Inaugural DogFest DFW Event Promises Tail-Waggin’ Good Time

Hundreds of dogs and their owners are expected at the free DogFest DFW outdoor festival on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the site of the new Baylor Scott & White Health-Canine Companions for Independence®-Kinkeade Campus located at 7750 Las Colinas Ridge in North Irving on the campus of the Baylor Health Center at Irving Coppell. The event begins at 9am and ends at noon. There is no cost for the public to enjoy the music and activities at the festival. More information is available at www.healthyirving.org/dogfest.

"The DogFest DFW event has raised more than $60,000 in sponsorships so far, which is exciting for a first-year event," notes Irving Healthcare Foundation President John Drake. An anonymous Irving donor gave $10,000 to be a "Man's Best Friend" sponsor, and gave a $10,000 challenge grant, which was matched by gifts from the community.

Flowserve Corporation of Irving is a "Top Dog" sponsor for 2015, along with Lisa and Steve Candler and Angie and John Drake. HMS is a "Happy Tails" sponsor. "Companion" sponsors include John Hollbrook and Kimberly and Scott Sheffield. Ebby Halliday-Las Colinas and Susie Fan contributed to be "Dog Lover" sponsors this year.

"Irving Healthcare Foundation is working with our appreciated colleagues at Canine Companions and keeping our event costs low to ensure most of the money goes to our worthy purpose of providing assistance dogs to people who need them," Drake added.

Canine Companions is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. There is no charge for a Canine Companions assistance dog. Individual participants in the program are not responsible for any of the substantial costs, nearly $50,000 per animal, involved in the lengthy process of breeding, raising, and training each Canine Companions assistance dog. Philanthropy through gifts, grants and events like DogFest makes it possible to award these service dogs to recipients who are qualified based on need.

In 2014, Baylor Scott & White Health announced a collaboration with Canine Companions to build a training facility, dormitory cabins and kennels at a site in Irving, Texas. "Irving's adjacency to two major airports in North Texas makes it an ideal location for this center," Drake noted, "and our Irving-based foundation was honored to work with Canine Companions team members who subsequently moved to Irving in fundraising to help build the center."

About Irving Healthcare Foundation
Founded in 1977, Irving Healthcare Foundation seeks to make people healthier by awarding funds raised and by encouraging volunteer service to worthy nonprofit healthcare organizations that serve the people of Irving, Coppell and Grand Prairie. The foundation has raised and granted more than $40 million since 1977. Baylor Medical Center at Irving, that community's only nonprofit hospital, is the foundation's primary beneficiary. Other recipients include the Irving Community Clinic for the needy, Baylor Scott & White Health-Canine Companions for Independence®-Kinkeade Campus and the Irving Family YMCA in support of programs that battle family obesity.  More information is available at

www.healthyirving.org

About Canine Companions for Independence
Canine Companions for Independence provides highly trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has training centers across the country, including CA, FL, OH and NY. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. There is no charge for the dog, its training and ongoing follow-up services. For more information, call 1-800-572-BARK or visit:

www.cci.org


# # # 

About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com