Who would have ever thought that a dog park and mall would do a fundraiser together? It is a little outside the box thought but it worked! S.P.A.R.K, raised just under $1300 last Saturday in the first ever My Furry Valentine Mall Walk and Smooches for My Pooches photo shoot done by Solid Rock Photography in conjunction with the Austin Area Art Center.
The idea of doing a dog walk in the mall started several months ago with S.P.A.R.K. approaching Oak Park Mall Manager, Shan, to see if she would be willing to house a dog walk fundraiser. After some thought and presenting it to the mall merchants at a monthly meeting, Shan and the mall merchants said let’s try it and see what happens. Younkers, Two Bears, Austin Area Art Center, Solid Rock Photography, Double K, DAWG boarding, Enchanted Day Care, Doo Crew, Hickory Lake Boarding Kennel, and the Mower County Humane Society all participated in this fundraiser. Thanks goes to the business who participated
Funds were not the only thing generated, however! Word on the street is that if S.P.A.R.K can get the funds needed for the fence, the labor could be provided by the Park and Recreation Department of Austin. Another factor is that S.P.A.R.K. could also try to get the materials very reasonably through Home Depot’s Community Outreach Program. All of this came out of the fundraiser!
The Smooches for My Pooches Photo Booth done by Solid Rock Photography was also a success as it was to only go from 11-1. The photo booth was busy until 2:15 with extra people who wanted to get their smooching photo. The sitting fee, $5, was given to the S.P.A.R.K. organization and 30% of the revenue from the sale of the photos will be donated to the Austin Area art Center as a community fundraiser for them as well. Partnerships in odd ways can and will work well together!
The photos can be found on Solid Rock Photography’s two stores: Fine Art America and PhotoShelter Personal Archive. Traditional luster photos and specialty products; prints on aluminum, Chromaluxe, fine art canvases, beveled canvases, dog and bag tags, and much more, can be found on PhotoShelter. Fine Art America has the giclee prints, cards, custom framed prints, canvases, and acrylic prints. The images will be on both sites through March 10th so order between now and then! Thank you for supporting these various community non-profits!
For more information on the dog park, check their Facebook page or home page! Two upcoming events are February 17-19 HyVee Shop and Share Fundraiser and March 28, Pizza Ranch Fundraiser.
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