Palmetto, FL – This year, the annual Southeastern Guide Dogs Walkathon returns with in-person events throughout the Suncoast and Tampa Bay areas. These free, family-friendly and dog-friendly events include a 3K walk and a Waggin’ Tails Festival with music, food, vendors, and an exciting raffle drawing.
Walkathon is Southeastern Guide Dogs’ largest fundraiser of the year with a 2022 goal of $1 million. Proceeds help the organization breed, raise, train, and match incredible dogs with people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges such as vision loss or the loss of a parent in the military.
The 2022 Walkathon series, presented by Fromm Family Pet Food, consists of large-scale events in Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Tampa. Additional community driven events will take place across the state of Florida and beyond. Grab your four-legged friend and get ready to attend one of these great events.
Suncoast Walkathon
March 5, 2022
Nathan Benderson Park
St. Petersburg Walkathon
March 19, 2022
North Straub Park
Tampa Walkathon
April 2, 2022
Gadsden Park
Following the success of last year’s virtual National Walkathon Day, Southeastern Guide Dogs is encouraging supporters to take Walkathon to their own cities across all 50 states. Participants are invited to walk throughout their neighborhoods, host bake sales, run dog washing events, or create other experiences to help share Southeastern Guide Dogs’ mission through the power of social media. Take photos of your friends, family, and pups using the hashtags #NatWalkDay2022 and #SEGuideDogs to share how you’re celebrating National Walkathon Day from any location. National Walkathon Day will take place on April 30 on Facebook LIVE beginning at 10 a.m. EDT.
“We are thrilled to have Walkathon return to local, in-person events this year,” said Jennifer Bryan, director of philanthropy for Southeastern Guide Dogs. “These events are so important for raising awareness and funds to support Southeastern Guide Dogs’ mission. We’re really looking forward to spending the day with our fundraisers, sponsors, and supporters after two years of virtual fundraising.”
To learn more about National Walkathon Day, visit GuideDogsWalkathon.org. For more information on Southeastern Guide Dogs, visit GuideDogs.org.
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About Southeastern Guide Dogs
Southeastern Guide Dogs transforms lives by creating and nurturing extraordinary partnerships between people and dogs. Our organization operates the most advanced training facilities of any service dog organization in the world. Our experts breed, raise, and train elite working dogs—including guide dogs, service dogs, and skilled companion dogs—and provide life-changing services for people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges such as vision loss or the loss of a parent in the military. Southeastern Guide Dogs has successfully created thousands of guide dog and service dog teams throughout the United States since our inception in 1982, and currently oversees the well-being of over 1,200 puppies and dogs.
All of our services—which include state-of-the-art research on canine health and development; selective breeding; expert dog training; comprehensive on-campus student instruction; and the most robust alumni support program in North America—are provided at no cost to our clients. We rely 100% on private donations. Southeastern Guide Dogs has the distinction of being dually accredited by the two premier, global accreditation bodies: the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International. Learn more at www.GuideDogs.org.