Latest news with #GuideDogsfortheBlind
Sunday World
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Sunday World
Gardaí to cycle 500km in Spain to raise funds for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind
The Garda Tour De Force consists of gardaí and friends who have been cycling annually since 1991 to raise funds for Irish charities. Marion Lynch from Guide Dogs for the Blind with Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, Ambassador Ion della Riva and Inspector Pat Duggan. Also in the picture are Guide Dogs Belle, Willow and Oakley. Picture: Frank McGrath The Garda Tour De Force cycling group which has raised over €1 million for charities over the past three decades is about to get in the saddle for another fundraising push. This year, the funds raised will be again donated to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind charity. Next month, the cyclists will embark on a 500km cycle from Cadi-Moixero National Park in the Pyrenees bordering Andorra and Spain, finishing in Barcelona, with the assistance of their counterparts in the Spanish Police. Pictured at the launch of the Garda Tour de Force in aid of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind at the Spanish Ambassadors resident on Ailesbury Rd in Dublin, were Ambassador Ion della Riva along with Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis with Garda members who will partake in the charity cycle in Spain and staff from Irish Guide Dogs for the blind. Picture: Frank McGrath The fundraiser was launched on Tuesday afternoon by Spanish ambassador to Ireland Ion de la Riva Guzmán de Frutos at his residence in Dublin 4 and was also attended by Assistant Garda Commissioner Angela Willis. The Garda Tour De Force consists of gardaí and friends who have been cycling annually since 1991 to raise funds for Irish charities. Last year, they raised almost €44,000 for Irish Guide Dogs For The Blind and almost €4,000 for a host of other charities. On that occasion, 20 cyclists and support staff embarked on a 500km Spanish trip from Malaga to Seville in September raising a total of €47,770 – almost €8,000 more than their target. Marion Lynch from Guide Dogs for the Blind with Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, Ambassador Ion della Riva and Inspector Pat Duggan. Also in the picture are Guide Dogs Belle, Willow and Oakley. Picture: Frank McGrath News in 90 Seconds - Wednesday, July 30 Among the beneficiaries have been Crumlin Children's Hospital, Debra Ireland, Aware, the Irish Heart Foundation, the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland and Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. The Marie Keating Foundation, Laura Lynn, Age Action, St John of Gods (Re Nua) and Trust, a charity caring for the homeless in Dublin, have also benefited. On their first fundraising ride 33 years ago, members of the team cycled to Ashford, Co Wicklow, to raise money for The HolyAngels Infant Intensive Care Unit at the Coombe Hospital, Dublin. Since 2005, they have embarked on more challenging routes in Ireland and continental Europe. In 2023, they embarked on a 500km cycle from Basel, Switzerland, to Bad Toelz in Germany through the foothills of the German and Austrian Alps in which €32,000 was raised. And in 2010 they even went cycling in North America. Each participant in the charity ride must raise at least €1,000 for the charity and pay their own costs. A Tour De Force spokeswoman told the Irish Independent: 'Our main sponsors this year are: Fleet Plan, Copper Face Jacks, FBD Insurance, Blooms Hotel, Oliver St. John Gogarty's, Fitzwilliam Hotel, ' Euro Cycles, Quanta Capital, Irish Independent Newspapers and The Irish Sun. 'We would like to thank them for their kind support and generous donations to this worthy cause.'
Scotsman
23-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Pettycur Bay Holiday Park to name a Guide Dog puppy
Through continuous fundraising over the past few years, Pettycur Bay Holiday Park has announced that it will shortly have raised £2500 for Guide Dogs for the Blind, enough to name a Guide Dog Puppy. This donation will help start the dog on its incredible journey as a lifelong companion to a visually impaired person. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Guide Dogs for The Blind is one of Pettycur's three designated charities, with the other two charities regularly helped by the Park, being the RNLI, and the Wolf Hirschhorn Syndrome Trust. Donations of £2,500 or more, name the puppy, with £5000 supporting it through its puppy training. If a group or business can donate up to £10,000, they will support the lifetime cost of a dog. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Pettycur has raised the money as a result of a series of different fundraising efforts, including its recent annual caravan show, Christmas Craft Fayre, and other regular community events. Amounts raised are then topped up by the Park Owners. You can support a guide dog right through its training and working life Janet Murray, General Manager of Pettycur Bay Holiday Park explained that she expected the final amount of money needed to name the puppy would be raised as a result of the Park's annual Charity Race Night, set to take place on Friday, July 26. 'The Charity Race Night is another fantastic fundraiser we hold here at Pettycur Bay Holiday Park,' said Janet. 'Eight races will be available to sponsor by individuals or businesses. You can also buy a name and a horse before the night for just £5.' 'We'd be most grateful for as much local support as possible from both individuals and businesses. We held a Charity Race Night last year and the feedback was that this event was a really fun and interactive way of raising valuable funds.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are absolutely thrilled to be approaching the fundraising threshold of £2.5k for Guide Dogs for the Blind, which will then enable us to name a puppy. We may well make this a competition for our customers, we are still deciding exactly what to do, but it's very exciting,' said General Manager, Janet Murray. 'Our enormous thanks goes to everyone who has contributed, whether by coming along to one of our charity events, or through a donation. Even through buying something at the Craft Fayre, it all adds up, and has helped up get to this point.' The Charity's logo 'We are very active in all of our fundraising activities, with our generous staff very often contributing too, as well as the Wallace family, who own the park,' added Janet. 'We will keep going, even after we reach the £2.5k, as we may well be able to get up to the next level which is supporting the training of a dog.'
