Benefiting Canine Companions

Celebrate Independence 2024

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About This Event

Join us Saturday, May 4 from 4 to 7 p.m. for Celebrate Independence, the annual Cunningham BBQ benefiting Canine Companions.

About This Event

Join us Saturday, May 4 from 4 to 7 p.m. for Celebrate Independence, the annual Cunningham BBQ benefiting Canine Companions.

Please consider donating to this event. Donations will be matched up to $65,000 and support Canine Companions’ life-changing mission!

For more than 15 years, Bill and Isabella Cunningham have hosted this annual event at their family ranch to raise funds and awareness for Canine Companions alongside a generous group of co-hosts.

Your gift will directly impact the lives of children, adults and veterans with disabilities, providing greater independence and confidence through the help of expertly trained service dogs. Canine Companions service dogs are trained in more than 45 skills, including retrieving dropped items, opening and closing doors, turning on and off lights, and so much more. They become their handlers’ partners and often best friends.

We are thrilled for this year’s fundraiser and look forward to seeing and celebrating with you all.

Special thanks to the co-hosts: Dave and Connie Saathoff, John and Jessica Cunningham, Frank and Jane Baxter Lynn, Kiersten Saathoff, John and Ginger Mitchell, Howard and Amy Nirken, Bob and Donna Pearson, Edgar Jimenez, Alan Blake and Brenda Ramirez, Barbara Hadley and Archer Hadley.

GOAL: $230,000

About Canine Companions

Canine Companions is leading the service dog industry so our clients and their dogs can live with greater independence. Canine Companions provides service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities and facility dogs to professionals working in healthcare, criminal justice and educational settings at no cost to clients. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has six regions across the country serving all 50 states.

Learn more at canine.org.

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Canine Companions is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Federal Identification Number: 94-2494324.

Annabelle with Service Dog Weller

young girl in a wheelchair laughing, looking at her service dog

For seven-year-old Annabelle, Service Dog Weller has opened up doors – literally and figuratively. He has also brought more love and joy than she and her family ever thought possible. 

Annabelle’s mom, Shelley, shares that while life before Weller was good, life after Weller has been filled with endless laughter and greater independence for Annabelle. Expertly trained in more than 45 skills, Weller picks up items Annabelle drops, such as her "talker," which she uses for communication, and opens and closes doors and drawers. In public, he walks faithfully next to her wheelchair, encouraging more positive communication with the public and giving her visibly more confidence as she navigates the world. 

Shelley shares, “I knew a service dog could open up opportunities for Annabelle and just overall bring her joy and happiness. We hit the jackpot with Weller!”