Daniel and Marlie Walkathon from Creemore to Collingwood
Daniel McAreavey is a name that will be synonymous with this year’s 8th Annual (Virtual) GTHS Walkathon. On Saturday August 8th, 2020, fueled by a passion for animal welfare and a unique understanding of the special bond between pets and their people, Dan set out to walkathon his way by walking 31km from Creemore to his home in Collingwood! Dan finished his walk in just under 5 hours and has currently raised $10,250 and counting for the Georgian Triangle Humane Society!
In the words of Dan, “Why’d I do it? First of all, for my daughter and her dog. They’ve fostered 14 dogs in California. Secondly, I did it for the volunteers. 365 days a year they go in and I do this one day. That’s really who it’s for, is the volunteers that really give their time and their hearts every single day.”
This is Marlie The Wonder Dog, as Dan affectionately calls her, on the left and Dan and his daughter Ashley on the right. Ashley and Marlie have fostered 14 dogs! Dan credits Marlie for his walk as she is part of the healing process as she shares her home and family with all the foster dogs who have now all found loving homes.
Dan is a breathe of fresh air. He is generous, he is humble, down to earth and you can feel the passion he has pets and people radiating from him as he talks about his walk. It is no surprise that friends and family gathered in the parking lot outside his home to cheer him on in the final steps of walk. Shelley, Dan’s wife, will go down as his biggest fan. She was up bright and early following Dan along on his route in their decaled car, donning her personalized Walkathon tee.
Thank you Dan for believing in the work of the Georgian Triangle Humane Society. We really can’t thank you enough, but the GTHS animals thank you the most.
