In four years, 38 fences have been built. They’re a minimum size of 30 feet square, made of welded wire and put together by the hands of volunteers who give up a Saturday morning to help out. Each fence has a single purpose: to free a dog from life on a chain.

That there’s no cost to the recipient of a fence is the work of Freedom for Friends, a local non-profit started by Beaufort County Community College IT coordinator Brenda Rogers. However, with supplies running at $500 per fence, Freedom for Friends fans are getting creative with their fundraising. On Aug. 8, they’re taking over Festival Park with a cornhole tournament to help pay for the next few fences.

Steady, long-time volunteer Sheri Dean wanted to organize a fundraiser; Rogers wanted to do something fun. They decided on a cornhole tournament because it’s a popular game and, it turns out, there are quite a few semi-professional cornhole players in the area.

“It’s kind of amazing — I didn’t even know they existed but they do. I didn’t know that there’re (cornhole) tournaments; I didn’t know that people travel for them. There’re state championships and world championships. … I’m used to playing it with a beer in my hand,” Rogers laughed.

Official cornhole tournaments come with a set of rules and regulations, as well as prize money. At the Freedom for Friends tournament, the grand prize is $250, while the cost to enter the event is $25 per two-person team.

Rogers said she hopes the organization raises money, but she’s also using the event to get the word out about Freedom for Friends.

“It’s mostly for exposure. A lot of people have not heard of us or know what we do,” Rogers said.

What they do is simple: set posts in concrete, come back a few days later and build a fence for dogs who’ve likely spent most of their lives on a chain in the yard. In the early days, Rogers would hear about a chained dog and make a personal visit to the property to explain what the organization does. These days, she has 16 dogs on a waiting list, as well as a long list of much-needed supplies.

While the only requirement is that the dog owners must consent to having their dogs to spayed or neutered, that procedure comes at no cost to the owner as well.

“That’s the only thing that the owner has to let us do, is spay or neuter it because, one, it keeps them in the fences, and two, it keeps other dogs away from trying to get to them,” Rogers said.

Doing so cuts down on the stray population and the number of dogs and puppies that land in the Betsy Bailey Nelson Animal Control Facility in Washington. But there’s also another reason that brings Rogers and her core group of volunteers out to build fences on their days off: the moment that animal is let off its chain.

“Oh, it makes it worthwhile for everybody who comes and gives their two hours,” Rogers said. “There’s hardly ever a dry eye — to see that dog run around and play for the first time. … It really is fun to watch them go from having that big, heavy chain to not having it anymore.”

For more information about Freedom for Friends, visit their Facebook page. To sign up for the Freedom for Friends cornhole tournament, registration forms can be found at Chocowinity Veterinary Hospital, Chocowinity Pet Resort, Pamlico Animal Hospital, Grub Brothers Eatery, Century 21 The Realty Group, ShipOnSite Washington and via email to sdean9860@gmail.com.

The tournament begins at 10 a.m.; registration starts at 9 a.m.