ALBERTA YEAR IN REVIEW
Vision for Independence – 2nd time around!
A recent fundraiser held in Calgary for Alberta Guide Dog Services was an unprecedented success! Vision for Independence took place at the elegant Glencoe Club on Friday, Oct. 16th, bringing in approximately $30,000 or enough money to produce about ½ of a guide dog team.
The organizing committee decided at the beginning that they were going to "go big or go home". In the end, nobody went home and it ended up being big beyond our wildest dreams. Virtually all of the 250 tickets were sold, with more people still wanting to attend at the last minute.
We first held this event two years ago when we were still very new in the province. It was a memorable evening at that time, despite the huge snow storm that blitzed Calgary that morning. That year, we ended up with about 70 guests and raised about $7,000 after expenses, not bad for the first time in the starting gate.
At the event this year there were some wonderful live and silent auction items, along with some intense bidding from the guests. In the end, everyone went away happy to have been a part of the evening.
The highlight of the evening was a speech by Diane Allard, who received her guide dog, Bracken from Alberta Guide Dog Services in November of last year. Diane likened waiting for a guide dog to waiting to have a baby. People were both laughing and crying as Diane described the arrival of her cuddly 70-pound baby.
Karen Zepeda was also a special guest, along with her guide dog Tucker and her mom, dad and little sister, Miriam. Karen didn’t do an “official” talk but her brilliant smile during the evening said as much as words could have done.
This event couldn’t have been done without the help of an incredible number of dedicated volunteers who worked literally day and night to make sure everything was ready to go on time. The organizing committee truly came through, giving everything they had and more. The old saying, "If you want something to be done right, find a busy person," couldn’t have been more true as all these people also have “real lives” other than organizing galas. A huge thanks to all of you!!
Thanks also to everyone who donated auction items or made donations, those who came out and spent money, to the staff and management at the Glencoe Club for their fabulous support and to the volunteers!
Go Alberta, Go!! Onwards and Upwards!
Click to see some pictures of the event.
Blind Behind the Wheel.... everyone’s a winner!
The race cars at Edmonton International Raceway are incredibly fast, high-powered machines. Watching from the sidelines, you just know it takes nerves of steel, quick reactions and a good eye to handle one of these cars.... and then again, maybe not!
Click to read all about the excitement on the the raceway.
Alberta has truly gone to the dogs - Alberta Guide Dog Services, that is!
After just three years of establishing an office in this province, we have gone from the invisible charity few had heard of ... to a very visible one, thanks in part to a number of adorable puppies and their puppy raisers.
As of April, we have 16 puppies in the province, in various stages of training, but all incredibly cute. And not only are we growing in Calgary, we are developing a presence in many other areas, with one pup in Drumheller, one in Okotoks, one in Chestermere, two in Canmore, one in Cochrane, one in Airdrie and two in Lethbridge.
A huge thanks to all our dedicated puppy raisers who have not only done an incredible job raising these puppies, but for helping to put ABGDS on the map!
We have been receiving a record number of invitations from organizations in the community! Seniors’ residences, service clubs, 4-H clubs, schools and corporations are all welcoming us (and our puppies) with open arms. We rarely, if ever, turn down an invitation; so if you want to meet one of our dogs in person, just call our Calgary office.
At one recent corporate visit, we demonstrated to the staff how even a very young pup knows the difference between "work time" and "play time" by whether or not they are wearing their guide dog training jacket. The manager at this particular company came up to me afterwards, suggesting that he would like to implement something similar for their office. Simply put a "working" sweater on the employees when they arrive for work. Take the sweater off for break time and then when break is over, just put the sweater back on. He thought it would really increase the company’s productivity! J
School students are also making a big difference to Alberta Guide Dog Services. At one school the first graders decided they wanted to sponsor a puppy and they thought if they tried hard, they could raise $250 to do so. They put together a business plan, gathered “seed” money by pooling their allowances, and started making dog cookies as a school business. They recently presented ABGDS with a cheque for $1,130.25 and are now the proud sponsors of FOUR pups!
The media both in Calgary and outlying communities are also helping us in so many ways. We are now being recognized when we go out in public and this is helping to pave the way for our puppies. So many businesses continue to support us through our can collection campaign, general donations and just by welcoming our puppies into their stores. And when you have permission to train
