I know it seems like everybody is trying to raise money for something nowadays, but I’m throwing my hat into the ring anyway. Why? Because I want to help support my guide dog's school, Guide Dogs of America (GDA). Unfortunately, since they’re located in Southern California & I'm in the midwest, I live too far away to do any direct volunteer work with them. Plus, I live on a very limited income. Thus, I can't afford to make many out-of-pocket donations to support the organization. However, I am willing to try to support them with fundraising efforts.

I don’t want to just fund-raise randomly though. I have my mind set on a specific project for GDA in the form of a sponsorship. According to the sponsorship list on their website, the total cost of each team that graduates from GDA is now approximately $42,000. That's A LOT of money, especially when you consider that they give each guide dog to their blind or visually impaired partner, like me, for FREE (and they receive absolutely NO federal, state, or local government funding to help them do this)! While I highly doubt that I alone could raise enough for a team sponsorship ($42,000), or even the full dog sponsorship ($21,000), I'd love to try to at least raise enough money to sponsor a puppy = $5,000.

 

Why do I want to sponsor a puppy?
Well, partly it's because my chocolate boy, my second (current) guide dog, was a sponsored pup. Also, at one time I had hoped to be able to raise an assistance dog puppy as a way to "give back" for the gift of my first guide dog. That project never happened, because I just could never get all the logistics worked out. So, I supported her school in other ways. However, if I can’t raise a puppy myself, a puppy sponsorship is the next best option, since this money will go to provide everything a puppy in training needs while living with his or her puppy raiser.

 

What exactly does the money pay for?
The associated costs can vary for each puppy. Generally though, donations for my puppy sponsorship project will help cover care costs for the pup from whelping to 18 - 20 months of age when the puppy goes back to GDA for formal harness training. This includes the cost of breeding & delivery, medical care (vaccinations, spay/neuter & veterinarian visits) Heartworm preventative, locator microchip, hip & elbow x-rays, dog food, small puppy bib, larger puppy jacket(s), obedience classes, raiser's puppy kit (which includes all necessary supplies for new puppies – dish, collar, leash, ID tags, puppy raising manual etc.), plus periodic evaluations by the staff of GDA's puppy & training departments. Ultimately, the money will provide equipment & care for a future guide dog puppy who has the potential to help someone the way my guides have helped & continue to help me.

 

How much should we donate?
However much you want to donate would be great! If, in addition to myself, 99 other people all donated $50 we would easily achieve the sponsorship. However, obviously not everyone can afford to contribute that much, but every little bit will help us reach the goal. GDA is a non-profit (501 c 3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible.

 

Where/How can we donate?
If you, your group, or business would like to make a donation to my project there are various ways to do so:

In-Person Donations:

• If you happen to live in the Los Angeles area and would like to hand-deliver a donation for our project to GDA, you can stop by their administration building Monday - Friday 9am - 5 pm.  Guide Dogs of America is located at 13445 Glenoaks Blvd. Sylmar, CA 91342) + IMPORTANT: be sure to let them know that your donation is for my project, which is registered under my name for “Friends of Guide Dog Jack”. 

Mail Donations:

• You can send GDA a personal check (Guide Dogs of America 13445 Glenoaks Blvd. Sylmar, CA 91342) + IMPORTANT: be sure to include a note with your check designating your donation for my project, which is registered under my name for “Friends of Guide Dog Jack". 

Phone Donations:

• You can call GDA, (818) 362-5834, with your credit card info + IMPORTANT: be sure to tell them that you want your donation to be put toward my sponsorship project (again it’s registered under my name for “Friends of Guide Dog Jack”).

Online Donations:

• DO NOT use the donation form on the GDA website, because apparently there is no way to designate your online donation for my project – if you do use this, they’ll still get the money, but it won’t count toward my goal.
• Instead, I have set up a fundraising page for this puppy sponsorship project here on FirstGiving to collect online donations.  Unfortunately, FG does deduct a 7.5 - 7.7% fee to process donations before sending them on to GDA. However that processing fee can be covered by contributors to ensure we recieve the full amount of your donation. So if you are able to, please check the box to cover the fee for processing your donation too.  Thanks! FirstGiving accepts Visa, Master Card, American Express, or Discover credit cards for donations worldwide. They also accept U.S. debit cards, but not international debit cards. (All donations made through our FirstGiving fundraising page are billed in U.S. dollars.)

