“Until they do it, I don’t think they really appreciate the feeling you get.”
Dawn Silver is adamant that all athletes involved in her Richmond-based Panther Cheer Athletics organization grow up knowing that glowing sensation inside derived from volunteering in your local community.
Throughout the year, dozens of members of the cheerleading group take part in a number of opportunities to give back to the community, usually in the shape of helping out local charities.
But this year, Silver and the girls at Panther Cheer wanted to initiate something from the ground up, instead of simply turning up to volunteer.
So they decided to organize and host the inaugural, Annual Panther Pups & Puddles Walk in aid of the Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) this Saturday, Jan. 13 at noon.
“Both Stephanie (Kennedy) and I volunteered as coaches throughout the years and we know the pleasure that gave us,” said Silver, who co-owns Panther Cheer with Kennedy.
“We want the athletes to experience the same thing by giving back to the community as much as possible.
“We want them to grow up with a culture of volunteering. We’re trying to mold the kids into being responsible young adults.”
Silver said her and Kennedy wanted to make sure their athletes had wider input on the community.
“Each team (there are eight teams) takes part in a volunteering event throughout the year. This year, we’re taking part in a total of five events,” added Silver.
“But many of the families have been Panthers for a long time and have, over the years, volunteered at and adopted animals from RAPS. We have lots of animal-lovers in the program, so we thought, ‘how can we give back?’
“So we came up with the idea of the walk to create something that involved people’s pets, as well.”
As well as reaching out to potential sponsors for the likes of refreshments, the athletes will be responsible for getting the donations in.
Silver said the girls often volunteer at RAPS throughout the year, as well as helping at the Steveston Community Centre garden clean-up and visiting local senior centres on Valentines Day with cards and to do a performance for the residents.
About 30 athletes — aged eight to 16 said Silver — are taking part in the five-kilometre walk on Saturday, which begins and ends at RAPS animal shelter at 12071 No. 5 Rd.
Mandy Lichtmann, RAPS’ community development manager, said the gesture from Panther Cheer was “awesome,” adding that anyone can register for the event, which costs a minimum $10 donation.
“There’s definitely more future volunteers and RAPS supporters in that group; many of them have already adopted animals from here over the years, so it’s wonderful to see them taking that a step further with this event,” said Lichtmann.
Participants can pre-register for the walk online at CanadaHelps.org/en/Charities/Richmond-Animal-Protection-Society/Events.
Or, last-minute walkers may register at the starting point between 11 a.m. and noon on Saturday.
Refreshments will be available at the shelter before and after the walk. One animal stuffy will be provided for each registered participant who is 15 years and younger.
