It’s not every day you see dogs in the San Mateo County Superior Court, that is, until recently. They’re part of Warrior Canine Connection’s service dog training program — one of several community service options available to those involved in the Veterans Treatment Court.
This month, five Veterans who have worked with WCC’s service dogs in training graduated after completing an eight-week course.
“I like to say I’m volunteering but what I don’t tell people is that the dogs are really helping me, said Anzac Houchen, Army Veteran and VTC Program participant. “The benefits of working with the dogs has 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.”
For Veterans like Houchen, the program helps to teach them how to work with service dogs in training, which helps not only to meet their legal community service obligations but also fulfills a time-honored military tradition of Warriors helping Warriors. In doing so, the Veteran can also benefit from skills development in communication, confidence building, accountability, emotional regulation and socialization.
In 2008, states and counties in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs created a system of Veterans Treatment Courts throughout the nation. To date, these VTCs have used treatment to help rehabilitate more than 10,000 Veterans with mental health and/or substance dependence and legal issues.
Judge Jack Grandsaert, who helped start the VTC program in San Mateo County Superior Court in 2012, says the service dog training program has been a great addition to its program.
“The Warrior Canine Connection Program has been an invaluable partner for our VTC,” said Judge Jack Grandsaert, San Mateo County Superior Court. “The beneficial effects that this program has had on our Veterans has been nothing less than spectacular. I cannot imagine a better way for our Veterans to give back to their community than in training these wonderful dogs to serve their disabled brothers and sisters in arms. The time that our Veterans spend with the dogs has been so therapeutic for the Veterans, and so valuable for the disabled Veterans that the dogs will ultimately serve.”
Marine Corps Veteran Kenneth Combs says he enjoyed his experience working with the dogs and learned a lot about himself at the same time.
“The Warrior Canine Connection program is an invaluable program that not only helps the final veterans that receive the animals but everyone who is involved,” said Combs, VTC Program Participant. “I just want to say that this was a life-changing experience for me and it was one of the best things that has also helped turn my life into a happier one. I would wholeheartedly recommend this program to anyone. Especially if you want to learn more about yourself as it will help you understand yourself better as well as others. Overall, I believe this program is amazing and will change the life of any person involved for the better.”
San Mateo County Superior Court is the fourth county in California (in addition to Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Francisco) to offer WCC’s service dog training program as part of its VTC.
Program Manager Jessica Podkulski, WCC, says the program is a real win-win — the Veterans benefit from the training, as do the dogs — who will ultimately go on to assist other Warriors.
“WCC is both proud and thankful for all of the contributions these Veterans have made to training future service dogs for their fellow Veterans,” said Podkulski. “These Veterans have been contributing essential service dog training while also navigating the criminal justice system and shown to be an asset within their communities. This past year, Veterans in this Court have trained the dogs to navigate movie theaters, cafes, large events, court hearings, community centers, and even participated in speaking engagements to help educate community members. Being able to provide a therapeutic community service option for the Veterans in this Court has been a wonderful experience for WCC staff and our service dogs in training. We look forward to continuing our involvement with the San Mateo County VTC.”
In addition to California, Warrior Canine Connection offers service dog training in the Baltimore, Maryland VTC and through partner program, Assistance Dogs of the West, which is based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The WCC VTC Program was developed and implemented thanks in part to a 2017 grant provided by the Bob Woodruff Foundation. The Foundation had provided a previous 2016 grant to WCC to oversee a feasibility plan to use service dogs as a community service option.
Warrior Canine Connection Receives Grant from SAGA Foundation for Menlo Park Program
BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection is pleased to announce it has received a $25,000 grant from SAGA Foundation to support its service dog training program at the Menlo Park VA.
This year marked six years that WCC has been providing its Mission Based Trauma Recovery program for Veterans at the Menlo Park Campus of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Through the program, Warriors recovering from the stress of combat are enlisted to help train service dogs for their fellow Veterans. In doing so, not only does the result produce highly trained service dogs, but Veterans can also benefit from skills development in communication, confidence building, accountability, emotional regulation and patience to promote an act of service in the process.
“This tremendous support from SAGA Foundation will help us maintain the great momentum we have established in Menlo Park over the past six years,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “We have been privileged to serve hundreds of Veterans in California over the last half-dozen years, and we are dedicated to helping our Warriors experience the benefits of working with service dogs in training for many years to come.”
