• Paying Rent

• Graduate Richard Holloway Gives Back

• Published in: Update - Issue 2 - 2010
• Listen to Article

Richard Holloway is fond of saying that giving back and volunteering “is the rent we pay to live here.” If that’s true, than Richard’s rent should be stamped “paid in full.”

A people person at heart, the Leader Dog graduate has raised more than $300,000 dollars over the years for various organizations whose work touched him. “My goal is to help people,” he said. “If you help people it comes back to you tenfold.”

A Lions Club member for more than 30 years, he has also teamed up with the Special Olympics, Children’s Aid and the Rotary Club, among others, to raise money. In recognition of his volunteerism, Richard was asked to be a torchbearer and take part in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, an event he calls one of his “proudest moments.”

Not one to turn away from a physical challenge, Richard partnered with sighted runners to train for and run the New York City marathon for charity. He went on to run seventeen marathons in all. He credits his mother for inspiring him to run. “She always said if you believe, you achieve. If you achieve, you succeed,” he said. “I ran with her in my heart and soul.” Richard later donated more than $20,000 dollars to have a room named in his mother’s honor at the Polk Residence and Training Center on the Leader Dog campus. He raised the funds by running a marathon and selling stuffed toy puppies.

Last summer, Richard added something new to his fundraising efforts: tandem recumbent biking. He teamed up with a sighted bicyclist and spent 3 months biking across Canada. As a Canadian it was especially meaningful to him. “My dream was to see the country while I still had at least some sight left,” he said.

By working closely with his biking and running partners, Richard learned a lot about what it takes to form a successful partnership. The most important thing “is to be honest and have the same common goal,” he said.

Richard was recently paired with a new partner of the four-legged variety when he received his third Leader Dog Gwynn, a yellow lab. He affectionately refers to Gwynn, an especially long dog, as his “labragator.” “Leader Dogs to me are like people in dog suits,” he said. “They give you independence and confidence. Gwynn and I are building a great relationship.”

When he’s not busy with his fundraising activities, Richard enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking, photography, working out and, of course, hockey, the national sport of Canada.

Although he learned to skate just 2 years ago, it had been his life-long dream to play hockey and score a goal. As a member of the Toronto Ice Owls hockey team, he was finally given a chance to make his dream come true when he was put in as forward. His first shot went wide. His second shot hit the goalie square in the face. But when he scored on his third attempt he was finally able to do the happy dance he had been practicing for 40 years, complete with the fist pump in the air. “You would have thought I had just won the Stanley Cup,” he laughed.

Looking ahead, Richard has set several goals for himself. He would like to try stand-up comedy. Write a book. Continue his motivational speaking. Raise money for Leader Dog by running the Chicago marathon with some of the Leader Dog trainers. Sell some of his photographs. And of course, continue to pay his “rent” by volunteering and giving back.

More articles from this issue of Update »