We Reached Our Goal for the Highmark Walk!

For the first time ever, we reached our goal for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community! We wanted to raise $20,000 to raise and train one service dog, and we did it!

We had such an amazing group of walkers this year. One hundred and forty-two people signed up to walk and raise money for us. Thank you so much to everyone who raised money or donated! We still have some checks that we need to add to the total, but we will let you know the final tally soon!

The success of the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community is a perfect example of what people can do when they come together for a cause they believe in. Just one example is the school students who came together to raise over $650 for us!

SSD Hendrix's puppy raiser is a teacher, and she started an after-school walking club. The fourth graders walk two miles with Hendrix every Tuesday and Thursday. When the Highmark Walk was coming up, Hendrix's puppy raiser asked her walking club if they wanted to join the Walk. With permission from the principal, the walking club began building their endurance so they could walk three miles, and Team Hendrix began.

They didn't stop there, though. Team Hendrix got the entire school involved in raising money. They asked the students in each classroom to bring in a dollar to support SSD. Daily announcements were made about helping to raise money to train dogs like Hendrix to assist people with disabilities. The fourth graders even got on the morning announcements to talk about how they were walking and having fun with Hendrix. It became a school project. When Hendrix and his puppy raiser walked through the halls, students would stop and say "I'm bringing in a dollar!" or "I brought in a dollar!" In the end, Team Hendrix and the entire school raised over $650!

This is just one example out of many of people who opened their hearts and came together to raise money to change a life. Thank you so much!