WCC began offering its service dog training therapy program at the Welcome Center, a new interdisciplinary facility on the Menlo Park Campus of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in April 2013. The 10,000 square foot state-of-the-art Center provides alternative and complementary therapies to meet the diverse and complex needs of our Veterans.
In addition to WCC’s program at the Menlo Park VA, WCC also provides programming in support of the Veterans Treatment Courts in California in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Since WCC began its work with justice-involved Veterans in 2016, more than 50 Veterans have participated in the Calif. VTC program. Collectively, those Veterans have provided more than 600 hours of training for WCC service dogs.
“The innovative approach that WCC uses in training service dogs is something that really sets the organization apart,” said David Bartoshuk, President of SAGA Foundation. “Even before placing a dog with its forever Veteran, that dog has already worked with, and participated in the recovery process, of numerous Veterans. We are proud to be associated with such a great cause.”
SAGA Foundation awards annual grants through a selective application and review process, placing priority on organizations that focus on leadership, underserved youth, safety & security and global peace.
For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org.
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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, and help in reintegrating back into their families and communities. For more information, visitwww.warriorcanineconnection.org.
About SAGA Foundation
SAGA Foundation is dedicated to assisting nonprofits to work smarter, reach further and have lasting impact.
Warrior Canine Connection Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator
BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability, transparency and to our nation’s Veterans have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the first time that Warrior Canine Connection has been eligible to receive this top distinction.
“Warrior Canine Connection’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds Warrior Canine Connection to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support Warrior Canine Connection.”
Since 2002, using objective analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These Accountability & Transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders. On June 1, 2016, we upgraded our methodology for rating each charity’s’ financial health with CN 2.1. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of our four star charities.
“It’s important our donors trust that we’re using their donations wisely to serve our nation’s Veterans through our training programs and by providing them with highly trained service dogs,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters that we take being good stewards of funding very seriously.”
Warrior Canine Connection’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org. More-detailed information about Warrior Canine Connection’s rating is available to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users, another free service.
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About Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501 (c) (3) public charity itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America’s charitable givers. Charity Navigator, can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 101, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.
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, and help in reintegrating back into their families and communities. For more information, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.
Media Contact:
Beth Bourgeois
Warrior Canine Connection
beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org
719-216-3206
Warrior Canine Connection Founder and Executive Director Rick Yount Elected to Board of Directors for Assistance Dogs International North America
BOYDS, Maryland – Warrior Canine Connection is pleased to announce that its Founder and Executive Director Rick Yount has been elected to the Board of Directors for Assistance Dogs International North America (ADINA), effective immediately. Yount, along with three additional newly elected board members, will work together to represent ADINA’s mission and vision within North America.
“I have always admired Assistance Dogs International for being a leader in the service dog field, and I’m honored to be joining its board,” said Yount. “Since WCC became an accredited member of ADI in 2015, I’ve been fortunate to see how ADI’s commitment to supporting advocacy, training and addressing access issues has positively impacted service dog organizations. Together, with the rest of the ADI board, I look forward to contributing to its tradition of excellence, as well as expanding into new areas of training and education to continue the growth and support for service dogs across the country.”
Yount founded nonprofit Warrior Canine Connection in 2011 after pioneering the first service dog training program at the California Veterans Hospital in Palo Alto in 2008. He also devised WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery training model, whereby Warriors in recovery are enlisted to train service dogs for their fellow Veterans.
“Rick is a leader in the service dog industry and we are excited to welcome him to ADINA’s board of directors,” said Sheila O’Brien, president, ADINA. “We believe his strong experience, background and insight on breeding, training and pairing highly trained service dogs with Veterans will be especially helpful to ADINA as the organization continues to grow, shape access policies and advocate for those who rely on service dogs.”
Rick graduated with a B.A. from West Virginia University and also earned a Master’s in Assistance Dog Education. He combined his social work knowledge and experience along with his service dog training background to develop WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery training model, which serves as an intervention to help Service Members and Veterans with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. He will serve a four-year term on the ADINA Board of Directors.
The slate of 2018 ADINA Board members is listed below:
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, and help in reintegrating back into their families and communities. For more information, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.
