FUNDRAISER for Max (FIJI's) the leader dog 9/13/08

[festeraeb]

A lot of you know Fiji's dog Max. Sept 12-13 The east Flint Lions Club is doing a charity event for Max to raise money to help offset the cost of his treatment. If anyone is interested in helping out please email me. We could use donations for raffles, Someone that might want to come on Friday or Saturday to put on a pointing dog training demo. Due to liability it would have to be blanks only but we have some room that maybe a young dog training session would work out. We will have a pig roast on Saturday. Speakers and events both days. Everything will be either dog, leader dog, or hunting related. I have commitments from a few different organizations. However, I don't have contracts signed for the event yet but we are looking at a Disc competition and dock diving if all works out.

Anyone interested in making donations for raffle prizes or help. Please feel free to contact me by email.

Details to follow as they get confirmed.

thom.hadfield@teamreddog.net

Thanks
Thom
www.teamreddog.net

[Tecumseh]

Wow, that is great! I will find something to donate for a raffle.

[festeraeb]

Mike thank you...every thing is appreciated. Will you still be in MI then? You should see bo he has really matured into a nice dog. I would like to see Picqua I haven't seen her in a while.

[FIJI]

is humbled, as am I, by the support here !

We've been knocked offline by the storm - but hope to get power and net access back soon. I'll post an update on Max with photos then.

mahalo nui loa

[Linda G.]

Does Max actually belong to Fiji or is he one of the leader dogs, and what happened? I am trying to think of what I can donate here...knowing the full story would be very helpful...

[Firemedic]

I can donate some money.

[festeraeb]

Linda I will let Fiji comment on the ownership. I will find the thread that has the story in it as well. Mike will post shortly when his power is back. I know Maxwell lives with Mike and the surgery to save him Mike paid for.

Firemedic....will you be able to make the event? If so there will be plenty of ways to donate there. If not I will probably filter money donations through the lions club. Like send a check with a comment that it is for the fund raiser. I am still working that out.

I will post details about the 2 day event as a finalize a schedule. I have a lot of verbal commitments however I want to get it all wrapped up before I post a schedule of events.

[festeraeb]

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/fo...d.php?t=219569

[omega58]

Well, I was able to meet Max and the clan over Memorial weekend up at the SharkShack with my son and his cousin.

I will come up with some type of donation. . .let us know when things get confirmed. Plus, I owe Mike for the "Bite Me" T-shirt he gave me.

[Thunderhead]

I'd like to donate a 1 day fully guided Turkey Hunt for late season Spring of '09.
Tho I don't know Max personally, I do know Mike. He's a good man. The world needs more like him.

Best of Luck.

[Firemedic]

Thom, no I will not be able to make it. I have a wedding that night, then I am going to camp RIGHT after the wedding is over. I will contact Fiji to give the donation to.

[FIJI]

just a quick blurb (still no power at home)

Maxwell is a fully trained, graduate Leader Dog who was placed with a man out west. The guy soon ended up not using Max and wanted him returned to the school for reassignment to another blind person. I happend to be the Field Representative who picked Max up and brought him back to Michigan. Maxwell so impressed me on the trip that I mentioned to the school that he would make a great PR dog (my own dogs are 11 & 13 years old and well beyond their PR days). A few weeks after he returned a lump was found on Max - right where his harness buckles - which prevented us from placing him with another blind person. I officially adopted Maxwell for the purposes of PR for Leader Dog. Unfortunately the lump came back again twice, each time substantially larger and more aggressive. The MSU Oncology Clinic offered Max the chance at a normal - surgery and pain free life....but at a cost He still has one surgery to go to remove the jugular port.

Although Max and I continued to do PR programs for the school, the "adoption" technicality made Maxwell, and all the cost associated with him, .....my problem. Details about this aspect of the story will be gladly shared in person as will any and all of his medical diagnosis/prognosis/bills (please understand that this whole scenario puts me in a rather awkward position).

On a brighter note...we "think" he may have a bit of peach fuzz growing back in the radiation burn zone !

FIJI

[festeraeb]

Ok for those who can not make the event and would like to make a monetary donation please send it to.

Maxwell
C/O The East Flint Lions CLub
4352 Crosby Rd
Flint, MI 48502

Make checks payable to:
East Flint Lions Club

In the Memo section write: Maxwell


Thunderhead: Thank you that is very generous. I will PM you about the details.


If you want to make a physical donation for a raffle ect. Please mail it to.

Maxwell
c/o Thom Hadfield
510 Waldman St
Flint, MI 48507

[festeraeb]

Originally Posted by FIJI

Although Max and I continued to do PR programs for the school, the "adoption" technicality made Maxwell, and all the cost associated with him, .....my problem. Details about this aspect of the story will be gladly shared in person as will any and all of his medical diagnosis/prognosis/bills (please understand that this whole scenario puts me in a rather awkward position).

On a brighter note...we "think" he may have a bit of peach fuzz growing back in the radiation burn zone !

FIJI

Just so everyone knows. Mike didnt ask for myself or the lions club to have this fund raiser In my opinion he "reluctantly agreed".....I approached Mike about this many months ago when I first heard about Max's condition. I am a Lions club member and we do a lot of work with leader dogs. We checked to see if we could do an event and donation that would fall into the donation guidlines that the lions club has for leader dogs. Because of the official adoption we could not. I however suggested we do a fundraiser like I am putting together now. Mike wanted to exhaust all resources available to him first. People in the flint area lions clubs have known Mike for years and still wanted to help. Mike and I discussed the issue further and he is extremely humble and thankful that an event like this is going on. I think most of us wanted to do this event because we know Mike would be the first to help us if we needed it. As he does with his job for people that are seeing impaired. About 3 months ago Mike and I talked about going forward with this event. Its taken me this long to get the commitments I needed to set a date.

It is very important to Fiji that their is accountability for where the money raised is being used. He asked that all monetary donations go threw the lions club and not directly to him.

Again thanks everyone for your support and help. Hope that gives everyone an idea of how this came to be.

[redvdog]

Thom,
You can count on me for help with any wman power you may need. As long as if does not involve touching that pig!!
Let me know once you get all the details worked out as to what dog events will be offered.