Hundreds of runners and walkers are expected to meet at Lake Waramaug this Sunday for the annual Polar Bear Run. The 7.8 mile run will start at 11 a.m.

All of the proceeds from the Lake Waramaug Polar Bear Run will benefit Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a nonprofit organization that trains guide dogs to partner with blind or visually impaired people.

The nonprofit provides guide dogs to people with vision loss at no cost to the recipient.

"The importance of what we do here is providing a loving companion that's trying to keep them safe and enhancing their freedom, their independence, their confidence in navigating a world where they can't see what's going on," said Jolene Hollister, manager of running guides at Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

This year, for the first time ever, the race will feature a Canine Ambassador named Polar, a 5-month-old Labrador Retriever puppy. Polar will thank volunteers and participants at the run. He will also undergo formal training with the goal of becoming a guide dog.

Rebekah Cross is the director of donor relations at Guiding Eyes and also has a guide dog.

"Working at Guiding Eyes as a person with a guide dog is really kind of a dream come true. It's so much more than a job. It's really like a calling," Cross said.

Since 2018, TrailHeads has raised $45,089 for Guiding Eyes. The goal is to keep going until it reaches $100,000.

To register for the Polar Bear Run, click here.