5th Annual Walk for Those Who Can't Registration Now Open

WILMINGTON, N.C.- Registration is now open for the fifth annual fundraising walk benefiting Carolina Canines for Service, on Saturday, March 26 at 9 a.m., at Hugh MacRae Park, Wilmington, NC. Teams and individuals can register for the Walk For Those Who Can't online by visiting www.walkforthosewhocant.org or calling (910) 362-8194.

            A minimum donation of $25 is required to participate in the walk. Children under 12 are free. On the day of the event, sign-in and on-site registration begins at 9 a.m. and the walk 1.5 mile walk around Hugh MacRae Park begins at 10 a.m. This is a dog friendly event and participants are encouraged to bring their canine companions.

Last year more close to 400 individuals participated in the Walk For Those Who Can’t, raising $50,000 for Carolina Canines’ programs. Funding was used to support growing programs within the organization such as the Carolina Canines for Veterans, Carolina Canines for Therapy and Paws for Reading and the service dog program. Service dogs, valued at $40,000 each, assist people with disabilities regain their independence with the help of the quality trained dogs that can complete over 350 tasks.

 “The requests for our services continue to increase.  The support of the public is critical to our ability to continue providing services such as quality trained service dogs, certified pet therapy teams and community awareness programs” 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.

            Support for the 2011 Walk For Those Who Can’t comes in part CBS 10 WILM,  Queensboro Shirt Company, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, StarNews Media, Sunrise Broadcasting, SunnyFM 104.5, 98.7 Carolina Coastal Rock, DogLiving Magazine, Port City Java, PawPrints Magazine, Dock Street Printing, Wilmington Animal Healthcare and Bax Photography.  Corporate sponsorship opportunities and volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals are still available by calling Carolina Canines at (910) 362-8194.

            Carolina 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, provides pet therapy certification classes and helps children in our community improve their reading skills. Since its inception in 1996, Carolina Canines has placed 43 service dogs and the value of all the programs exceeds $4.0 of services to our community. For more information, call (866) 910-3647 or visit www.carolinacanines.org.

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