About Assistance Dogs International North America
Assistance Dogs International (ADI) is a worldwide coalition of non-profit organizations that raise, train and place assistance dogs. ADI is the leading authority in the Assistance Dogs industry establishing and promoting standards of excellence in all areas of assistance dog acquisition, training and partnership. Assistance dog organizations that pass our accreditation process become ADI Accredited members and are regularly assessed to ensure they meet the high standards in the industry. For more information, visit www.assistancedogsinternational.org.
ADI North America (ADINA) is a Regional Chapter of Assistance Dogs International. ADINA Board of Directors are focused on regional issues and objectives that affect our member organizations in North America that includes support of new members, the opportunity to network and provide education for our membership and involvement in advocacy issues that affect our graduate teams.
WCC Receives $50,000 Grant from William H. Donner Foundation, Inc.
BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) is pleased to announce that it has received a $50,000 grant from the William H. Donner Foundation in support of its mission to train and place service dogs for Veterans with visible and invisible wounds.
WCC uses a Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) therapy model designed as an intervention for combat Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. The MBTR model provides Veterans with a sense of purpose while they are receiving treatment at VA, DoD and community-based treatment centers. It is designed to remediate their symptoms of combat stress, such as isolation, emotional numbness and re-experiencing events from their combat days. MBTR also harnesses the healing power of the Warrior Ethos in which Warriors train service dogs for fellow Veterans; through the process, they learn to focus on the dogs and their mission to help another Veteran.
“Whether it’s birthing, caring for and socializing a new litter of puppies, holding training sessions or matching service dogs with Veterans, there’s no shortage of work or support needed to sustain our daily mission,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, WCC. “Everything we do is made possible by our loyal partners, including the William H. Donner Foundation, which supported WCC with grant funding in 2017 and again this year. Its generosity and support help provide highly trained service dogs for our Veterans and we are deeply grateful for their support.”
Training a service dog requires emotionally-based praise that challenges patterns of emotional numbing often associated with PTS. Learning to communicate assertively, practicing patience, and demonstrating empathy are skills that improve social and emotional competence—behaviors compromised by PTS and TBI.
To date, WCC has provided MBTR to more than 4,500 wounded Veterans from all branches of service, and placed 62 highly-trained assistance dogs at no cost to Veterans or their Military Families.
For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org or 719-216-3206.
More than a dozen service animals are paired with veterans for support
September 29, 2018 – Gaithersburg, Md – For the last two years, Laura Taylor and her family have taken in yellow Lab, Barb and trained her to, one day, become a service dog for a veteran.
“This was more than just a one-time care package. This was something that was going to change someone’s life forever,” explained puppy parent for Warrior Canine Connection, Laura Taylor. See complete LocalDVM.com story here.
Dynamic Duo: Wesley & Levi
Wesley, an Army Veteran, served four deployments between 2005-2012. It was on his fourth deployment in Afghanistan that Wesley sustained a traumatic brain injury that forced him to medically retire.
“I was never an animal person but, while at Fort Belvoir, I got involved in WCC’s service dog training program and Levi just grew on me,” said Wesley. “He ended up becoming my service dog because of the bond we built, and he’s my best friend — he makes me happy and makes me laugh. He distracts me when I’m down and helps to put me in a better mood.”
Leah, Wesley’s wife, says while Levi isn’t a “cure” for Wesley’s TBI, he is a welcome distraction, assistant, confidant, at-times comedian and consistent comfort in all of their lives.
Be sure to follow Wesley and Levi’s adventures on Facebook at @WCC’s Levi.
Veterans with Legal Issues in San Francisco Complete Service Dog Training with Warrior Canine Connection
SAN FRANCISCO – Veterans involved in legal issues in San Francisco Superior Court’s Veterans Justice Court are now learning to train service dogs for their fellow Veterans through a new program being offered by Warrior Canine Connection. Veterans participating in WCC’s service dog training program not only fulfill community service hours but they also learn about dog psychology and training and volunteer with a professional service dog training instructor while helping fellow Veterans at the same time.
Many Veterans receive valuable mental health benefits associated with the canine-focused community service program. The VTC program utilizes WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) model in which Veterans work to overcome the effects of combat stress. Veterans who experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury are at risk for problematic behaviors, such as increased risk-taking, self-medication, sleeplessness and other symptoms that can result in their subsequent, and sometimes repeated, involvement in the criminal justice system.
