The Order of the Eastern Star has been holding continuous fundraisers to help raise money to purchase another guide dog for a family who needs one in Saskatchewan,

The Order has been working with the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides to raise funds and help families in Saskatchewan who are in need of service dogs.

"Service dogs is a charity that our organization has voted to have as one of their main charities. So in 2015, we raised about, worldwide, about 1.4 million for service dogs. It went so well with all the members they decided that they would have it as one of their main charities," explained Llynne Lambert, member of The Order and Chairman of the Service Dogs Committee of Saskatchewan. "Each jurisdiction [...] they can choose what organization for service dogs they want to support. So in Saskatchewan, we looked at many option but the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides was the one that most matched what we were looking for."

The Order wanted to make sure that the organization they chose not only kept the money in Saskatchewan, but that the charity was recognized for guide dogs.

In 2017 they managed to acquire two dogs, as an anonymous donor matched The Order's donation of $12,000 to the Lions Foundation. This was a great help for The Order, as guide dogs can cost tens of thousands of dollars. This helps provide people with the opportunity to get a dog, and the Lions foundation has multiple types of dogs for different reasons. They have canines for disabilities such as sight, hearing, autism assistance, epilepsy response, and diabetic alert.

The Order is holding a fundraiser on February 8th, to have a "pawesome" start to 2018. Their Dinner and Silent Auction for Guide Dogs runs from 6 to 9 pm on February 8th at Bugsy's, with family seating in Smitty's.

"We're just so appreciative of the support of Moose Jaw and many businesses throughout Saskatchewan and personal donations towards Dog Guides," Lambert added. "It's been awesome and we hope that this will help us to get another dog this spring for someone in Saskatchewan."