Divine Mercy Parish in Burlington-West Burlington is hosting a Dog Jog May 15 as a fundraiser for youths attending the National Catholic Youth Conference later this year. Pictured are race T-shirts and bandanas from the last Dog Jog in 2017.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
BURLINGTON/WEST BURLINGTON — Divine Mercy Parish is hosting a 5K-9 Dog Jog on May 15 as a fundraiser for youths attending the upcoming 2021 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).
Participants — dog and human — can walk the 5-kilometer course through Dankwardt and Crapo Parks in Burlington anytime between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Trashcans will be located throughout, and each four-legged participant will receive a “tasty reward,” said Cease Cady, director of religious education for Divine Mercy Parish.
This is the parish’s second time hosting the Dog Jog. The first event took place in 2017 to support youths attending NCYC that year. “The youths came up with the idea,” Cady said. She said the Dog Jog went well, despite terrible weather. “It was raining sideways,” she recalled.
As in the past, this year’s NCYC-bound youths came up with the T-shirt, bandana and flyer designs.
Cady said 40 youths and 8 adults, including parochial vicar Father James Flattery, will attend the conference in November.
Look for race forms and additional information on the Dog Jog’s Facebook event site, https://tinyurl.com/K-9DogJog. Same-day registration and race packet pickups will be available starting at 8 a.m. in the Dankwardt Pool parking lot. The $30 participation cost includes one T-shirt and one dog bandana. Additional T-shirts cost $10 and additional bandanas are $5 each. Participants will also receive two trash bags for dog waste.
Cady said having a dog is not a prerequisite for participation in the Dog Jog. “We do not discriminate,” she quipped.