“This program is immensely valuable to Veterans wrestling with legal issues, often for many, those issues are due to combat-related injury and stress,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director of Warrior Canine Connection. “The San Francisco Superior Court’s Veterans Justice Court has been a tremendous partner in rolling out this program. We both want to see Veterans back on their feet and we hope to provide that value through this program now and well into the future.”
WCC’s service dog training program operates in participation with the San Francisco Superior Court’s Veterans Justice Court. The program runs for a total of eight weeks while Veterans learn to train service dogs. The program helps them meet their legal community service obligations and also fulfills a time-honored military tradition of Warriors helping Warriors. In doing so, the Veteran can build confidence and important skills in communication, accountability, emotional stability, patience and parenting.
One group participant said, “I really like this group and I feel like being around animals is good for my mental health. It’s like the dog helps us just as much as we help him.”
In addition to the San Francisco Superior Court, WCC also provides service dog training programs in conjunction with the Veterans Treatment Court programs in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties.
The WCC VTC Program was developed and implemented thanks in part to a 2017 grant provided by the Bob Woodruff Foundation. The Foundation had provided a previous 2016 grant to WCC to oversee a feasibility plan to use service dogs as a community service option.
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 Veterans Justice Court
San Francisco Superior Court Veterans Justice Court (VJC) addresses the specialized needs of veterans facing criminal charges by providing substance abuse and mental health treatment, rehabilitation, medical assistance, training necessary for employment or meaningful activity, and support with legal issues so that clients can lead productive and independent lives. The VJC adheres to the principles of San Francisco’s other collaborative court programs: a problem-solving focus, a team approach to decision-making, integration of social and treatment services, judicial supervision of the treatment process and community outreach. For more information, visit https://www.sfsuperiorcourt.org/divisions/collaborative/veterans-justice.
Veterans in San Mateo Graduate from Veterans Treatment Court Program
This month, five Veterans who have worked with WCC’s service dogs in training graduated after completing an eight-week course.
“I like to say I’m volunteering but what I don’t tell people is that the dogs are really helping me, said Anzac Houchen, Army Veteran and VTC Program participant. “The benefits of working with the dogs has 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.”
For Veterans like Houchen, the program helps to teach them how to work with service dogs in training, which helps not only to meet their legal community service obligations but also fulfills a time-honored military tradition of Warriors helping Warriors. In doing so, the Veteran can also benefit from skills development in communication, confidence building, accountability, emotional regulation and socialization.
In 2008, states and counties in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs created a system of Veterans Treatment Courts throughout the nation. To date, these VTCs have used treatment to help rehabilitate more than 10,000 Veterans with mental health and/or substance dependence and legal issues.
Judge Jack Grandsaert, who helped start the VTC program in San Mateo County Superior Court in 2012, says the service dog training program has been a great addition to its program.
“The Warrior Canine Connection Program has been an invaluable partner for our VTC,” said Judge Jack Grandsaert, San Mateo County Superior Court. “The beneficial effects that this program has had on our Veterans has been nothing less than spectacular. I cannot imagine a better way for our Veterans to give back to their community than in training these wonderful dogs to serve their disabled brothers and sisters in arms. The time that our Veterans spend with the dogs has been so therapeutic for the Veterans, and so valuable for the disabled Veterans that the dogs will ultimately serve.”
Marine Corps Veteran Kenneth Combs says he enjoyed his experience working with the dogs and learned a lot about himself at the same time.
“The Warrior Canine Connection program is an invaluable program that not only helps the final veterans that receive the animals but everyone who is involved,” said Combs, VTC Program Participant. “I just want to say that this was a life-changing experience for me and it was one of the best things that has also helped turn my life into a happier one. I would wholeheartedly recommend this program to anyone. Especially if you want to learn more about yourself as it will help you understand yourself better as well as others. Overall, I believe this program is amazing and will change the life of any person involved for the better.”
San Mateo County Superior Court is the fourth county in California (in addition to Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Francisco) to offer WCC’s service dog training program as part of its VTC.
Program Manager Jessica Podkulski, WCC, says the program is a real win-win — the Veterans benefit from the training, as do the dogs — who will ultimately go on to assist other Warriors.
