This week, our Chattanooga campus welcomed therapy dogs from Love on A Leash, a national volunteer organization that provides pet therapy in their local communities. Once again, we’re proud to join forces with hundreds of volunteers from numerous local companies to support community partners for the United Way of Southern Maine's annual Day of Action. Our newest Professional Development Program team (PDPs) packed 150 bags with nutritious items to supplement kids' meals for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. Absence Operations leaders packed 175 STEAM kits and prepped materials for the Battle of the Arts summer camp for Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer in Chattanooga. Our teammates from the finance department volunteered at the Chambliss Center for Children helping with indoor and outdoor upkeep needs. Our Platform Partnerships team in Columbia packed supplies for Transitions Homeless Center and Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands
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Bilingual Prevention Specialist | Providing Substance Use Disorder Prevention Education | Building Impactful Partnerships | Advocating for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Trauma-Informed Care.
Here's something to chew on: Chewy's community engagement. 🐾 Chances are you have encountered one of the many heartwarming Chewy customer service stories. Whether it is stories of the flowers they send to families who have lost their pets or helping elderly/sick pets enjoy their last Christmas, Chewy knows how to show appreciation for their community. My personal favorite so far has been their Chewy Claus campaign. Essentially, pet owners were encouraged to fill out a letter to Chewy Claus. Was your pet naughty or nice? With every letter "sent," Chewy donated a pound of food on your behalf. The letter also asked the pets to make a wish and choose if they would like to receive food or toys. You could also opt to have more fun donated instead. If you were lucky, your wish was fulfilled, or you received a gift. Chewy announced that their 2023 Chewy Claus donated 300,000 pounds of food and supplies to pets in need. That's a lot of letters, AKA engagement. Here are a few reasons why I enjoyed this campaign: -It is shareable and interactive. Pet owners received a copy of their pet's letter in their email. The letter was endearing and a keepsake. I shared mine on Instagram. -It used the power of community to make a difference. At our core, we thrive when we help others. -It used our love for our furry friends against us in the best way. -It was relevant to the holiday season but stood out amongst the usual influx of 30% of campaigns. -It is cute and fun. Check out the article to see what they achieved: https://lnkd.in/e9exh9MU.
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I'm offering free consultations to any museum, science center, zoo, etc. that exhibits live rabbits. Please spread the word. Some of you may already know that I'm a devoted bunny owner and a volunteer at House Rabbit Society. Bunnies are in crisis and need your help. Shelters nationwide are being forced to euthanize due to overcrowding. Many well-meaning pet owners do more harm than good because they don't understand their bunny's needs. It's heartbreaking to see so much suffering that could be prevented with the smallest amount of education. I can advise on things like: * Ways to improve your rabbit's housing situation, diet, and enrichment at low cost (some of the suggestions would probably even lower your spending) * Interpretation and labeling for public education * Partnering with shelters in your area -- For individuals who want to help, please consider opening your home to a foster bunny. Shelters rely on fosters to save the bunnies they don't have space for. All you need is a 4'x4' space in your home where you can setup a puppy playpen. Many shelters will even loan you the supplies you need.
