Warrior Canine Connection Awarded $35,000 Grant from SAGA Foundation for Menlo Park Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2020
BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) has received a $35,000 grant from SAGA Foundation to support its therapeutic service dog training program at its Menlo Park Campus of the VA Palo Alto Care System. This marks the third grant to WCC from SAGA, bringing the organization’s contribution to WCC to nearly $100,000.
WCC’s program is unique from other service dog organizations in that it enlists Service Members and Veterans who are in recovery to help train the dogs for their fellow Warriors. Anchored in performing a military support mission, the participants in WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) program concurrently benefit from the program while serving others. Program participants receive therapeutic benefits from skills development in communication, confidence building, accountability, emotional regulation and patience to promote an act of service.
“We appreciate SAGA Foundation’s continued support and sustained commitment to helping Veterans in need,” said Rick Yount, executive director and founder, Warrior Canine Connection. “This grant funding is crucial in helping us to continue providing Veterans in California with the healing benefits that come from the human-animal bond.”
Due to support provided by SAGA Foundation, in 2019, WCC’s was able to achieve the following impact in California:
- Engaged 56 new California Veterans and military family members in programming, 79% of whom reported an overall elevation in their mood and reduction in their stress level following participation in WCC’s MBTR program
- Provided 797 hours of Mission Based Trauma Recovery training at no-cost to Veterans, with 98% reporting high levels of satisfaction with their progress in the program
- Trained seven service dogs with the assistance of wounded Veterans
- Placed two service dogs with California-based disabled Veterans
- Supported a long-term WCC facility dog who proudly serves at the VA in Menlo Park.
“SAGA Foundation recognizes those who have sacrificed so that we can live in a free country,” said David Bartoshuk, president of SAGA Foundation. “We are grateful to be able to help our veterans by way of this amazing, impactful program.”
WCC has been providing its Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program for Veterans at the Menlo Park Campus of the Palo Alto Health Care System since 2012.
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, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.
About SAGA Foundation
SAGA Foundation assists nonprofit organizations focusing on the issues of leadership, underserved youth, safety and security, and global peace. We collaborate with nonpartisan, nondenominational, entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations to help them work smarter, reach further, and have lasting impact. Visit https://sagafoundation.org/ to learn more.