We don’t charge our clients for our dogs. Instead, we ask them to help us fundraise for the organization. Ella Lyons’ son Jack is waiting for his dog. The Lyons live in Northern Virginia and had a fantastic fund raiser at Dogfish Head Ale House that included a silent auction and a percent of the restaurant’s sales from the entire day. Ella succeeded in raising over $7,000!

Ella writes:

Our son Jack has Autism.  We contacted Service Dogs of Virginia about the possibility of a dog for Jack.  It became very clear that this small non-profit organization depended on the hard work and generosity of a team.  As a mom, I felt the need to support the program not only for my son but also for the many other clients on the waiting list.  I was inspired by the amazing success stories of each client.

Our first fundraising effort was a hot chocolate stand. With our son, Jack, we rasied $200 in just 2-hours at our local community center.  Next we tried a lemonade stand, and we were able to raise an additional $130. It was fun raising money with our children and teaching them about helping a non-profit organization.  Although this is small in comparison to the $18,000 that it takes to raise and train a single service dog, we were just getting started.

I learned about a local restaurant that contributes to non-profit organizations, and they agreed to host an event for Service Dogs.  Fifteen percent of the entire day’s receipts were donated to the organization. We collected donated items from local businesses and had a silent auction. We also held a chance drawing. At the end of the day, we had raised $7,000! I was surprised by the generosity of complete strangers. Once they learned about our son Jack and the mission of Service Dogs of Virginia, they were eager to participate, donate, and contribute to the organization.

Our entire family feels a great connection and is so grateful for the generosity of Service Dogs of Virginia.  We are confident that the money raised will help change the lives of so many people in need, not just our amazing son!

Kathy Almeda, who lives in Williamsburg, is also waiting for a dog. Kathy currently relies on a walker for mobility support. Our intention is to place a Great Dane with Kathy so she can rely on the dog for short distance walks and for retrievals so she doesn’t have to risk falling to pick things up.

Kathy asked Baker’s Crust, a local bakery, to sponsor a portion of the day, with 10% of the proceeds going to help our organization. She also held a golf tournament with the help of Kiskiack Country Club in Williamsburg and raised about $1,000.

We are grateful to these clients and their sponsors, and appreciate all the work they have done. If you are interested in hosting a event or have an idea for a creative fundraiser, please let us know.