Dear Friend,
2020 has been a dark year for so many in our community. While the clouds rolled in, our therapy dogs and youth-canine programs shone bright rays of hope and comfort onto people experiencing their darkest moments.
When the pandemic began, we knew our services would be needed now more than ever before. Our volunteers, staff, and Board of Directors were up to the challenge of figuring out how to change our programming in order to continue shining our light while ensuring everyone’s safety.
With this came many new program plans. Some of these include holding virtual visits, providing outside parades, doing window visits, creating training videos, sending cards, making dog cutout images, creating uplifting videos, developing activity books, sharing story times, and much more.
What we learned is that this new programming takes more hours and resources to oversee, but the cost is worth it. It’s worth it because we have seen families break down and cry during distance visits after losing family members to Covid-19 and finding comfort in our furry therapists. We’ve seen our program partners cheer when they received one of our dog cutouts. We’ve heard sick, hospitalized children laugh for the first time in days while our therapy dogs showed off their skills during a virtual visit.
All of this matters.
Your support matters because it means we can keep doing this work while adjusting and overcoming obstacles in 2021. With your gift, you are ensuring that our programming won’t end. You’re ensuring that the comfort, hope, and light won’t stop. You’re making sure everyone who needs it will still get to benefit from the scientifically proven methods of Animal-Assisted Interventions.
We are hopeful for a brighter 2021. Until then, we will continue to bring the light to so many in our community who desperately need it.
Would you consider making a year-end donation to help us bring much needed light during this dark time? You can donate at pawsandthink.org/donate.
With light and hope,
Kelsey Burton
Executive Director, Paws and Think, Inc.
P.S. As part of the CARES Act, the IRS has made a special provision that allows people to easily deduct up to $300 in donations to charities like Paws and Think, Inc.
