300 communities across Canada will raise money and help train guide dogs, including Bancroft.
On May 26th, the 10th Pet Valu Walk for Dog Guides will kick off at Riverside Park. Laverne Stapley has been the organizer of the event for the past decade, but the idea to do it locally wasn’t his. “There was a man there that was blind and had a service dog,” he says about a time he and his wife attended. “My wife sat with him and they had a chance to talk about service dogs so we went home that night and said that she would like to raise guide dogs.” Since then, they’ve helped raise 20 guide dogs along with running the walk.
“Not everyone has the time to do it, but (people with disabilities) really need guide dogs,” Stapley says. The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides says that 6.2 million Canadians are limited due to a disability.
The walk will start at Riverside Park at 12:30 PM on Sunday. From there, they will walk up the trail to Millennium Park and then back to the start.
Over $17 million dollars has been raised thanks to the walk. You can add to that total by picking up a pledge form and donating. They are available at the Dairy Queen, McMichael Jewellers, Pet Valu, the IDA, or at the radio station.