Every pup needs a name, and our toy Guide Dog pups are no exception! Lucky for us, we had the kids at Fantails Childcare in Silverdale, Auckland, to give us a hand back in early October of this year. After a visit from our ambassador Guide Dog, Lottie and her handler, Diane, the team at Fantails were inspired to fundraise and hold a competition to name two adorable toy pups that were awarded to the creators of the winning names.
Fantails Childcare raised over $200 for our Guide Dogs. Well done, team!
Glendowie College Year 10 student Braxton Harper and his mum Debra rolled up their sleeves to support of Blind Low Vision NZ in the tastiest of ways. Braxton organized a bake sale/sausage sizzle at the college, while Debra not only baked and packed all the cookies, but hand-sewed colourful wheat packs to sell as well. In fact, she was so enthusiastic about raising funds for us that she ordered a range of our branded merchandise to sell at the event which ended up selling out days before to excited supporters!
The event was a roaring success, raising $1,522.50 for Blind Low Vision NZ.
On International White Cane Day 2022, Julie Woods - known to many as That Blind Woman - and her sighted guide Jo Stodart completed their goal of walking every street in Dunedin, finishing off with Every St, raising over $1,000! When asked why she chose this day to achieve their goal, Julie replied, "Because it was my white cane that got me back onto the streets after I went blind."
The pair had set out on International Women's Day 2019 and since then walked 1,003 streets around 44 suburbs of Dunedin. Now they've said "why not" to walking Greater Dunedin, one street at a time.
As members of one of the oldest, largest and most active hot rod clubs in Wellington, you’d expect the Capital Rodders to spend more time behind the wheel than on their feet. What you may not be aware of, is that since 2005, they’ve been supporting our Guide Dogs through their annual fun run.
In 2022, to help celebrate the 17th time of running for fun, our ambassador Guide Dogs, Ruby and Yazz paid a visit, accompanied by their handlers Debra and Sue. The event raised $2,300 from ticket sales, raffles, donations and auctions.
To date, the Capital Rodders have raised over $30,000 for Guide Dog Services. The Club has been supporting us for years, and in true hotrod fashion, show no sign of slowing down!
MacKenzie and Hannah put on a quiz night to raise money for Blind Low Vision NZ. A local bar donated the venue, and they approached local businesses for raffle and silent auction prizes. They sold tickets to their colleagues and friends and raised over $800 on the night! They also set up an online fundraising page so that those who couldn’t come could still support the cause.
Diane from the Waikato took on a half marathon and raised an incredible $1,900: “I am lucky that my partner’s and my colleagues love my baking, so I sold my peanut brownies, chocolate chip biscuits, and smoked fish pies. I also baked for any meetings in exchange for a donation. I think the hardest part is asking people to donate, but once they know what it’s for they’re more than happy to pay. Enjoy the race day atmosphere, it’s magic – remember everyone is a winner just by fundraising and being there!”