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Each day is a fresh start, and every moment offers the chance to improve a child’s future. At Black Foster Carers Alliance, we believe in the power of community and the incredible difference one person can make. This week, we encourage you to reflect on how you can contribute to the lives of children who need safety, support, and love. Whether it’s through becoming a foster parent, volunteering your time, or simply raising awareness about the need for foster care, your actions can have a profound effect on a child’s life. Every small step you take helps create a brighter future for children waiting for a loving home. Fostering isn’t just about providing shelter—it’s about giving a child hope, stability, and the chance to thrive. As we move into this new week, we’re reminded that every child deserves the chance to feel valued and cared for. Together, we can create more opportunities for children to grow in supportive, nurturing environments. How Can You Help This Week? Become a Foster Parent: Open your heart and home to a child in need of care. Support with Donations: Every contribution helps provide essential resources for foster families and children. Volunteer Your Time: Your time and talents can help enrich the lives of children and families in our community. Spread the Word: Raise awareness about the importance of foster care by sharing our mission with your friends, family, and community. At Black Foster Carers Alliance, we’re committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to experience the love and stability they deserve. This week, let’s work together to create more chances for these children to feel safe, secure, and supported. Join Us in Making a Difference. Visit Our Website: https://lnkd.in/e2JC_gec or contact us at. Together, we can build a brighter future, one child at a time. #FosterCare #MakeADifference #NewWeekNewOpportunities #SupportFosterChildren #FosterHope #ChangeALife #EveryChildMatters #FosteringLove #BrighterFutures #CommunityCares #OpenYourHeart #FosterFamily #SupportFosterCare #TogetherWeThrive #ChildAdvocacy
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PhD | research scientist in the field of shelter dogs and dog rehoming | founder and Executive Director of The Dog Rehoming Project
The complicated and often tricky issue of dogs and children is one that keeps bubbling up, both in my work as a research scientist and in my personal life. This isn't all that surprising because the issue affects families, dog owners, potential adopters, shelters/rescue orgs, people who work with or care for dogs in other capacities, etc. With that in mind, I'm soon giving a talk with The Dog Rehoming Project on this topic on Friday, March 29th at 7pm ET. I will be discussing the science around risk factors associated with dogs and children living together, how to mitigate these risks while helping children to build positive relationships with dogs, and the importance of ensuring adopters with children in the home are sufficiently educated and prepared to add a dog to the family. Finally, the webinar will highlight useful resources and tools to help with all of this. Click the link below for tickets (which are by donation). The webinar will be recorded if you are interested but are unable to attend the live talk. In case this isn't abundantly evident by now, this is a very important topic for dog welfare, so please share!!!
The topic of our next Come.Sit.Stay.Learn. webinar is very relevant to many families and shelter/rescue organizations! Do you have kids in your household and are considering adding a dog to your family? Or do you work/volunteer with an organization that has concerns about adopting dogs to families with children, or are wondering best to prepare and support families who are adopting a dog? Join us via Zoom on Friday, March 29th at 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET with Dr. Karen Griffin, PhD, research scientist and founder of The Dog Rehoming Project, for her talk, "Dogs and Children: How to Promote Positive Relationships and Mitigate Risks". Many households have both children and dogs in them. However, this combination can cause challenges for two-legged and four-legged family members! In order ensure that everybody is as happy and safe as possible, it is imperative that adults and children are well informed of and are practicing appropriate child-dog interactions. It is also important that children learn how to build positive relationships with dogs that are beneficial to both, while also mitigating risks that are associated with dogs and children in the home. This webinar will be packed with useful information (based on science, of course!) for families, shelter/rescue organizations, and anybody who works with or cares for dogs in any capacity! Topics that will be covered in this webinar include: 🐾 How shelters/rescue organizations can educate and prepare families with children prior to adopting their dog, in order to increase the likelihood of a successful adoption 🐾 How shelters/rescue organizations can support families with children after they take their dog home 🐾 How adults in the family can teach children to interact appropriately with dogs 🐾 Quick tips to remember for safe and positive child-dog interactions 🐾 Tools and resources to use throughout this process for both organizations and families RSVP by using the link below to reserve your tickets today! Our Come.Sit.Stay.Learn. series is a fundraiser for The Dog Rehoming Project. Tickets are by donation and all proceeds go toward achieving the organization's mission. Please share and we hope to see you there!
Dogs and Children: How to Promote Positive Relationships and Mitigate Risks
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PhD | research scientist in the field of shelter dogs and dog rehoming | founder and Executive Director of The Dog Rehoming Project
Attention all shelters/rescue orgs, dog owners, trainers, and anybody who works or interacts with dogs in any capacity! I'm giving a webinar this Friday, March 29th at 7pm ET on the science around risk factors associated with dogs and children living together, how to mitigate those risks while helping children to build positive relationships with dogs, and the importance of ensuring adopters with children in the home are sufficiently educated and prepared to add a dog to the family. The webinar will include loads of practical info, including resources and tools to help with all of this. Ensuring children have appropriate and safe relationships with dogs will improve their welfare, decrease injuries, and will increase the chances that dogs will stay in homes and not be relinquished. Click on the link below for tickets. If you are interested but are unable to attend the live talk, it will be recorded and will be sent to you if you reserve a ticket. This is topic is relevant to basically EVERYBODY, so please share widely! If you have any questions about this topic or what will be in the webinar, please feel free to ask in the comments here. Thank you!
