Photo by Ben Hensley | Six-year-old Husky/German Shepherd mix Zala will walk the runway at the fifth-annual Yappy Hour fundraiser on July 12.

A dog show with a mission will take to the runway on Saturday, July 12, when the St. Francis Homeless Project presents its fifth-annual Doggie Fashion Show and Yappy Hour, at the Senior Activity Center in Clovis, aiming to raise awareness and generate positive engagement for the program, now in its 15th year.

The event, which will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 735 3rd St. in Clovis, will highlight some of the over 400 graduates of the recovery-focused program that supports women impacted by homelessness, domestic violence, human trafficking and addiction.

“We’re just trying to continue raising money for the project,” said Sandra Kaye, founder and director of the organization. “At the same time, the St. Francis community is growing — and by that, I mean everybody is helping each other.”

The show’s main event — the Doggie Fashion Show — will feature 20 dogs, including five from Valley Animal Center, flaunting their best in fashion apparel thanks largely to the event’s commemorative sponsor, Fresno Subaru. In addition to support from the dealership, St. Francis Homeless Project also received major support from Bill Smittcamp and Wawona Foods and will also feature the K-9 unit from the Clovis Police Department, as well as prominent City of Clovis representatives.

Kaye said the event is intended to celebrate the achievements of program graduates, including a recent nursing school graduate and the continued successes of Katie Danielson, who was recently recognized as a top-30 manager for Panera Bread Company, joining the company on a recognition-earned trip to Costa Rica.

“The room will be filled with graduates from 15 years ago and the current cohort will be in the room,” she said. “I won’t have much to say, but I’ll hand the microphone to them.”

Recently, Kaye returned from a camping trip that featured 40 past graduates — part of its ongoing emphasis on healing and community.

“Everybody’s faring well,” Kaye said. “The relationship between dogs and humans is a known entity. Women even come in off the street for their dogs.”

She added that she recently spoke alongside law enforcement.

“Congratulations to the Fresno Police Department because our numbers are going down in domestic violence and human trafficking,” she said.

Tickets for the event are still available by contacting Kaye at (559) 630-0009 or at st.francishomelessproject@gmail.com.