Fun and food at this Saturday’s Paws 4 A Cause event

Ready for something entirely new? Come watch the Peanut Butter Licking Contest at this Saturday’s Paws 4 A Cause event in Heritage Park in downtown Olympia.

The four-hour event is both a festival for dogs and their owners and a fundraiser for both Animal Cancer Foundation and American Cancer Society.

Six food service trucks and 45 businesses and nonprofits will set up to open at 11 a.m. Opening ceremonies start at Noon; the walk around Capitol Lake starts at 1 p.m. Following the walk there will be auctions and raffles, various arena demonstrations and contests (dog costumes, for example).

It’s the third annual event put on by Cancer Fighters, a local 501(c)(3) charity that got started during the pandemic and held its first Paws 4 A Cause walk in 2022.

Speaking of last year’s event, Event Coordinator Angie Dorian said, “It's amazing to watch what goes on there. Everybody's talking. Everybody's walking around. The dogs are all mixing, people are mixing and it's just a fun thing. You take away all the stress of what's going on in the world today. And you take time to walk your dog and come down and socialize with people and you raise money at the same time to fight cancer. I can't imagine anybody who's not in favor of fighting cancer.”

It’ll be fun, but it’s about fighting cancer

For 13 years prior to setting up the organization, the group that founded Cancer Fighters operated as Harlan's Homes 4 Hope Relay for Life team has been raising money to fight cancer, a total of $260,000 to date, according to Dorian, who is also a member of the Cancer Fighters five-member board.

“We formed the 501(c)(3) to give us the flexibility to fight cancer in both people and animals, Dorian said. The Harlan’s Homes 4 Hope Relay for Life team operates throughout the year raising money for American Cancer Society. “We hope to become a $50,000 per year Relay Team,” Dorian said, adding, “We hope the Paws event will help us get there.”

Some 6 million dogs and 6 million cats in the United States are diagnosed with various forms of cancer, according to the Animal Cancer Foundation, which funds research into cures for animals, including “Comparative oncology — the study of naturally developing cancers in animals as models for human disease.”

It’s happening, rain or shine

There’s still time to register (click here) your dog for the 1.5 mile walk around Capitol Lake. All proceeds will be split equally between Animal Cancer Foundation and American Cancer Society.

Editor’s Note:  Why does this story sound so promotional? The JOLT is a proud sponsor of the Paws 4 A Cause event and a pet-friendly employer, too. Come see us at our booth there this Saturday.