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Salute to Heroes Gala 2024 – An Evening Celebrating 1,000 Warriors & Service Dogs

Friday, March 1, 2024

Warrior/K9 Program

2 min read

As the sun went down at Sawgrass Country Club, K9s For Warriors supporters, donors, and Veterans started arriving for this year’s Salute to Heroes Gala – a night dedicated to celebrating K9s For Warriors biggest milestone yet, pairing its 1,000^th Warrior with a life-saving Service Dog in March and those that made it all possible.

With 20 Veterans and their Service Dogs in attendance, representing each year K9s has been pairing Service Dogs with Veterans, the event kicked off with co-emcees CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis and the original Jaguars Jackson DeVille, Curtis Dvorak. Ponte Vedra High School 9^th grader Alayna Martus captivated the audience during her performance of the national anthem, leaving hardly a dry eye in the house.

Our keynote speaker Retired Army Corporal and K9s For Warriors 2016 graduate Kris bravely shared his story of finding his battle buddy, Fowler.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone here, to K9s For Warriors for their unwavering commitment to serving veterans and most importantly to Fowler. You’ve all played a part in this incredible journey of recovery, resilience, and laughter. Fowler and I are more than just a man and his service dog; we’re a team, a living testament to the power of companionship, and a reminder that even in the toughest battles, you’re never truly alone,” exclaimed Kris at the closing of his speech, followed by a standing ovation.

While we honored the first 1,000 Warriors, the guests in the room pledged to help the next 1,000 receive life-saving Service Dogs by exceeding our initial goal of $400,000 to more than $550,000, which is enough to sponsor 22 Service Dogs for future Veterans in need.

With lives on the line, our work is never going to be done until ‘20 a Day’ becomes ‘Zero a Day’. So, to the next 1000 Warriors, K9s For Warriors promises to be there to help you find a new leash on life.

Raised to save the next 1,000!

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I want to first thank you ALL for inviting me to such a beautiful, amazing event/weekend. It was such a pleasure being there and hearing all the feedback from the supporters regarding my speech. I am honored you all would choose someone like me to speak at such an important event like this!

Just wanted to let you know what an amazing event you hosted last evening!!! You all, along with Sawgrass, totally knocked it out of the park. I attended yet another fundraiser this afternoon and everyone seemed to be talking about it, whether they had attended or had just heard others talking about it!! Everyone could not have been more complementary! Just wanted to pass on the buzz on the ground here at Sawgrass!