Comedy night raises thousands for Canine Action Project

A comedian addresses a rowdy table during the Raise the Woof fundraiser held at the P.A. Inn on March 19. (Peter Lozinski/Daily Herald)

For Meagan Schmitz, Saturday’s sold-out comedy fundraiser was a welcome surprise.

The Vice President and volunteer with the Canine Action Project only anticipated about 150 people would show up.

Instead, a last-minute surge in ticket sales meant the Raise the Woof Comedy Night was sold out. A full 250 people packed into one of the conference halls at the P.A. Inn Saturday. The event was so full, people without tickets were turned away at the door.

In all, between the ticket sales, 50/50 draw and raffle tickets, the organization raised $11,230. Adding on a $5,000 matching donation from Scotiabank, and the fundraiser brought in $16,230,13.

All of that money will be used to help sick or injured stray animals that need immediate medical attention.

The Canine Action Project (CAP), has already been around since 2012. The group, though, isn’t well known.

As the group isn’t well known, the reception to their fundraiser took them off-guard.

“The support from everybody was outstanding,” Schmitz said.

“We’ve been around for a long time but we’re not in a central location. We’ve got volunteers all over the province. We picked Prince Albert because we have quite a few core volunteers here, and we work very closely with Sturgeon Lake. We’ve made a lot of positive strides there.”

Unlike other rescues, the not-for-profit doesn’t adopt out animals themselves.

Instead, they partner with rehoming organizations from across Western Canada.

However, that isn’t always possible.

“If the situation is dire and the animal needs to go to the vet now, then Canine Action Project takes them to the vet and becomes responsible for those costs,” Schmitz explained.

“That’s what the money is for.”

For more on this story, please see the March 22 print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.

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