“WCC is both proud and thankful for all of the contributions these Veterans have made to training future service dogs for their fellow Veterans,” said Podkulski. “These Veterans have been contributing essential service dog training while also navigating the criminal justice system and shown to be an asset within their communities. This past year, Veterans in this Court have trained the dogs to navigate movie theaters, cafes, large events, court hearings, community centers, and even participated in speaking engagements to help educate community members. Being able to provide a therapeutic community service option for the Veterans in this Court has been a wonderful experience for WCC staff and our service dogs in training. We look forward to continuing our involvement with the San Mateo County VTC.”
In addition to California, Warrior Canine Connection offers service dog training in the Baltimore, Maryland VTC and through partner program, Assistance Dogs of the West, which is based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The WCC VTC Program was developed and implemented thanks in part to a 2017 grant provided by the Bob Woodruff Foundation. The Foundation had provided a previous 2016 grant to WCC to oversee a feasibility plan to use service dogs as a community service option.
Warrior Canine Connection Awarded One of 19 FY18 Small Grants by the Healthcare Initiative Foundation
BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) is a recipient of one of 19 Healthcare Initiative Foundation (HIF) FY18 Small Grant Awards, which focus on supporting Montgomery County, Maryland-based organizations that provide high-quality, comprehensive and sustainable health and wellness services in the area. WWC received $5,000 in grant funding earmarked to support delivery of its Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) Program to Veterans in Montgomery County.
“We are so appreciative of HIF’s commitment to health and wellness initiatives for our local community right here in Montgomery County,” said Founder and Executive Director Rick Yount, Warrior Canine Connection. “HIF’s continued support and recent grant funding are clear indicators and acknowledgment of the positive and transformative impact service dogs can have on our Warriors wrestling with both visible and invisible wounds. HIF has been helping us achieve our No Fail Mission since 2015.”
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 another Veteran 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.
Crystal Townsend, President, Healthcare Initiative Foundation stated, “HIF is proud to once again invest in Warrior Canine Connection’s MBTR Program, as it supports one of our major priorities of providing comprehensive healthcare, which includes behavioral health and wellness. This innovative approach provides both treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, while simultaneously training service dogs to support additional veterans in need.”
The Healthcare Initiative Foundation awarded $74,000 in FY18 Small Grants to 19 organizations, which are projected to serve 69,580 individuals throughout Montgomery County. The grants support the following three main priorities:
For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org or 719-216-3206.
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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. Within our geographic and focus area, HIF considers efforts to improve the quality and delivery of healthcare, expand the availability of comprehensive healthcare, build appropriate capacity in the healthcare network, and grow the healthcare workforce. To learn more, please visit: http://www.hifmc.org and like HIF on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/hifmc.
Warrior Canine Connection Receives $100,000 Grant from DAV Charitable Service Trust
BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery program just received a most welcomed financial boost; DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust has provided the nonprofit with a $100,000 grant to help support the organization’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) program, whereby Warriors are enlisted in a therapeutic mission of learning to train service dogs for their fellow Veterans.
“DAV Charitable Service Trust is doing amazing work day-in and day-out to help improve the lives of our Veterans,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “We are so appreciative of receiving this support from them, as it will make an immediate impact by helping to support training, education and awareness of our programs.”
Mission Based Trauma Recovery was designed primarily as an intervention for combat Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. 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 the dogs to assist another Veteran with invisible and/or physical wounds. The model provides recovering combat Veterans with a sense of purpose while they are in treatment and is designed to remediate their symptoms of combat stress, such as isolation, emotional numbness and re-experiencing.
“DAV has remained dedicated to fulfilling the needs of our nation’s veterans for nearly 100 years, and our Trust exists to assist other charitable organizations in their efforts to improve the lives of the men and women who served,” said Richard E. Marbes, President of DAV’s Charitable Service Trust. “It is our hope that through these funds, Warrior Canine Connection will accomplish that very goal.”
DAV Charitable Service Trust helps to fulfill a focused and noble purpose: empowering veterans to lead high quality lives with respect and dignity. Through an established, nationwide grant program, the Trust supports physical and psychological rehabilitation programs; enhances research and mobility for veterans with amputations and spinal cord injuries; benefits aging veterans; aids and shelters homeless veterans; and evaluates and addresses the needs of veterans in recent wars and conflicts.
To learn more about WCC or this grant, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org.