Grant Funding to Support WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery Program
BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) is a recipient of one of 34 Healthcare Initiative Foundation (HIF) FY22 Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants, which focus on supporting Montgomery County, Maryland-based organizations that provide high-quality, comprehensive, and sustainable health and wellness services in the area. This year’s grant marks the seventh year in a row that HIF has supported WCC’s programming with funding totaling $73,000 for its programs and services to support the health and wellness of Montgomery County’s most vulnerable Veterans.
“HIF is a recognized leader in Montgomery County that’s doing great things to help local nonprofits, Warrior Canine Connection included,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, WCC. “We are so privileged to have HIF’s continued support to help provide funding for Veterans who can benefit from our Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program.”
The MBTR model harnesses the healing power of the Warrior Ethos and the human-animal bond to reduce symptoms of combat trauma whereby patients with combat stress train dogs to assist other Veterans with invisible and/or physical wounds. The model provides recovering combat Veterans with a sense of purpose while they are recovering and is designed to remediate their symptoms of combat stress, such as isolation, emotional numbness, and re-experiencing.
“HIF is honored to continue its partnership with Warrior Canine Connection. To have a nationally recognized program located in Montgomery County that has developed and implemented cutting-edge trauma programming to serve our nation’s veterans and their families is humbling. WCC is a committed community partner, too. The Foundation is excited that WCC is continuing its partnership with the Cohen Veterans Clinic at EasterSeals to provide high-caliber recovery programming for veterans and their families. We look forward to all that we will accomplish together,” Crystal Townsend, president and CEO of Healthcare Initiative Foundation.
The Healthcare Initiative Foundation (HIF) invested a total of $1.02M to a total of 34 nonprofits serving Montgomery County, Maryland residents through its FY22 Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Cycle. This year’s recipients are projected to serve more than 121,800 Montgomery County residents through: Healthcare Access and Behavioral Health Services, Food Security and Hub Distribution Centers, Healthcare Workforce Education, and Nonprofit Capacity Building.
For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org or 719-216-3206.
# # #
About Warrior Canine Connection
Warrior Canine Connection is a pioneering organization that utilizes a Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to empower returning combat Veterans who have sustained physical and psychological wounds while in service to our country. Based on the concept of Warriors helping Warriors, WCC’s therapeutic service dog training program is designed to mitigate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other challenges, while giving injured combat Veterans a sense of purpose, help in reintegrating back into their families and communities, and a potential career path as a service dog trainer. For more information, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.
About the Healthcare Initiative Foundation
The Foundation’s mission is to support organizations that offer solutions to improve the quality and delivery of health and wellness services for residents of Montgomery County, Maryland. HIF envisions a Montgomery County where residents are served by an equitable, high quality, comprehensive, cost-effective, and sustainable healthcare system To learn more, please visit: http://www.hifmc.org and like HIF on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/hifmc.
Canine Connection
Training service dogs helps veterans heal
July 6, 2022 – Asheville can feel as if dogs have the run of the place. They are seemingly in every brewery and every restaurant and every trail. Nearly all of these animals are pets that might occasionally earn their keep by barking at a black bear in the trash or chasing a gopher from the tomato patch. Read the full story in Mountain Xpress here (story begins on page 20).
Recognizing National PTSD Awareness Day with Warrior Canine Connection
June 27, 2022 – Warrior Canine Connection Founder Rick Yount joins FOX 5 to share the importance of animal therapy when dealing with PTSD. Watch the news story here.
2022 WCC T-Shirt Artwork Design Contest
Be a part of Warrior Canine Connection’s graduation history by designing a limited edition t-shirt celebrating the Virtual Graduation Class of 2022! The contest is open to everyone of all ages and the winning designer will receive a FREE t-shirt featuring their artwork and bragging rights.
GUIDELINES
· Design should not exceed three ink colors
· Design for back of t-shirt only
· If submitting a hand drawing, please submit no larger than 8.5 x 11-inch size
· Multiple designs may be submitted
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JULY 15, 2022
Design submissions can be emailed as an attachment to info@warriorcanineconnection.org. Hand-drawn submissions are accepted and can be scanned in and submitted as an email attachment.
Acceptable submission formats include *.jpg, *.png, *.ai, *.eps. If designed in Illustrator, Photoshop, or other software, we will request original artwork file if selected.
Once the submission date has closed, WCC will select the winning design and announce it on our Facebook page. We also look forward to sharing a gallery of everyone’s submissions this summer.
FINE PRINT
By submitting a design, the designer consents that his/her design is their own original artwork and that he/she has all the necessary rights and permissions to use included elements. Please do not use elements or designs created by someone else. Images that are not submitted in vector format will need to be recreated. Warrior Canine Connection reserves the right to make adjustments and alterations to the winning entry to ensure that the reproduction of the image is the best quality. The winning designer releases all exclusive rights to the artwork to be used for Virtual Graduation 2022 material. The winner will be rewarded with a WCC graduation t-shirt featuring his/her design.
