Minnesota Women of Today

The Hearing & Service Dogs of Minnesota programming encourages MNWT members, chapters, and districts to become educated about this organizations that has been helping people with disabilities through the use of assistance dogs since 1987. HSDM works with individuals who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or physically disabled, pairing them with dogs specially trained to alert them to important sounds or assist them in the activities of daily living.

Welcome to a new priority area for the next three years - Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota! There are several opportunities for fundraising and support during this first trimester as well as throughout the year: St. Paul Saints FUNdraiser - August 4th at 7:05 pm; Pet Gate at the Renaissance Festival (held weekends and Labor Day - August 22 - October 4); Heel and Wheel Walk - St. Paul - Lake Phalen - September 26; Gargage Sales; Pancake Breakfast fundraisers; many other opportunities - just let your imaginations go wild and spread the Puppy Love!

• St. Paul Saints Flyer, Fundraiser how to kits - garage sale and Applebee's pancake breakfast fundraiser
  
• HSDM heel and wheel walk - http://www.hsdm.org/news_events/heel_wheel.shtml 

Since the beginning of this year, the areas of service dogs have been renamed and categorized into the following: Autism Assist Dogs; Hearing Assist Dogs; Special Skills Dogs; Mobility Assist Dogs; Diabetic Assist Dogs; and Seizure Assist Dogs. Please watch my CIPs for more information about these special dogs and how they help those in need. Or you can visit www.hsdm.org for more information!

Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota
Great Garage Sale Guide

How to have a Great Garage Sale and raise funds
to train and place assistance dogs for people
in need in your own community!

HOW TO HOST AN APPLEBEE’S BREAKFAST FUNDRAISER

Applebee’s Restaurant will provide their restaurant, the cooks and the food for $1 per plate (2008-09 prices). HSDM sells tickets for $6, for example, and provides the rest of the work force. The ticket includes ONE serving of scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, NOT all-you-can-eat, coffee and/or juice. (Menu may change with location.)

1. Contact your local Applebee’s Restaurant and speak with the General Manager and get available dates for a fundraiser breakfast. Most Applebee’s restaurants do this one Saturday per month . Pick a date to hold your breakfast 2 – 4 months out. Try to avoid holiday weekends. Coordinate with HSDM staff breakfast notice in the upcoming newsletter along with a request for volunteers .
   
2. Design a ticket with all relevant information. (Sample included.) Target number of tickets to sell: 300.
   
3. Once tickets are printed, disseminate tickets to others to sell at their place of employment, school, neighborhood, family. Coordinate with HSDM staff to have website available to purchase tickets online.
   
4. You will need 10 – 15 volunteers for that morning from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Contact Laurie Carlson for assistance in lining up and assigning volunteers.
• 4 – 5 wait staff
  
• 2 – 3 coffee servers
  
• 2 – 3 greeters/seaters/ticket takers
  
• 3 – 4 platers/coffee makers
  
• 1 – 2 dish washers
  
• 1 – 2 information table/coffee mug sales
  
5. Obtain HSDM coffee mugs from Laurie Carlson and make small cards or signs to mark them as “tip” jars for the tables. (Tips all go to HSDM)
   
6. Coordinate with HSDM staff to do an "email blast" 1 – 2 weeks before the breakfast to help sell remaining tickets.
   
7. Have informational meeting with Breakfast volunteers the upcoming week prior of the breakfast to go over specifics with everyone and assign job duties for the day of the breakfast. Have handout available with directions to the Applebee’s location, menu items, arrival time, duties of each work station, proper attire, etc. If anyone was unable to attend the meeting, email the handout to them. Ask everyone to show up the morning of the breakfast promptly at 7:30 dressed in pants and a red shirt, "HSDM" shirt if they have one, and closed toe shoes. Everyone will be asked to help ready the tables and have a short orientation with the GM from Applebee’s. The doors will be locked at 10:00 and no further breakfasts will be served after that time. Everyone will be asked to help clean up so that we may be out of the restaurant as quickly as possible to facilitate Applebee’s regular lunch schedule.
   *If volunteers have bought a ticket for breakfast, ask them to please eat early between 8:00 and 8:30, after first making sure their station is covered until they return.
   
8. Coordinate with HSDM staff to have brochures, Tour Date cards and whatever else needed to set up an information table.
   
9. Have some type of cash box available the day of the breakfast and also some cash on hand ($1, $5 & $10’s) to make change for people wanting to leave tips.
   
10. On Wednesday before the breakfast, confirm with Applebee’s how many tickets have been sold so they may plan accordingly.
    Good Luck and have a successful fundraiser!