A “Pawsome Donut Party” with Wags for Mags
Wags for Mags hosted one of their annual fundraisers in the Student Center last week.
Among the pandemonium in the Student Center, a group of Wags for Mags members held their annual Pawsome Donut Party fundraiser this past week.
The fundraiser encouraged people either to preorder or walk by and buy a Krispy Kreme donut and Starbucks coffee. People who bought a box for $10 were able to get the coffee for free, or there was the option to buy one donut and a coffee for $3.
Before or after buying the sweet incentives, a chorus of “good boys” rang out in the air as people stopped to pat and rub the four dogs, which consisted of a brown Labrador, a black Labrador and two black poodles.
Even people who didn’t buy anything stopped to say hi to the pups. A STAR giving a tour of Bradley’s campus paused to let the group interact with the dogs for a short period of time. Students hustling to their next class couldn’t resist the allure of the puppies-in-training, taking time to stay and speak with the Wags for Mags members while stroking the dogs.
What is Wags for Mags?
Wags for Mags is an organization on campus that is connected to a larger one in Peoria called Paws Giving Independence. In Wags for Mags, students train service dogs and give them to families with disabilities for free.
Handling one of the black poodles, a new trainer for Wags for Mags, Hannah Rebhan said, “We train them to open handicap doors, be seeing eye dogs, and even help people with their social anxiety. We train them in all sorts of things to help anyone in need.”
Why the Pawsome Donut Party?
Wags for Mags hosts a number of events throughout the year like their first Puppies Got Talent fundraiser back in March where people preordered a ticket for $4 or paid $5 at the door to watch the trained dogs perform different tricks.
But the annual Pawsome Donut Party has proven successful in the past, which is why Wags for Mags decided to put it on again this year. One of the members, Danielle Muehlfelt, explained the reason for this success.
“Everybody loves donuts, and the combination of dogs and donuts usually lets people find something they like between them,” she said.
Because Wags for Mags is a non-profit organization, any funds they raise go to the puppies themselves.
“All the funds go towards stuff for training the dogs like dog food, training treats, and toys. So all of it goes towards the dogs,” Muehlfelt said.
Along with the funds raised, the Pawsome Donut Party allows Wags for Mags to gain more exposure for their organization. Many people showed up to the event not really knowing what Wags for Mags was or what they did. As they bought their donuts and coffee or spent time with the dogs, the student trainers told them all about what they do and how they impact the community.
One of these people was Julia Somerville, an RA who brought her floor to the event to destress before finals. After interacting with the dogs and talking to the student trainers, she felt as if she learned a lot about Wags for Mags.
“I talked to some of the trainers and they told me about the different stages of training and where the dogs end up going. So I definitely learned more about it. I didn’t know they did this,” she said.
How to get involved
There are many opportunities for people to learn more or get involved with Wags for Mags.
“Every other week we do classes at Markin where any Bradley student can come and work with the dogs. So that’s a good way to learn the skills for training,” Muelfelt said.
Anyone interested in getting involved can follow them on Facebook or Instagram to see what Wags for Mags is all about.