The York Region-based team, "Jan's Butterflies to the MAX," has raised more than $22,000 this year for the Toronto Walk to END PKD! Part of their amazing success is due to their passion for the mission of the PKD Foundation of Canada, and the goal of ending PKD. 

They also are really successful at diversifying their fundraising efforts, with some team members selling a variety of items, including bracelets and dog bandanas.

Following along with the dog theme, in the last two years Dawn (of Daisyroo Custom Creations, @daisyroocustomcreations on Instagram) has developed some PKD-themed dog treats and fridge magnets that she sells to raise funds for the Walk to END PKD, inspired by her dog Daisy (@daisyroocockapoo).

"It is important to me to fundraise for PKD, as Daisy's godmommy, Jan, has PKD. She's had two transplants, and will be having a third one soon. She is such an inspiration, and a true warrior.

"We have supported Jan for years, either donating to her walk team, or doing other fundraisers. We also show our support by posting about the walks, and having Daisy do posts on social media, supporting PKD by wearing the Walk t-shirts, and promoting September 4th as PKD Awareness Day, as well.

"When I started the doggie treat business, I thought, 'what can we do?' Throughout the year, Daisy and I do fundraisers for different causes. I thought there must be dogs at the Walk.

"So I spoke with Jan last year (2022), and that was our first year of offering dog treats at the Toronto Walk. In 2022, we did medium-sized bones that were stamped with 'END PKD.' This year for 2023, I wondered, 'what different shape can we do?'

"I thought of Jan, and her team name is 'Butterflies to the MAX.' Butterflies are a symbol for transplants, so this year we did stamped butterfly dog treats.

"Tips and Tricks: share social media posts about why you are fundraising, and what you are offering. I like to do some posts throughout the year for the charity (the PKD Foundation of Canada), and then more posts promoting the Walk and the fundraiser.

"This year, Daisy loves painting, so I saw the wooden butterflies and thought, 'let's have Daisy paint them, and I'll make them into magnets!'

"Another thing I thought of when baking the dog treats, was to offer a flavour that had the biggest appeal. There are a lot of peanut and nut allergies out there, so I decided on the pumpkin-carrot flavour.

"More doggies can have them, and without nuts in them, more people can get them. Also, there are a lot of doggies with sensitive tummies, so pumpkin is a good option, and of course we put the ingredients on every package."

Are you inspired yet to develop your own products to sell for a PKD fundraiser? Congratulations to Dawn, Daisyroo, and Jan's Butterflies to the MAX!