Portland, OR. Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) hosted its annual Canine Heroes Gala on June 6th. This year the event took place on a free, virtual platform that allowed for viewers from across the U.S., Canada, and beyond to see both GDB campuses and enjoy stories and photos of heroic guide dogs. Some guide dogs were dressed in superhero costumes to illustrate their life-changing actions. Others appeared in pictures, like the 8-week old guide dog puppy in training named Beatrice who is seen above.
Guide Dogs for the Blind President and CEO, Chris Benninger with Liam Mayclem, an Emmy award-winning radio and TV personality, GDB Vice President of Outreach, Admissions, and Alumni Services, Theresa Stern, accompanied by two guide dogs.
This guide dog shows off his superhero cape.
The Virtual Canine Heroes Gala was hosted by Liam Mayclem, an Emmy Award-winning TV and radio personality, and GDB Vice President of Outreach, Admissions, and Alumni Services, Theresa Stern alongside her guide dog. The gala also featured several vignettes of some four-legged GDB friends which were narrated by Grammy and Emmy Award-winning composer, James Newton Howard.
GDB had 1,220 households register for the event which raised over $350,000. Donors all across the world provided a large amount of financial support to the nonprofit organization’s life-changing mission. After the live event ended, GDB hosted a virtual auction that ran from June 2nd-9th, which allowed people to bid on a wide range of items in support of the organization.
The President and CEO of GDB, Chris Benninger, provided updates on the nonprofit’s plans and topped the evening off by delivering a GDB puppy. The adorable 8-week old black lab puppy, Beatrice, was given to a volunteer puppy raiser to begin her journey to becoming a fully-trained canine hero.
Here’s a video from the organization which also has spoken narration for those with limited sight. Meet GDB client Walter Elias and his black Lab guide dog, Frommer. Walter was interviewed on the grounds of GDB’s Oregon campus. Other footage and photos show Walter and Frommer hiking through a forest, and walking through neighborhoods with his two instructors.
From Guide Dog’s for the Blind: Guide Dogs for the Blind is a passionate community that prepares highly qualified guide dogs to empower individuals who are blind or visually impaired to move through the world more safely and confidently. GDB not only improves mobility for its clients, but it also furthers inclusion and advocates for policy reforms that change how the world views blindness. All of GDB’s services are free to participants and the organization receives no government funding, which makes events like the Canine Heroes Virtual Gala such a pivotal fundraiser each year.
Portland, OR. The Puparazzi Photo Contest raised funds for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Fans submitted photos and supporters voted by donating money which went to the nonprofit; it was $1/vote. The winning photo entry for the K-9 Buddies category was Nessa. She had the photo above snapped during her first day on the job with Hannah and Emma. This is the eighth year of the contest and its most successful yet with nearly $40,000 raised.
Winners of the Guide Dog Puppies category, littermates Molly, Marv, and Madras, at their favorite restaurant.
Winner of the Working GDB Guide Dog category, Jagger, is pictured with his handler Tony. He and Jagger are enjoying some gorgeous spring flowers.
Waffle and Cabot were the GDB Breeder Dog category winners! They are pictured here relaxing on a nice day by the water.
The winners of the GDB Career Change Dogs category, Jamar and Jambo, are pictured striking a pose in the garden.
This year, the contest raised nearly $40,000 as the participants campaigned to raise money by rallying their friends and family to vote for their photo. An impressive 233 photos were submitted. The winners from the five GDB organizational categories have a chance of being featured in the 2021-2022 Guide Dogs for the Blind calendar, which will be distributed to over 100,000 households in the US and Canada.
This photo contest is one of the major fundraisers for the nonprofit, and provides a creative and interactive platform to donate funds to a life-changing cause. Guide Dogs for the Blind does not receive any government funding and depends on the generous support of its community and donors.
From Guide Dogs for the Blind:
Interested in supporting and learning about Guide Dogs for the Blind? GDB has another upcoming fundraising event that is open to the public and is free: It’s annual Canine Heroes Gala. The gala will be virtual this year, so attendees have the opportunity to experience cute puppies in training, meet dashing guide dogs, and hear from some amazing GDB clients, all from the comfort of your own home. There will also be a puppy delivery! Join GDB for the event on Sunday, June 6th at 5pm PT. Read more about this fundraising event at https://www.guidedogs.com/events/canine-heroes-gala.
Portland, OR. Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) hosted a Virtual Holiday Celebration on December 6th. The event featured stories of GDB’s canine teams across the country. Through the event, $400,000 was raised for the non-profit. Supporters who missed the celebration can watch it online here. People can continue to donate for the event until December 16th and will be given an opportunity to name a GDB puppy.
Guide Dogs for the Blind celebrated its first virtual holiday celebration.
The Virtual Holiday Celebration was hosted by Liam Mayclem, an Emmy Award-winning radio and TV personality, along with Theresa Stern, GDB Vice President of Outreach, Admissions, and Alumni Services. Chris Benninger, president and CEO of GDB, gave updates on the nonprofit, along with the GDB ambassador dog, Thea. Zach Thibodeaux, a recent Guide Dogs for the Blind graduate, shared his story of receiving his first guide dog, Natura. There were some special appearances of the actor Noah Wyle and some GDB guide dogs, and a video starring canine teams across the U.S. was featured.
The Virtual Holiday Celebration was hosted by Emmy Award-winning radio and TV personality Liam Mayclem and Theresa Stern, GDB Vice President of Outreach, Admissions, and Alumni Services.
