Labrador photo by Chris Leipelt at unsplash.com

Dogs will be out in force at Fresno State Thursday as students in the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism (MCJ) collaborate with the Labrador Retriever Rescue of Fresno on a campaign aimed at recruiting volunteers and donors for the organization.

The event, titled “Meet and Treat,” will be held in front of the Kennel Bookstore at Fresno State from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and will feature a special appearance from Victor E. Bulldog III from noon to 12:30 p.m.

“Meet and Treat” aims to educate the campus community about Lab rescue programs and provide information and opportunities to help.

Part of the MCJ 199 service-learning course requires students to work with different organizations each semester to develop public relations and advertising campaigns.

“I’m so proud of my students for working so hard to put together this campaign,” said professor Betsy Hays, who teaches the course. “This is such a great example of service learning — the idea of using curriculum and experiential learning to make the world a better place.”

Students from the course have also created radio public-service announcements in English and Spanish and partnered with the Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC) to produce a video.

In addition to radio and video advertisements, a social media plan, community partnership suggestions, sponsorship packets and other materials have been developed for the adoption center’s weekly participation in the Clovis Farmers Market.

“With the increasing population of homeless, neglected and surrendered Labs, we need more people and more resources,” said Noor Sabharwal, a volunteer at the center.

The Labrador Retriever Rescue of Fresno works to find qualified homes for Labrador retrievers. Open since 2008, the nonprofit organization gives all Labs a veterinary exam, inoculations, parasite tests, heartworm treatment and microchipping, as well as spay/neuter services.

Currently, the organization has 16 Labs listed as available for adoption on their website.