LUTCHER – The recent Bark for Life fundraising event was an overall success in St. James Parish.
The event was an an offshoot of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, a popular walking fundraiser that helps raise money for cancer research. Bark for Life was sponsored by the Mosaic Co.
“It’s something that (the American Cancer Society) started last year, and it was pretty much new to the American Cancer Society. Mosaic decided to sponsor it for St. James Parish. People can come out and celebrate and bring their dogs to walk around the track, or they can register their dogs for different contests,” said Jennifer Grigsby, a public affairs specialist for Mosaic.
Instead of just relying on the cuteness of the participating dogs, the Bark for Life organizers put a little extra into the event by including Easter-themed celebrations.
“We chose to go a little bit further than just the dogs — we had the Easter Bunny, and we did pictures with him. They were $10 for a 5-by-7 in a frame, and they got to take those home, printed on site. We also had a free Easter egg hunt that was open to the public. Anyone could come hunt eggs, and we had nice prizes,” said Grigsby.
Each plastic egg was filled with small trinkets. For every participating age division, there was a special hidden egg. Participants received prizes for whoever found the special egg and whoever collected the most eggs. The prizes were Easter baskets filled with toys, minus the candy.
“They had big old Easter bunny in them and all kinds of toys and trinkets. The littlest one, she won, and her basket was almost bigger than her,” said Grigsby.
Grigsby said a total of 25 dogs registered for the contests, and more dogs and owners showed up over the course of the event. The organizers of the event also sold out their boxed lunches, which was a major dictator of the success of the fundraising effort.
Participation was good for the first year of the event, but Grigsby hopes to see more of the community out at next year’s event.
“We would love to see (participation) double or triple next year. I haven’t heard anything negative come back about it. Everyone has said, ‘We had such a good time!’ It was very relaxed, no pressure. The dogs are barking, the kids are screaming, and they all have plenty of room to have a good time. It was fun, a good mix of people,” she said.
This year’s Relay For Life in St. James Parish will be April 6 at Lutcher Park. Visit the Facebook page for more information.