paws4people_TM

The Genesis

The paws4people_TM concept was initially conceived by our then 12 year-old daughter, Kyria, who insisted that we use our Golden Retriever, Riley, to help other people “who don’t have a dog.” The concept was further refined and formulated based on having observed the effects two different canine “pets” had on their respective human owners. In both cases, two elderly family members obtained dogs shortly after the death of their husbands. The positive effects that these dogs had on the lives of their owners were remarkable and profound. Both had a renewed sense of happiness, a zest for living, a focus for affection, a purpose for being; all of these traits seemed to emanate from these individuals within a short period of time after obtaining their dogs. Both family members seemed to begin their “recovery” from the grief process much faster than others in similar circumstances. In 1999, Kyria began using Riley to visit local nursing homes. In the spring of 2002, I resigned from my job as the Director of Logistics for an international telecommunications company, taking a part-time trucking job (to put food on the table) providing the time to develop and implement paws4people_TM to which my wife Debbie, daughter Kyria, and I, have dedicated our hearts, our souls, and our lives.

Terry L. Henry

Chairman and Executive Director

paws4people_TM, Inc. was incorporated in July, 1999. It received its 501(c)(3) charitable foundation status from the IRS on March 2, 2000. On August 9, 2006, it was re-classified by the IRS as a public charity with (501)(c)(3) tax exempt status under Code section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi). The organization’s EIN is: 54-1948479; its most current IRS DLN is: 17053274781095.

paws4people_TM

Mission Statement

The Mission of paws4people_TM foundation is to enhance the lives of special and regular education students, seniors, and the seriously ill or disabled, by utilizing the “Special Powers” of canine companionship displayed by highly trained Assistance Dogs; including Service, Educational Assistance K-9s, Rehabilitative Assistance Dogs and Social Therapy dogs in specialized educational, private placements and therapeutic visitation programs.

While there are many organizations that share our goal to enhance human lives with canine love, we have found that no other training program matches the selectiveness, variety and qualifications of the paws4people_TM programs. Most organizations focus on either hospitals, nursing homes, private placements or schools. Our mission’s multiple aspects are unique in providing diverse groups of citizens with a menu of programs from
which they can select the one that best meets their needs.

The paws4people_TM Educational Assistance K-9 [pEAK_TM] Program:

Our “I Care Dog_TM” program is designed specifically for children with physical, mental or behavioral disabilities in special education classrooms. The motivational capabilities of the dogs are coupled with the students’ Individual Education Plan (IEP). Each student’s IEP is developed by the student’s case manager, in concert with numerous other educational specialists, as a plan for the student’s educational goals and objectives. The inclusion of the dogs has aided many students to accomplish or surpass specific IEP goals and objectives while providing a unique, stimulating and rewarding learning experience.

Our “Students Achieving Success in Education” (SASe_TM) educational enrichment program is designed specifically for 2nd – 4th grade students in regular education classrooms. The program teaches these students how to care for and handle therapy dogs; incorporates the motivational capabilities of the dogs to Standards of Learning (SOL) goals and objectives and advanced (by grade level) math curriculum; teaches the responsibility of saving the SASe_TMBucks (play money) they have been awarded for completing projects with which, at the end of the school year, they can purchase educational materials; and how to learn from and interact with seniors when taking the dogs on visits to nursing homes, using the dogs as a “bridge” between the generations.

Our “Private Placement” Program provides Assistance Dogs to physically or mentally challenged adolescents, spouseless seniors and disabled veterans. These dogs, trained specifically for their new owners, may be simply companions, or service dogs, that can turn on lights and perform other specialized tasks to enhance and ease the lives of their owners. The demand for these dogs is very high and there can never be enough such dogs to meet their need in society.

Our “General Visitation” Program provides therapy dog visits to the seriously or terminally ill, the physically or mentally challenged, seniors in nursing/assisted living homes, pediatric and geriatric hospitals, Hospice facilities, as well as animalassisted private therapy sessions in the privacy of the patient’s own home. Often the lives of these special citizens are painful, bleak and routine. The simple presence of the dogs brings them smiles and hope that improve their lives in ways
we may never totally understand.