Who is Flint? Why is he Fabulous? Why sign up to run his 5k?
You may have already met Flint and know how FABULOUS he is! If not, keep reading to learn a little more about him, his work as a Service Dog and why he is indeed fabulous!
Service Dogs change lives for seizure patients, diabetics, the blind, deaf and many more different populations. Service Dogs have also been shown to change the lives of those with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. They have not just changed lives, they have SAVED LIVES!! By signing up for this race, you are doing two things: raising awareness and raising money!
I am a USAF Veteran with PTSD and I was blessed to have been given Flint, a fully trained Service Dog from the nonprofit organization Leashes of Valor (LOV) based out of Fredericksburg, VA. LOV provides no-cost service dogs to Post 9/11 Veterans with PTSD, MST, and TBI. LOV, and their gift of Flint, has changed my life and I am so thankful to them.
I cannot pay them back but I can pay it forward and I would love your help in doing so. Flint's Fabulous 5K's goal will be to raise as much money as possible for Leashes of Valor to provide a future service dog to a veteran in need of a new lease on life.
With the goal of raising money, shirts will not be offered. Participants will receive a small gift to acknowledge their desire to help. We will recognize top three finishers in various age/gender groups. We want to minimize cost / overhead so that we can maximize the total funds donated to LOV! Thank you for understanding.
Training for all Leashes of Valor puppies begins at 8 weeks and continues until the dog is 1.5 - 2.0 years of age when it is considered fully Public Access Trained and ready to be paired with a Warrior Veteran. During this time, a dog in training lives with various approved foster families and learns everything from its name, to basic manners, to how to recognize the need for and to give medical alerts to its future handler. Leashes of Valor provides all veterinarian care during training and resources to foster families to cover all training needs. On average, each fully trained Service Dog costs $20,000, at no cost to the Veteran.
Race registration will be a basic $5.00 with an add on donation. There will be various add-on donation levels that accurately reflect the various items needed to fully train a future life-saving Service Dog for a US military veteran. Your $5.00 base cost will cover the cost of training treats for learning basic commands. Each level increase will directly provide an item needed for training by foster families: food, leashes, bowls, vests, beds, vaccinations and training for the handler. ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO LOV AND DOG TRAINING RESOURCES. That is my promise to you. I simply want a future Warrior to have a dog as amazing as Flint!!
Race Details
The race will take place on the campus of Kannapolis Middle School; thank you KMS!
The Start / Finish line will be located on the track at the 6th grade building of KMS. The address is 1445 Oakwood Ave, Kannapolis, NC 28081.
The route will take you around the campus and will include the following terrain changes: track, grass, parking lot, sidewalk, crosswalks, school driveway, and gravel. The exact route will be marked with surveyor flags the day of the race.
Indoor restrooms will be available at the far end of the track at the start / finish line.
Bleachers are also available for spectators and your personal cheerleaders.
Parking could be a concern if there are other events occurring at the school that same day. Carpooling is recommended. There is parking located at the 6th grade building of KMS at 1445 Oakwood Ave. Additional parking is available at the 7th/8th grade building along the bus lot, out front and in front of the other track located near the rear of the 7th / 8th grade building. Use the address 1000 Virginia Dare Street to take you to these additional parking options.
We shall run rain or shine!
Leashes of Valor will be onsite and available to share with you stories of Warrior Veterans, dogs in training, how dogs are obtained, named and trained. Talk to them before or after the race!
Thank you and see you on Race Day!
Pricing
Our goal, my dream, would be to write a check for $5,000 to Leashes of Valor!! We can only do that with your help and you ADD-ON DONATION!! I thank you in advance!
The cost for registration is only $5.00 but our goal is to raise as much money as possible for the non-profit Service Dog Training organization Leashes of Valor, Flint's parent organization. Therefore please consider not just paying for the race but including an "ADD-ON" to your registration. Normally this would include a shirt, sweatshirt, etc. For this race the Add-Ons represent various items that are needed to raise and fully train a Service Dog for a Post-9/11 Veteran with PTSD, MST, or TBI. Amounts are equal to items that directly impact training, dogs, and veterans. Your additional donation via an Add-On will go directly to Leashes of Valor to supply foster / training families EVERYTHING they need to produce a future service dog for a Warrior Veteran!
Add-Ons include:
$5.00 - Training treats for learning basic commands.
$10.00 - High Value Training Treats for learning to overcome various environments (escalators, moving sidewalks, airplanes, etc.).
$15.00 - Food and Water Bowls / Training Pouches for treats, poop bags, and sanitizer.
$20.00 - Poop Bag Supply and Holder / Nail Trimmer Tool
$25.00 - Leather Leashes withstand the elements and last longer; various lengths.
$30.00 - Dog bed for rest and recovery after long training sessions.
$40.00 - Elevated dog platforms to learn to "Place" for safety purposes and for remaining in place for extending periods of time.
$50.00 - Food Vaults to keep 45 pound bags of food fresh.
$75.00 - Service Vests for Public Access
$100.00 - Mini Starter Kit: A Vest, Leash and Training Treats.
The site, UltraSignUp, will also charge a small registration fee for the use of the site for this event. As a newbie race director, what the site offers has been a gift....easy payment options, an app for runners that can be used for timing on race day, the sorting of age group finishers, bib assignments, etc. Please do NOT let it put you off registering!! Thank you so very much!
Event's current local time: 4:56 AM ET