Dogs Who Serve
June 6, 2022 – Service dogs can help veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by providing calming support with everyday tasks. A law signed in August 2021 allowed the Department of Veteran Affairs to launch a new program in which veterans with PTSD help train service dogs for other veterans. We speak with Rick Yount, the Executive Director of Warrior Canine Connection, a nonprofit that teaches veterans how to train service dogs for other veterans, about how involving veterans in dog training can help them heal.
Listen to the “Dogs Who Serve” podcast on The Takeaway here.
WCC Report Card: Healthy Eyes & Hearts
Special thanks to ophthalmologist Dr. Nancy Bromberg, VCA Southpaws Veterinary Specialists, and cardiologist Dr. Neal Peckens, Chesapeake Veterinary Cardiology Associates (CVCA), who both lent their time and talents to ensure the health, livelihood, and longevity of these service dogs in training who will go on to help many Service Members and Veterans. Partner, Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD), also brought some of the dogs from its program to be screened.
“Our goal is to have dilated ophthalmologic exams done all dogs in training, breeding dogs and retired breeding dogs annually,” said Molly Morelli, director of Dog Programs, WCC. “Although we do genotype testing on all our breeding dogs, there are other eye issues that can show up at any time during a dog’s lifetime.”
The number of echocardiograms was much lower, as they are performed on only those dogs that are considered breeder potentials. A disease called Tricuspid Valve Dysplasia does not often cause a murmur, and the only way to screen for this is via an echo done by a board-certified cardiologist.
Offered twice a year, the next WCC Eye & Heart Day is scheduled for November 12.
June Marks Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month
This month and every month, WCC is committing to help fight the stigma around PTSD, providing support to and advocating for Service Members and Veterans who are battling PTSD. In fact, WCC is proud to have been chosen to staff two of the five sites for the Puppies Assisting Wounded Service Members and Veterans Therapy Act (PAWS Act) pilot program being provided under the auspices of the Department of Veterans Affairs. This program will provide canine training to eligible Veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD as a complementary and integrative health program.
One Veteran who participated in WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) program anonymously shared, “My mindset was pretty combative, and I brought the war home with me when I returned from my first and second deployment in 2010 and 2012. When I tried to get a job, go to college, I struggled. When I started with Warrior Canine Connection, I didn’t know how to pretend to be happy. No amount of social discomfort was going to stop me from learning how to up my pitch a little bit to help these dogs out because these really are amazing animals and anything I give in to helping them, I feel I get back tenfold. I like to say I’m volunteering but what I don’t tell people is that the dogs are really helping me. The benefits of working with the dogs have helped me feel that I’m becoming a functional member of our society and the satisfaction that I get from that is hard to quantify.”
It’s important to note that training service dogs or having one isn’t a magic pill to combat PTSD—it takes a lot of hard work, time, and commitment. And it’s one of many effective, integrative treatments endorsed by the medical community to support Veterans battling PTSD. The key is to know that help is available, find the options that work best for you, and know that you are not alone.
If you or someone you know need is interested in WCC’s MBTR training, you can learn more here. And if you’re unsure where to turn first, please know the Veterans Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255) is available 24/7.
The Paw-fect Summer Music Playlist
That’s right, the playlist below was created based on the songs you shared with us on our Facebook page—special thanks to everyone who participated! Check out the complete list below and give it a listen on Spotify.
Paula N.
“Me and you and a dog named Boo – by Lobo, Maggie’s Song by Chris Stapleton, and Ole Red by Blake Shelton.”
Taff Z.
“Jimmy Buffet – Somethin’ ‘Bout a Boat”
Alice B.
“Luke Bryan – Little Boys Grow Up and Dogs Get Old. ”
Leigh W.
“The Beatles fan in me says Martha My Dear.”
Sarah W.
“My robotic dog Poo-Chi liked Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks. He used to bark along to only this song.”
Joyce T.
“Joy to the World – Three Dog Night, Beautiful by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell Williams (clean version), and Old King by Neil Young.”
Suzi M.
“A Simple Song – by Chris Stapleton, “But I love my life man it’s something to see, it’s the kids and the dogs and you and me, it’s the way it’s alright when everything goes wrong. It’s the sound of a slow simple song.”
Sheila C.
“WCC Lucy likes Who Let the Dogs Out.”
Lynne H.
“Jingle Bells by the Singing Dogs! (Christmas in July?”)
Joy J.
“How Much is that Doggie in the Window by Pattie Paige.”
Robin M.
“Ol’Red by Blake Shelton.”
Kim R.
“Ahhh, Hound Dog by the King!!”
Carl-Lisa F.
“Cat Steven’s I Love My Dog.”
New Faces at WCC
Cathlene brings several years of service dog training experience with her; she worked at another nonprofit for five years before joining WCC, noting that she wanted to support Veterans and WCC’s No-Fail Mission.
