RAYMOND (KMJ) — A non-profit wants to get service dogs to wounded veterans – and needs your help to raise money for its cause.
The first annual Giving Trail 10k Memorial Run is taking place Sunday March 20th in the Madera County community of Raymond, and organizers are looking for people to register now in order to take part and help generate funds to connect wounded veterans with service dogs.
“It’s a new non-profit organization that was set up by the parents of a soldier that was killed in Iraq”, says event management chief Betty Goertzen. “They wanted to honor his memory by training service dogs for wounded veterans because that was his love”.
Spc Benjamin Pleitez had adopted and trained two rescue dogs and continued to train other dogs. His dream was to open a training kennel and he was actively working toward that goal while on deployment.
The non-profit’s goal is to raise enough funds to train their first class of four dogs, which amounts to around $40,000 ($10,000 per dog). As well as the 10 months of training, the money also covers veteran matching, adoption costs, medical, and general care.
If you’d like to register for the run and help bring service dogs to veterans, the link for more information can be found clicking here.
