Walk for Animals – June 22nd

JOIN THE WALK!

Every year, animal lovers fetch their sneakers, leash up their pooches and take a walk together on this special day. Walkers raise money by finding friends, family, colleagues, businesses, coworkers-any animal lovers-to sponsor them. Get a team together, or come as an individual participant. Teams are fun, but every individual can make a difference.

This year, on the 25th anniversary, the Walk for Animals will take place at the Dillant-Hopkins Airport. There will be two courses. Choose from either a one-mile or a three-mile course on a paved road that winds through beautiful fields and wooded areas. The road will be closed to traffic for the day.

The 25th Annual Walk for Animals will begin with the traditional opening parade led by Bright, Jesse and James-the Swanzey Oxen of Open Space Protection. Children are encouraged and welcome to participate. The Walk itself will conclude by noon with a picnic lunch, a band performance, and an awards ceremony with prizes for the top fundraisers in adult, youth, and team categories.

EVENT SCHEDULE:

9:00 – Sign in/Register (Be sure to bring all of your donations and your completed/signed form)
10:00 – Event starts
10:15 – Line up/Remarks
10:30 – Walk begins!
12:30 – Picnic lunch and Celebration under the tent

A word about dog safety: Dogs need to be leashed (please no retractable leashes) and up-to-date with all vaccinations. Please use good judgment as far as the temperament and physical capability of your dog for this event.

INDIVIDUAL WALKERS:

Invite people to sponsor you with these fundraising tools!

E-mail/Facebook/Text: Start an online fundraising page on FirstGiving (www.firstgiving.com/monadnockhumane). You’ll get a link to your page that you can forward to everyone. Asking for support is easy when you post on your facebook page, send emails or texts, and blog about the Walk and your passion for helping! Build a great fundraising page that tells your sponsors how much it means to you to help the animals!

In person or on the phone: Download and print out an official Walk/Sponsor Form to sign up sponsors. Collect their pledges before the event. Checks payable to Monadnock Humane Society and cash are accepted. (Note: If someone wants to donate with a credit card they can go directly to your fundraising page on FirstGiving and donate on your page).

Postal: Download the official Walk for Animals pledge form from our website, and mail it to family, friends, coworkers. Be sure to fill in your information so they can mail it back to you. Add your own personal note about why it’s so important to you!

*Please note that all walker sponsorship donations will need to be at MHS by noon on the day of the event to be counted for awards.

TEAM WALKERS:

Lead the charge and get a team together! Teams can be made up of 3 or more people.

Get sponsor materials out to your team: Register your team online at www.firstgiving.com/monadnockhumane. Make sure your teammates register under your team name! You can also download/distribute the official Walk Sponsor Form for in person and phone orders, a mailable Walk for Animals pledge form, team fundraising ideas, posters, flyers, and more. You can also pick up these printed materials at MHS.

Get your team inspired! Encourage everyone on your team to be active participants. Be creative with team tee shirts, hats, buttons, etc. Have a pre-event party to get everyone psyched up and strategize on how to raise the most money! Ask MHS to send representative to talk with your team and answer any questions (contact information for MHS – Carol Laughner – is below).

Get recognized. Bring your team to the Walk, register, and walk together! Photos will be taken of all Teams on the day of the event and will be posted on Facebook and sent to the media – so get creative!

CORPORATE MATCHING GIFTS

Walkers – encourage your sponsors and team mates to check with companies they work for on matching gift programs. Matching gifts count towards your fundraising total! Be sure any sponsors with matching gifts provide you with the proper forms needed.

NOTE: If you’ve been fundraising, but you can’t be present at the Walk due to a last minute scheduling conflict, you are still eligible to win a prize. Your donations must be turned in by noon on the day before the Walk. We’ll miss you, but even though you can’t be there, you’re still helping the animals!

EVERYONE CAN HELP – VOLUNTEER!

Even if you can’t be a part of the event, you still can make a difference! We always need help with an event of this size. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Sam Mathewes (samm@humanecommunity.org or 603.352.9011, ext 147), to find out what you can do to help before, during and after the event. Here are a few of the important tasks that need to be done: Hang posters at local businesses and organizations Distribute more brochures and flyers Help out during the event with set up, registration, dismantle/cleanup, etc.

SPONSOR A TEAM OR A WALKER:

Go to www.firstgiving.com/monadnockhumane and make a donation online, or mail a contribution in (checks made out to Monadnock Humane Society to MHS, 101 West Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH 03446.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WALK?

To talk with an MHS human:
Carol Laughner
603.352-9011, ext. 115
Caroll@humanecommunity.org

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE WALK FOR ANIMALS GO DIRECTLY TO THE CARE OF OUR ANIMALS. MHS is a private, 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for animals and people through humane education, and to providing shelter and facilitating adoption for lost, abused or abandoned animals. MHS receives no state or federal funding and relies solely on the generosity of our community.

*********BUSINESS SPONSORSHIPS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!**************

If you have a business and are interested in sponsoring this year’s Walk for Animals, please contact Tammy Fletcher, tammyf@humanecommunity.org, 603.352.9011, ext. 116. For a menu of sponsorship opportunities – click here . For a Sponsorship form – click here .