36th Annual Dog Walk & K-9 Festival is Canceled; See you on May 8, 2021!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT:
Julie Barber, Director of Community Connections
Kalamazoo Humane Society
269-743-0393 | jbarber@kazoohumane.org
KALAMAZOO HUMANE SOCIETY CANCELS 36TH ANNUAL DOG WALK & K-9 FESTIVAL EVENT; PLANS VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING EVENT TO TAKE ITS PLACE
THE DOG WALK & K-9 FESTIVAL IS THE PREMIER ANNUAL FUNDRAISER FOR THE KALAMAZOO HUMANE SOCIETY, SUPPORTING ALL OF ITS PRIMARY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
KALAMAZOO, Michigan - Friday, March 13, 2020 – The Kalamazoo Humane Society announced today that it is canceling the 2020 Dog Walk & K-9 Festival event that was planned for Saturday, May 9th, 2020 at Prairie View County Park in Vicksburg, MI. Amid a growing list of precautionary closures, the Kalamazoo Humane Society Board of Directors held an emergency vote to determine the best course of action.
“Given all of the circumstances, and the unknowns, canceling the 2020 Dog Walk & K-9 Festival is the right thing to do.. Our staff is working to redirect our energy to a virtual/online campaign to help support our programs and services in the absence of our largest annual fundraiser.” says Aaron Winters, Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Humane Society. “The safety of our supporters and event participants is our primary concern, and we cannot proceed with an event on the scale of the Dog Walk & K-9 Festival without putting our staff, volunteers, supporters and everyone else involved at risk.”
The Kalamazoo Humane Society is looking forward to revealing the details of the new fundraising campaign to take the place of the Dog Walk & K-9 Festival. This type of large-scale virtual fundraiser will be a first for the organization.
Julie Barber, the Dog Walk & K-9 Festival chairperson explains, “We’re all sad that the 35 year streak of the Dog Walk is being broken, but we are really excited to try something new. We just hope that people still recognize that there is a need to support pet owners struggling to make ends meet, especially those using our pet food bank, and will still contribute to our fundraising campaign. We do anticipate that the need for our pet food bank will increase as people may be out of work or have extra expenses during this pandemic. The full impact is yet to be determined, but we know that the demand for our pet food bank will not lessen during this time.”
For updates and details about the Dog Walk & K-9 Festival as they are known, please visit the event website at www.khsDogWalk.org, or follow the Kalamazoo Humane Society on social media. You can also learn more about how to help struggling pet owners in your area by visiting the Kalamazoo Humane Society website at www.kazoohumane.org.
It's a bummer the 36-year streak of the Dog Walk is ending, but I get astrocartography lines why they had to cancel. I'm curious about how medical professional headshots the online fundraiser will work. It sounds like a tough but smart way to keep helping how to read astrocartography map the pet food bank, especially if more people need it right now.
The shift to a virtual fundraiser feels especially meaningful because the event had been running for 35 years. It’s disappointing to lose that in-person tradition, but moving online could make it easier for people outside Kalamazoo to participate too. I also burning bridges ai video template hadn’t considered how quickly demand for a pet food bank might rise when families are dealing with job losses and unexpected costs. Keeping pets fed can become a real struggle during a crisis.
Safety first! Sad to miss out on the Dog Walk & K-9 Festival this year, but completely understand. Looking forward to participating in the virtual fundraising event instead.
It's definitely tough news to see this event canceled, but safety always comes first. Thank you to the Kalamazoo Humane Society board and staff for making the difficult and responsible choice. I'll definitely be looking out for the virtual fundraiser to support your programs!
I’m bummed to see the K-9 Festival is canceled! Any chance you’ll be hosting virtual events or activities to keep the community engaged? I’ve been playing a lot of "run 3" lately—maybe a dog-themed run could be fun! What are some creative ideas you might consider for next year?