Guide Dogs Queensland celebrates 50 years - August 2010
This year, Guide Dogs Queensland has been celebrating 50 years of providing services to Queenslanders who are vision impaired.
With the help of organizations, such as the Kawana Seniors Club, which donated $500 to Guide Dogs Queensland last month, the association has been able to provide these services free of charge.
Guide Dogs Queensland Sunshine Coast Community Relations Officer Sandra Cavanagh said the association was extremely grateful for the generous support from the Kawana Seniors Club.
“We are proud of our history of service on the Sunshine Coast and are indebted to the local community for supporting our association through donations and volunteering,” Ms Cavanagh said.
Guide Dogs Queensland’s Maroochydore office is staffed by Ms Cavanagh and Community Relations Manager Olwyn Kerr, and provides a range of training and support services to Sunshine Coast residents who have low or no vision.
Orientation and Mobility Instructor Ainsley Cavanagh also services the region, along with members of the Guide Dog Services team who visit regularly to work with clients.
The association currently has 250 active clients on the Sunshine Coast and 2,500 clients statewide.
The demand for Guide Dogs Queensland’s services is expected to increase in the future as the number of Queenslanders with low or no vision is predicted to nearly double in the next 20 years.
The association is preparing for this increase by breeding a record number of pups in 2010; planning a new Breeding and Training Centre; and training more cadets in the areas of Guide Dog Services and Orientation and Mobility.
You can help Guide Dogs Queensland by joining our Puppy Guardianship Program and sponsoring a litter of puppies for as little as $1 a day or by raising a Guide Dog Puppy in your home for 12 months.
Guide Dog-in-Training ‘Archie’ (pictured) was raised on the Sunshine Coast and Guide Dogs Queensland is always happy to welcome new volunteer Puppy Raisers on the Coast.
Click here for more information on the Puppy Guardianship Program or Puppy Raising or call the Sunshine Coast office on 5443 8033.
The office is situated at Shop 7, 151 -155 Horton Parade, Maroochydore, and is open from 9am – 3pm, Monday to Friday.
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Guide Dogs Queensland
Breeding and Training Centre
1978 Gympie Rd
Bald Hills, Qld, 4036
