DAKIN HUMANE SOCIETY’S WILL RUN FOR COOKIES 5k RUN/2k WALK TO BENEFIT PIONEER VALLEY PETS AND PEOPLE SET FOR MAY 18 AT STANLEY PARK
Pre-Registration Open for Runners/Walkers; Early Bird Fees in Effect Through April 1
Springfield, MA – Dakin Humane Society will hold its third annual Will Run for Cookies 5k Run/2k Walk to benefit the organization’s services and programs on Saturday, May 18 in Westfield’s Stanley Park. Registrants will be invited to bring their dogs (on non-retractable leashes) to take part in the event.
Event day registration/check-in will take place at 9:00 a.m., and the race begins at 10:30 a.m. Online pre-registrations are being accepted now through May 16 athttps://racewire.com/register.php?id=13823. The event will be held rain or shine. Refunds are not available.
Free race t-shirts, and one cookie per person and dog participant will be given to those who pre-register during the Early Bird Registration period, which will end on April 1. The Early Bird Registration fees are as follows:
$20 – 12 years and younger
$30 – Adult registration
The Adult registration fee will increase to $35 April 2 – May 16, and to $40 on the day of the event. The 12 years and younger fee will remain the same. General pre-registration and race day registration includes a cookie for human and dog participants, but a race shirt is not guaranteed.
Dakin’s Director of Development and Marketing Stacey Price stated, “This is our third year celebrating the person/pet bond at our Cookie Run event. We’re very happy to return to Westfield’s Stanley Park, which is especially beautiful in May, and provides an ideal setting for everyone to enjoy a day outdoors with their friends and dogs. Dakin’s services exist to strengthen the bond between people and pets, and everyone who participates in our event is lending a hand to animals in need, and the people who love them, right here in the Pioneer Valley.”
Participants are encouraged to fundraise to help give animals the food, shelter, and medical treatment they need. Every dollar raised goes towards creating happier and healthier lives for animals both at Dakin, and those in homes that need the organization’s services.
As a fundraiser incentive, every individual who raises $100 will receive a blue beanie hat. The beanie hat was chosen by Dakin to honor a kitten named Beanie who had been rescued in frigid weather in 2020. She was part of a litter living outdoors that was humanely trapped and brought to Dakin for care by Dakin’s Kitten Street Team (KST). The KST is an all-volunteer group that responds to calls reporting sightings of cats, especially kittens, living outdoors. Beanie is one of the more than 1,500 felines helped by the Kitten Street Team since it was launched four years ago.
Participants are also encouraged to form teams to support each other, fundraiser together, and come up with creative team names.
Race Winner Categories include:
- Overall 1st male
- Overall 1st female
- 1st 5k finisher with dog
First place for age range both male and female:
- Under Age 12
- Age 13 – 19
- Age 20 – 29
- Age 30 – 39
- Age 40 – 49
- Age 50 – 59
- Age 60+
Dakin Humane Society, located in Springfield, MA, is a 501 (c) (3) organization that delivers effective, innovative services that improve the lives of animals in need and the people who care about them. In a typical year, the organization shelters, treats and fosters more than 20,000 animals and has performed over 122,000 spay/neuter surgeries since 2009, making it one of New England’s largest spay/neuter providers. Dakin’s Pet Health Center, a non-emergency veterinary resource for pet dogs and cats, opened in 2022 and has treated more than 5,000 pets. Dakin is a local non-profit organization that relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses that care about animals to bring its services to the community. For more information, visit www.dakinhumane.org