International Donations:

• Yes, GDA can take international checks. The school's bank will convert the currency into American dollars (and of course, charge them a small fee to do it), but they say this is not a problem. (Also, any donation made with a credit card is billed in U.S. dollars.)

Give Donations to Me: If, for whatever reason, you would prefer to send/hand-deliver your donation for GDA to me instead of any of the above options:

• Email me at yellowdogphotog[at]gmail[dot]com, if you need my mailing address. I have to mail items to GDA from time to time anyway, so I will include any donations I’ve collected for the project in with those mailings.

Other ways you can contribute:
If you want to have something to show for the money you give, you can make a purchase that will support my project: During the following months in 2011 – April, August, October & November - all direct sales through my Cafepress Photography shop will go to the puppy sponsorship project. NOTE: I only earn approximately 10% of the total purchase price of each item I sell in my shop, but I'm willing to donate those meager profits to help sponsor a puppy, if people are willing to make purchases in support of my project.

 

Special Items for Sale:

• Guide Dog Jack Painting items - In addition to the above mentioned Cafepress shop profit donations, our friend Katrin has generously given me permission to take a high-quality photo of the awesome painting she did of my guide dog to use for fundraising purposes. The painting photo has been added to certain products in my shop & ALL profits from ALL sales (direct & marketplace) of these special items (at any time from now until we reach our fundraising goal) will be donated to the puppy sponsorship project. Thanks Katrin! HERE is a link to these items.
• Holiday Cards (August 2011 - December 2011) - 100% of the profits (approx. $2 ea.) from the sale the special holiday card sets sold in my Cafepress Photography Shop, will be contributed to the puppy sponsorship fund.
• **NEW!!!** Chocolate Labrador Retriever 2012 Wall Calendars: (October 2011 - January 2012) - 100% of the profits (approx. $5) from the sale of each Chocolate Labrador Retriever Wall Calendar sold in my Cafepress Photography Shop, will be contributed to the puppy sponsorship fund. The calendar features 12 high-quality full-color photographs of Chocolate Lab Guide Dog Jack taken by me in 2010-2011. In the various photos he is having fun, enjoying his non-working time, and generally being his silly, sweet self.

NOTE for our international friends: Cafepress does automatically convert currencies, so if you’d like to contribute by making a purchase, you can easily do so from where ever you are in the world.

 

Fundraiser Events:

Denise's Collar Raffle: (May - August 2011) - The collar raffle has ended.  Thanks to all those who participated and congratulations to the winners! 

Online Auction #1: (August 08 - 14, 2011) - The Auction has now ended.  Thanks to all those who participated and congratulations to the winners.

Paws for a Cause 2011 World-Wide Dog Walk: (October 22 - November 12, 2011) - The 2011 dog walk has ended. Thanks to those who were able to participate. We will do another walk again in the spring, when, hopefully the weather will cooperate better.

Guess How Many Contest: (November 15 - December 10, 2011) - The Guessing game has ended. Thanks to all who participated and congrats to the winner, D.

Online Auction #2: (Feb. 24 - /Mar. 04, 2012) - Our second  Guide Dog Puppy Sponsorship Fundraiser Auction has now ended. Thanks to all those who participated and congratulations to the winners.

 

Puppy Photo Contest: (2012) - More info coming soon.

Gift Card Drawing: (2012) - More info coming soon.

Paws for a Cause 2012 World-Wide Dog Walk: (2012)  - More info coming soon.

Other events will be announced as I come up with them.

 

What if I don’t raise enough for the puppy sponsorship?
If this project seems to be going nowhere during the next six months or so, I may be able readjust the goal for a smaller sponsorship (newborn litter: $2,500, newborn puppy: $1,000 etc.). Ultimately though, however much money I raise will still go to GDA to support a future guide dog.

 

THANK YOU so much to any donors for your contributions to my guide dog puppy sponsorship project! Guide Dogs of America, my guide dog, and I very much appreciate your support.