Raise the Woof! is a fun and unique fundraising event, benefitting Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County. Friends, families, local businesses, and community organizations come together to build their best version of a dog house for man's best friend, in the process raising money to help fund the creation of affordable housing in Champaign County.

For this year's event, taking place on Saturday, September 25th, we are shaking things up a bit, and letting teams build either a dog OR a cat habitat, hence this year's theme, "Dogs Vs. Cats". We can't let the dog lovers out there have all the fun!

Teams can choose to compete in one of two categories: "Old Dogs", which is a free build where teams with building and/or design experience can be as creative and crafty as they choose, and "Young Pups" where teams will work with a precut set of materials and instructions, to construct and then put their own decorative stamp on a stylish indoor pet habitat. After the building is completed, winners in each category will be determined by a panel of judges and also by the other competing teams.

All the completed dog houses and cat structures will then be brought over to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and put on display for 3 weeks. During that time, the public will be encouraged to vote for their favorite designs....and they can also bid to own their favorite!

To participate in this year's Raise the Woof! event, you will need to register your team by Friday, September 17th, and pay this year's $200 entry fee* one of two ways:

1) Create a team fundraising page here via this Just Giving site. You can then pay the entry fee electronically or share your Team Page with family and friends who will then in turn donate towards your goal. You can also have your fellow team members create their own fundraising pages, and as part of your team, that money raised will go towards your team fundraising total. We encourage you to fundraise more than the $200 entry fee if you can, as every dollar donated will help fund a Habitat home build with a local family. And we will be awarding an awesome trophy to the team that raises the most money! We encourage all teams to be as creative as you can with your team name, story, and why you are supporting Habitat while building a dog's (or cat's!) fur-ever home!

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2) If you prefer a more "analog" method of registering that does not involve creating a Just Giving page, please email Lauren, the Director of Development, at lgramly@cuhabitat.org. She will then be in touch with a team registration form.

*The $200 entry fee is to cover the cost of materials for the build. Both the "Young Pups" and "Old Dogs" teams will be given the same set of materials to build with. The "Young Pups" will need to use the provided materials to build the dog house design we give you, while the "Old Dogs" can choose to use or not use the provided materials for their build. We find that some "Old Dogs" teams use all their own materials, while other teams supplement with the provided materials.

Once teams have officially registered, we will be in touch with further information about the build process and the event itself.

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Habitat for Humanity' of Champaign County's mission is a world where everyone has a safe, decent, and affordable place to call home. Over 50% of renters in Champaign County are overburdened by their housing costs, and there is limited access to affordable housing. Every dollar donated to our Raise the Woof! event goes directly to building homes with local qualifying partner families, giving them a strong foundation upon which to build strength, stability, and self-reliance.