Nearly two years ago, dog lovers all over the Ohio Valley rallied to Petsafe’s online “Bark For Your Park” competition in order to help Wheeling win a $25,000 prize to be used toward the construction of a dog park. Since then, animal enthusiasts have been asking, “Whatever happened to that dog park? And how can I help?”
Turns out, land acquisition for a dog park takes a long time! But, after many twists and turns, the day has finally arrived where we can say, “Alright, Wheeling, let’s get this thing built already!”
Today, much to the excitement of my two Italian Greyhounds, we are officially launching our public fundraising campaign in conjunction with the Amazing Raise Ohio Valley; and although we’ve either received or won approximately $50,000 from fantastic community partners like Petsafe, Orrick, Ohio County Commission, Raymond James, the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the City of Wheeling, we still need to raise $100,000 more, and to do that we need your help!
The Vision
The dog park, which will be located within the Tunnel Green Recreation Complex between Route 2 and Wheeling Creek just south of I-70, will actually house two dog parks! The larger park, which will consist of 1.35 acres, will be for the exclusive use of large-breed dogs weighing in at 30+ lbs. The smaller park, which will consist of .65 acres, will be for the exclusive use of small-breed dogs weighing less than 30 lbs.
Each park will be fully enclosed by a six-foot fence so that your dogs can run off-leash in a safe environment. Each section will contain its own water station, waste disposal stations, crush-and-run walking trails, and benches.
The Costs
You might be surprised to learn that building a dog park is not a cheap endeavor. While the land was donated, it required excavation and leveling (if you drive by today, you may notice most of the trees coming down, and dirt being moved). Of the $150,000 budget, this activity accounts for 26% of our estimated costs.
Landscaping and expanded parking is estimated to take up 21% of the budget, with 9% going toward water systems, waste disposal stations, benching, and signs.
The largest cost, accounting for 44% of the budget, comes from the purchase and installation of fencing.
The Goal
With the support of the community, we believe we can raise $100,000 over the next few months by grouping together donations of all sizes. While we’re doing what we can now to keep the project on schedule for a Fall 2015 opening, we will pull the trigger on final phases once our fundraising goal has been met.
We’ve decided to ask you to contribute today specifically because May 5th is the Amazing Raise. If you aren’t familiar with “the Raise”, it is a 24-hour fundraising challenge put on by the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley, where non-profits compete not only to raise funds, but win supplemental prize money for various activities. By focusing on various challenges, the dog park could win a substantial amount of money!
How to Donate
The Amazing Raise will be accepting donations (starting at $10) from 12:00AM until 11:59PM on Tuesday, May 5th. You can locate our specific page and donate online by clicking here.
Since various challenges will go on throughout the day, please keep an eye on our Facebook page. We will be announcing the challenges we plan to focus on throughout the day.
In the event that you find this article after the Amazing Raise has concluded and you want to donate, you may do so by visiting our website or by mailing a check with “Dog Park Fund” written in the memo to:
Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley
C/O Wheeling Dog Park
PO Box 670
Wheeling, WV 26003
All donations are 100% tax deductible, and will go toward the construction and upkeep of the park. Our entire committee consists of volunteers who simply love dogs, and improving Wheeling.
The Challenges
Most Money Raised (Robinson Auto Group) – One $3,000 prize to the organization that raises the most money
Second Money Raised (WesBanco) – One $2,000 prize to the organization that raises the second most money
Third Most Money Raised (WTRF) – One $1,000 prize to the organization that raises the third most money
Mountaineer Award (AEP) – One $500 prize to the organization headquartered in West Virginia that raises the most money from 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Buckeye Award (Harvey Goodman Realtors) – One $500 prize to the organization headquartered in Ohio that raises the most money from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Starting Line Award (XTO) – One $500 prize to the organization that receives the first donation of the day
Pit Stop Award (Dominion) – One $500 prize to the organization that raises the most money from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Rush Hour Award (XTO) – One $500 prize awarded to the organization that receives the most unique online donations of any size between 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Night Owl Award (EQT) – One $500 prize to the organization that receives the most unique online donations of any size between 10:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Final Leg Award (Security National Trust) – One $500 prize awarded to the organization that receives the final donation of the day
1,000 for 1,000 (Lamar) – One $1,000 prize awarded to the organization that receives the 1,000th gift
Benchmark Prize (Huntington Bank) – One $500 prize awarded to the first organization to receive 50 unique online donations
Golden Tickets ($500 prizes, to be eligible organization must receive an online donation during the specified timeframe)
#1 (WKKX The Valley’s Watchdog) – Random drawing between 7:00 am – 8:00 am
#2 (West Virginia Northern Community College) – Random drawing between 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
#3 (Ye Olde Alpha) – Random drawing between 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Find out which other Wheeling area organizations are participating in the amazing raise here.…Good luck to all of them.
Note: this article is a paid advertisement for the Wheeling Dog Park – but we are rooting for all of you!!
For more information about paid advertorials like this one, email us at weelunk@weelunk.com
