Cross-Canada Community Challenge Press Release

Posted September 19, 2024

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Veterinary group aiming to walk 8,889 km in October raising funds for pets in need

21 years of service, 11 locations bringing essential care to people and pets experiencing homelessness.

This fall, Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO) will be celebrating 21 years of service to bring vet care to pets in need across Canada. But the celebrations will be far from sit down dinners and stuffy ceremonies. Instead, the organization is hitting the road to raise funds and awareness of the work the charity does to support communities coast-to-coast.

The second annual Cross-Canada Community Challenge will run from October 1-31, 2024, asking participants to log their kilometres and activity to meet the goal of walking across Canada, covering the distance between all the CVO locations, a total of 8,889km. Participants can register as a team or individually, and pledge to complete a desired number of kilometres. Last year, over 200 participants got involved and raised over $50,000. This year, the charity is setting its goal at $100,000 as it served the highest number of animals and people in its 21 years of service.

“Across all of our regions, we have more pets and people in need than ever before,” shares CEO Dr. Melanie Barham. “With the cost of living rising, many clients have lost their housing, or are seeing their dollars not stretch as far as they used to. But no one should have to give up their best friend and family member simply because of hard times. Our clients love their pets deeply and provide for them, often choosing their pet’s wellbeing over their own. We invite you to join us to raise funds to keep pets with the people who love them, with both ends of the leash in good health.”

“I am thrilled to be celebrating CVO’s 21st anniversary of community service with our incredible volunteers, community partners, supporters and sponsors across Canada. Please join us in this event to bring Canadians together from coast to coast to support the people and pets in our communities,”, says Dr. Michelle Lem, founder of CVO, and board member.

In addition to getting active as the days get shorter, participants will also be treated to a virtual speaker series featuring world-renowned experts in veterinary topics, along with give aways and prizes all month long. The live virtual lectures will be geared in two streams, one for pet owners and another for veterinary teams. All registered participants of the challenge get a free all access pass to the lecture series and recordings for up to 60 days. Lecture topics are fun and cover a broad range of topics from infectious disease outbreaks to how to teach pets a new trick or skill.

“On behalf of the Board, we look forward to engaging CVO’s audience with these exciting initiatives as we enter the next chapter for our organization as we continue to help people and pets”, shares Sarah Sasso, board chair.

Community Veterinary Outreach is a national organization and a registered charity in Canada and the US. The organization has 11 locations from coast-to-coast. Over its 21 year history, the organization has innovated compassionate and accessible health care for both people and their pets experiencing homelessness. CVO has received funding from organizations at the national, international, and local levels. The organization also works with multiple educational institutions to provide graduate student supervision and answer research questions to support the communities they serve.

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How to Participate in our Cross-Canada Community Challenge:

Register: Sign up as an individual or create a team.
Track Your Kilometers: Use your preferred fitness app or device to log your activity.
Fundraise: Share your progress and encourage friends, family, and colleagues to donate.

Funds raised during this challenge will directly support CVO’s One Health clinics, which provide pro-bono veterinary care alongside human healthcare services. These clinics operate in 11 locations across North America, offering essential care to pets and people who might otherwise go without.

Join the Movement: For more information about the Cross-Canada Community Challenge, including registration details and fundraising tips, visit https://vetoutreach.org/community-challenge.

How to Support: Even if you’re unable to participate in the challenge, you can still support CVO by making a donation at https://vetoutreach.org/donate/. Every contribution helps ensure that pets and their people continue to receive care. If you or your organization is interested in becoming a sponsor, email info@vetoutreach.org to request an information package.

Together, we can make a difference, one kilometre at a time.

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Interested community members can learn more about Community Veterinary Outreach, including information on donating and volunteering, by visiting https://vetoutreach.org/ or checking out @vetoutreach on Instagram and Community Veterinary Outreach on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Community Veterinary Outreach works directly with case-worker referrals (with the exception of the Vancouver region, which accepts drop-ins and the Whitehorse region, which accepts referrals from First Nation organizations). Individuals in need of services offered by Community Veterinary Outreach can have their social/case worker email info@vetoutreach.org to receive details!

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Learn more and donate here: www.vetoutreach.org

Media inquiries and to learn how your organization can get involved: www.vetoutreach.org/contact-us/

Register for the Cross-Canada Community Challenge here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/community-veterinary-outreach/p2p/cross-canada-community-challenge-2024/