The virtual celebration had over 1500 attendees sign-on, and an additional 120 viewers signed on to the Facebook Livestream. Guests joined from all over the States, and from Canada, England, India, and Italy. Donations were given from all around the world.
Behind the scenes of the virtual holiday celebration, with President and CEO of Guide Dogs for the Blind, Chris Benninger.
From Guide Dogs for the Blind:
Guide Dogs for the Blind is a guide dog school that trains highly qualified guide dogs to provide free services in order to empower visually impaired individuals. The organization has been serving people throughout the United States and Canada since 1942.
Guide Dogs for the Blind was the subject of an award-winning 2018 feature-length documentary called Pick of the Litter, which was developed into a television docu-series by the same name that had its debut in late 2019 on the streaming service Disney+.
Boring, Oregon. Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) celebrated its annual Oregon Fun Day event in a new way this year, with a virtual Fun Week for members of the nonprofit’s community of volunteers, clients, and employees. In past years, the event was a single, themed day of robust activities on its Boring, Oregon campus. However, because of social distancing protocols, the event was expanded into a week-long occasion in late July, occurring remotely for its puppy-raising community to enjoy. Attendees were able to virtually attend activities and events with GDB staff, bringing their dogs to the Zoom sessions, as seen above.
This year’s Oregon Fun Week theme was retro video games, resulting in creative puppy costumes. GBD’s volunteer puppy raisers were able to virtually interact and bond with the community. GDB team members created a video session titled “Canine Campus Life” to share what happens when guide dogs-in-training return to campus after living with their volunteer puppy raisers. Other activities included a “How To” video on drawing a guide dog and a healthy recipe for making treats for your dog created by GDB’s Canine Welfare Neonatal Department.
GDB’s 2020 Fun Week event theme was retro video games, complete with a Zoom background for participants to use while attending with their GDB puppy-in-training.
Another highlight of GDB’s Fun Week was the “Pack” Man Challenge. The activity gave participants the chance to venture on a scavenger hunt with their dogs to identify common obstacles a guide dog team may encounter. To conclude the week, GDB community members shared an image of themselves and their GDB guide dog, which was compiled into a mosaic art piece.
GDB puppy raiser, Cory Erickson participated in the GDB Fun Week “Pack” Man Challenge which involves an outdoor scavenger hunt for puppies-in-training to identify obstacles that a guide dog team may encounter such as traffic cones.
With Camp GDB being held virtually this year, GDB sent each camper supplies for the week, including some campfire snacks and a stuffed GDB guide dog toy.
GDB’s virtual Fun Week celebration was one of many virtual events the nonprofit held since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, GDB also hosted its annual Camp GDB virtually, which is a special summer camp for teens ages 14-17 who are blind or visually impaired. The virtual camp included an opening campfire, a meet and greet with one of GDB’s veterinarians, Zoom bingo, and a discussion on the value and logistics of having a guide dog in a high school or college setting. Each camper was also sent a special camping kit in the mail to add the virtual Camp GDB experience. GDB remains committed to providing support for its clients during COVID-19.
Over 375 photos were submitted by GDB volunteer puppy raisers and leaders during Fun Week to create a virtual mosaic of members of the GDB community.
From Guide Dogs for the Blind:
We are more than an industry-leading guide dog school; we are a passionate community serving people who are blind or low vision. All of the services for our clients are provided free of charge, including personalized training and extensive post-graduation support, plus financial assistance for veterinary care, if needed. Our work is made possible by the generous support of our donors and volunteers; we receive no government funding.
Boring, OR. “Happiness is a warm puppy,” wrote Charles M. Schultz and volunteer puppy raisers at Guide Dogs for the Blind agree. The organization held its annual Oregon Fun Day on July 20th at its Boring campus. The theme for this year’s Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) Fun Day was “Bone Voyage” with dogs and humans dressing up in leis, tropical shirts and captain’s hats. (Photo credit, Morry Angell, Guide Dogs for the Blind)
This puppy raising family wears sailor hats as they work with their new GDB puppy in training.
Pawprint painting made by some furry Fun Day attendees
Fun Day was a day of celebration for dogs and humans alike. In the spirit of the “Bone Voyage” theme, special activities were set up all over campus. Activities ranged from a paw print painting station to a photo booth meant to capture some of the clever costumes from the day. A boat-themed “Dogs on Deck” obedience training session and a “Good Ship Lollipop” socialization and training session gave puppy raisers the opportunity to practice skills with their GDB puppies in training. In addition to festive activities, GDB experts spoke on the subject of “Journey vs. Genes,” which explored what makes a successful guide dog.
To conclude the celebration, a puppy delivery ceremony, matching to local Pacific Northwest volunteer puppy raisers with their new guide dog puppies, took place. Volunteer puppy raisers are typically responsible for socializing and taking care of their GDB puppies in training for about a year. Puppy raisers were given the chance to guess the name of their new puppy before meeting them. From “Jamboree” to “Fleetwood,” these ten new GDB puppies in training ventured off with their new puppy raisers to embark on a journey of learning obedience and socialization skills before their formal Guide Dogs for the Blind training.
From Guide Dogs for the Blind:
Are you curious about becoming a volunteer puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind? Puppy raising is one of the many ways to get involved with the nonprofit organization. Learn more here: https://www.guidedogs.com/support-gdb/volunteer/puppy-raising.
Guide Dogs for the Blind provides all services free of charge to clients and relies completely on the support of donations, as it receives no government funding.
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