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Guide Dogs for the Blind's Oregon campus will break ground on $28 million expansion
PORTLAND, Ore. () — For the first time since its debut 30 years ago, Guide Dogs for the Blind's Oregon campus will see a major expansion. The world-renowned guide dog school reported last week that it will build a 30,000-square-foot 'client residence and community hub' at its facility in Boring starting this summer. According to the announcement, this move will allow the nonprofit to double its capacity to serve local clients. Lawsuit alleges Oregon ballot measure for cannabis industry unions is unconstitutional GDB currently has two locations in the U.S. It moved to its current California facility in San Rafael in 1947. The organization opened its 28-acre Oregon campus decades later in the Fall of 1995, after an increase in demand for its services. The upcoming addition to the campus is described as the 'first of its kind in North America.' The new complex will be an indoor-outdoor structure with private suites for clients, an information center, sensory gardens, more dog training areas and events spaces. 'This state-of-the-art expansion will not only help us substantially expand our capacity to train and support more clients each year, but it will also create a vibrant, centralized space where individuals can connect, collaborate, and build lasting relationships,' GDB President and CEO Christine Benninger said in a statement. 'And we are thrilled to be launching our public campaign to support it, which allows our donors to play a pivotal role in bringing this cutting-edge project to life.' 10 consecutive seasons of measurable snowfall in Portland California-based architecture firm Studio Miers |Chou |Poon is behind the project. The school noted Chris Downey, one member of the design team, will bring an 'inclusive perspective' as he is blind himself. GDP also reported that its clients joined focus groups to help plan the expansion, which will . The organization's Building Brighter Futures campaign aims to fund the project. The fundraiser has garnered $15 million thus far. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Guide Dogs for the Blind Expands Oregon Campus With New State-of-the-art Client Residence and Community Hub
New Complex Will Be a Model for Inclusive Design in North America BORING, Ore., February 11, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) plans to break ground this summer on a new, state-of-the art 30,000-square-foot client residence and community hub at its campus in Boring, Ore. The project will more than double GDB's capacity to serve clients in Oregon, with an inclusive complex that brings together GDB clients, staff, puppy raisers, and other volunteers in one unified space. When completed, it will be the first of its kind in North America. The inclusive indoor/outdoor structure will contain new client residence quarters with private suites, a community hub with a café and information center, and an expansive outdoor green space with sensory gardens, and dedicated spaces for dog training and special events. The new complex will be the first expansion of GDB's beautiful, 28-acre Oregon campus since it opened in 1995. To support the ambitious $28 million project, GDB has launched Building Brighter Futures, a public campaign that allows donors to contribute directly to the funding of the complex. GDB has already raised $15 million of the required funding. There will be naming and recognition opportunities for contributors at different levels. "This state-of-the art expansion will not only help us substantially expand our capacity to train and support more clients each year, but it will also create a vibrant, centralized space where individuals can connect, collaborate, and build lasting relationships," said Christine Benninger, president and CEO of Guide Dogs for the Blind. "And we are thrilled to be launching our public campaign to support it, which allows our donors to play a pivotal role in bringing this cutting-edge project to life." The project is led by renowned architecture firm Studio Miers |Chou |Poon, which specializes in this area of focus. Notably, the architectural team includes architect Chris Downey, who is blind, providing a unique and inclusive perspective. Additionally, GDB's clients actively participated in focus groups throughout the planning process for the new complex, making it a truly client-driven endeavor informed by the experiences and needs of actual guide dog users and people who are blind or visually impaired. All details and decisions about the structure were made to help empower GDB clients to live more independently, and to equip them with the skills, confidence, and mobility to navigate the world with greater self-assurance. For more information about the project or to contribute to the Building Brighter Futures campaign, please visit About Guide Dogs for the Blind Headquartered in San Rafael, Calif., Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is the largest guide dog school in North America. It is a passionate community that prepares highly-qualified guide dogs to empower individuals who are blind or visually impaired to move through the world more safely and confidently. More than 16,000 guide teams have graduated from GDB since it was founded in 1942. Over the course of more than 80 years, GDB's mission has expanded to three kinds of programs: a Guide Dog Mobility Program, an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Program, and a K9 Buddy Program. GDB not only improves mobility for its clients, but it also furthers inclusion and advocates for policy reforms that change how the world views blindness and disability. GDB plans to break ground in the summer of 2025 on a new state-of-the-art client residence and community hub that will more than double its capacity to serve clients at its campus in Boring, Ore. GDB's services are provided free of charge, and it receives no government funding. The organization was the subject of an award-winning documentary feature called Pick of the Litter, which is available on various streaming platforms. For more information, visit or call 800.295.4050. View source version on Contacts Barbara Zamostbarbara@ (415) 987-2810 Sign in to access your portfolio
