reading skills in a fun, non-judgmental way by reading to the dogs



• We are over 200 Volunteers strong and our volunteers have donated 119,811 or an average of 2500 hours each month

Carolina Canines for Service is a non-profit corporation dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to achieve greater independence. For more information, call (866) 910-3647 or visit www.carolinacanines.org.

Vets helping Vets!

Vets helping Vets!

North College Road Animal Hospital Animal Wellness Clinic

North College Road Animal Hospital is celebrating National Pet Week (May 3-9) by hosting a wellness clinic for dogs and cats. NCRAH is dedicated to the Carolina Canines for Veterans program and is excited to be hosting this event.

A complete blood count will be done for your animal and a report given to you. This is very important information to have as a baseline for your animal! The event will be held from noon-3pm on Saturday May 9th, 2009 at the NCRAH at 3414 Enterprise Dr in the Northchase Business Park. Pre-registration is requested. Call 910-452-2273 to schedule your appt.

The cost is $30 and is a value of $100, and the best news of all! 100% of the proceeds go to benefit the Carolina Canines for Veterans Program! We hope to see you there!

Amie Granbois

Top Ten Reasons the 2009 Walk for Those Who Can’t was a Success!

10. The weather was beautiful. Finally a year that the temperatures were above 40 degrees, the breeze was mild and the rain held off until just after the walk was over.

9. The John Nesbitt Loop at Wrightsville Beach is a great place to take your best 4-legged friend for a Walk on a nice morning.

8. There were plenty of great people to meet and dogs to see and pet.

7. Fifty-five (55) fundraising pages were created on firstgiving.com by our supporters.

6. The volunteers that staffed the Carolina Canines booth including a Kathleen and David Goins from Greensboro area who donated the fantastic Sam and Macy’s Cookie Crack dog treats.

5. The volunteers that helped put this together from hospitality, the water stations, registration, logistics, each person played a key part in making the event a success.

4. The top fundraising individual, Nina Newell and Jaxson who raised $1,275 and runner up Stacy Sears and Service Dog in Training Luke raising $535.

3. The top fundraising team, Association of Nursing Students that raised $1,285 and the runner up team, Harrells Christian Academy Key Club raising $800.

2. Our sponsors who without their support the event would not be possible. Talk Inc., Merrill Lynch- William Truscott, Atlantic Orthopedic, Papa Johns, WECT, Sunrise Broadcasting, Surf 98.3, Jammin 99.9, DogLiving, Encore, Daid Hill & Associates, NRL Builders, INc., Health Source of Wilmington, Bootleg Magazine, Dock Street Printing, and Backyard Paradise.

1. Our supporters, that means you, teams and individuals are the best! Raising a net of just over $18,700, the people from our community and further came out to help us to help others.

We cannot continue the work we do without your financial help. As stuarts of your donations, 95 cents of every dollar works to help someone in need! Thank you for your commitment to serving our community.

Gifts Come in All Forms

The gift of giving is one of the greatest acts of kindness for humankind. Many of us stand on the side lines never to know the joy of giving to others. Quietly observing, wanting to take the next step, but not always sure how.

Taking he next step is easy with Carolina Canines Walk For Those Who Can't. Just taking a step will help us to train one more service dog for a person in need, help another prisoner learn a new skill while saving a shelter dog, visit with one more patient in a nursing facility, help one child find the love of reading or keep a victim of domestic violence safe for one more night.

How? By supporting Carolina Canines through the Walk for Those Who Can't. It is not too late to form a team or register as an individual, gather your friends and family to help you make that act of kindness reality. Feel awkward asking your friends and family to support you, then sign on to Firstgiving, firstgiving.com/carolinacanines, register and start a page, then send it to your entire email address book. Ask 50 people to give $5.00 and you raised $250.

Don't miss your opportunity for a random act of kindness today!