Cathlene grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Georgia. She says she set out to be a veterinarian but changed her major to focus on animal-assisted therapy. However, during her studies, she concentrated her degree on canine-assisted therapy, focusing on canine cognition and assisting people with disabilities.
Military service runs in Cathlene’s family; both of her grandfathers served, one in the Army, the other in the Navy; her brother is a Navy Chief, and her brother-in-law is in the Marine Corps.
In fact, it was while Cathlene was in high school that her brother, Michael, deployed to Afghanistan, that she says she fully understood the sacrifices and service our members of the military make. As a result, she became very passionate about finding ways to support our Veterans and their care and is thrilled to have joined the WCC team in May.
“It’s been a lot to take in, but I already love all the dogs, they’re incredibly well-bred, and I love the dedication all the Puppy Parents have — it’s really nice to see that,” said Cathlene. “Even though we’re ultimately training the dogs to serve a Veteran, they’re already having an impact through MBTR during the process. That’s very much what drew me in.”
Besides being new to WCC and the state of Maryland, Cathlene was also recently married (March) to her husband, Kevin. So Cathlene will be “Cathlene Holloran” in a couple of months after all the paperwork is finalized. They’re both dog lovers and have a Lab-Golden cross named Pax, 6.
When not working, Cathlene enjoys cooking (Italian is her favorite), gardening, and photography (especially taking photos of dogs).
Welcome, Cathlene!
Warrior Canine Connection Awarded 2022 Grant by the Healthcare Initiative Foundation
Grant Funding to Support WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery Program
BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) is a recipient of one of 34 Healthcare Initiative Foundation (HIF) FY22 Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants, which focus on supporting Montgomery County, Maryland-based organizations that provide high-quality, comprehensive, and sustainable health and wellness services in the area. This year’s grant marks the seventh year in a row that HIF has supported WCC’s programming with funding totaling $73,000 for its programs and services to support the health and wellness of Montgomery County’s most vulnerable Veterans.
“HIF is a recognized leader in Montgomery County that’s doing great things to help local nonprofits, Warrior Canine Connection included,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, WCC. “We are so privileged to have HIF’s continued support to help provide funding for Veterans who can benefit from our Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program.”
The MBTR model harnesses the healing power of the Warrior Ethos and the human-animal bond to reduce symptoms of combat trauma whereby patients with combat stress train dogs to assist other Veterans with invisible and/or physical wounds. The model provides recovering combat Veterans with a sense of purpose while they are recovering and is designed to remediate their symptoms of combat stress, such as isolation, emotional numbness, and re-experiencing.
“HIF is honored to continue its partnership with Warrior Canine Connection. To have a nationally recognized program located in Montgomery County that has developed and implemented cutting-edge trauma programming to serve our nation’s veterans and their families is humbling. WCC is a committed community partner, too. The Foundation is excited that WCC is continuing its partnership with the Cohen Veterans Clinic at EasterSeals to provide high-caliber recovery programming for veterans and their families. We look forward to all that we will accomplish together,” Crystal Townsend, president and CEO of Healthcare Initiative Foundation.
The Healthcare Initiative Foundation (HIF) invested a total of $1.02M to a total of 34 nonprofits serving Montgomery County, Maryland residents through its FY22 Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Cycle. This year’s recipients are projected to serve more than 121,800 Montgomery County residents through: Healthcare Access and Behavioral Health Services, Food Security and Hub Distribution Centers, Healthcare Workforce Education, and Nonprofit Capacity Building.
For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org or 719-216-3206.
# # #
About Warrior Canine Connection
Warrior Canine Connection is a pioneering organization that utilizes a Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to empower returning combat Veterans who have sustained physical and psychological wounds while in service to our country. Based on the concept of Warriors helping Warriors, WCC’s therapeutic service dog training program is designed to mitigate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other challenges, while giving injured combat Veterans a sense of purpose, help in reintegrating back into their families and communities, and a potential career path as a service dog trainer. For more information, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.
About the Healthcare Initiative Foundation
The Foundation’s mission is to support organizations that offer solutions to improve the quality and delivery of health and wellness services for residents of Montgomery County, Maryland. HIF envisions a Montgomery County where residents are served by an equitable, high quality, comprehensive, cost-effective, and sustainable healthcare system To learn more, please visit: http://www.hifmc.org and like HIF on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/hifmc.
Veterans train service dogs as therapy in Hendersonville
April 19, 2022
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (FOX Carolina) – In Western North Carolina, dogs will be ready to serve someone in need, all thanks to a few men and women who have served.
Military veterans train the dogs. And during the process, they learn coping mechanisms too.
Nicholas Baird is a Marine Veteran.
“It started out as a volunteer opportunity, but it quickly turned into more; especially when I met Danny,” Baird said.
Watch the full story on Fox Carolina here.