The topic of our next Come.Sit.Stay.Learn. webinar is very relevant to many families and shelter/rescue organizations! Do you have kids in your household and are considering adding a dog to your family? Or do you work/volunteer with an organization that has concerns about adopting dogs to families with children, or are wondering best to prepare and support families who are adopting a dog? Join us via Zoom on Friday, March 29th at 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET with Dr. Karen Griffin, PhD, research scientist and founder of The Dog Rehoming Project, for her talk, "Dogs and Children: How to Promote Positive Relationships and Mitigate Risks". Many households have both children and dogs in them. However, this combination can cause challenges for two-legged and four-legged family members! In order ensure that everybody is as happy and safe as possible, it is imperative that adults and children are well informed of and are practicing appropriate child-dog interactions. It is also important that children learn how to build positive relationships with dogs that are beneficial to both, while also mitigating risks that are associated with dogs and children in the home. This webinar will be packed with useful information (based on science, of course!) for families, shelter/rescue organizations, and anybody who works with or cares for dogs in any capacity! Topics that will be covered in this webinar include: 🐾 How shelters/rescue organizations can educate and prepare families with children prior to adopting their dog, in order to increase the likelihood of a successful adoption 🐾 How shelters/rescue organizations can support families with children after they take their dog home 🐾 How adults in the family can teach children to interact appropriately with dogs 🐾 Quick tips to remember for safe and positive child-dog interactions 🐾 Tools and resources to use throughout this process for both organizations and families RSVP by using the link below to reserve your tickets today! Our Come.Sit.Stay.Learn. series is a fundraiser for The Dog Rehoming Project. Tickets are by donation and all proceeds go toward achieving the organization's mission. Please share and we hope to see you there!
Dogs and Children: How to Promote Positive Relationships and Mitigate Risks
eventbrite.com
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October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month! Did you know that 3.1 million+ dogs enter shelters every year in the U.S., with many waiting for weeks or even months to find their forever home? Sadly, only about 50% of these dogs are adopted, while the others remain in shelters or foster care, hoping for a loving family. At Pet Protect & Connect, we’re working to change that! Our app, launching in January 2025, will help streamline the adoption process by: Proactively matching adopters with available pets, ensuring a quicker, more accurate fit. -Prescreening applications so shelters can process more requests faster, giving dogs a better chance of finding a home sooner. -Keeping adopters updated, reducing the disappointment of missing out on a pet they’ve connected with. -By making the adoption journey smoother, we'll help more dogs find the loving homes they deserve. 🏡 Ready to make a difference? Adopt, foster, or support your local shelter this month — and let’s work together to help every dog find their forever family!
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What is Pennsylvania's state animal/reptile? Maybe it should be a turtle, because when it comes to advancing policies to better safeguard children, the Commonwealth moves at a slow pace. First, independent Office of Child Advocate bill introduced in 2001. 23 years later still trying to get to the finish line. PA kids have a true champion in Judy Schwank..... Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks): Every year I ask this question about the Office of Child Advocate something I strongly have advocated for myself over many years. Today, I want to talk about the independence of that office. I really believe an independent office would be more responsive, receptive to individuals in foster care or other residential treatment facilities or protective supervision services particularly for older youth, but certainly those who have less of a voice, younger children. I know you have been supportive of the office itself. Is there any possibility of moving toward a more independent office, working in collaboration with your office and other offices within administration. As you look out on array of states that have advocates, I think Idaho is going to move to establish an independent office this month. Pennsylvania will be one of 6 states left that doesn’t have an independent office. I am grateful we have an office at all, we worked hard to get that. What are your thoughts on how that can happen. I know you are an advocate for this as well. What are your thoughts? Secretary Arkoosh: I think there are probably a number of ways that it could be structured. I know there is legislation that is making its way through and I don’t want to get in the middle of that, it really isn’t my place. I will make this commitment to you if, at the end of the day, the Office of Child Advocate is housed in DHS, we will figure out a way to do it so that the Advocate has that absolutely critical independence. Our only ever caveat to that is we want to make sure there is no duplication of effort. We don’t have enough, we have a lot going on so we don’t want to duplicate effort and we want to make sure there is no confusion about statutory requirements. Other than that I do think the office does need to be as independent as possible. I agree. We will be supportive wherever it ends up landing.
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🐾🏠 June is National Foster a Pet Month, and at Pathways Counseling Services, we want to highlight the incredible benefits of fostering animals for both the pets and your mental health! Did you know that having a furry companion can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression? 🐶💕 Fostering a pet is a temporary arrangement that involves providing a loving home for an animal in need until they're ready for adoption. It's a rewarding experience that allows you to make a positive impact on an animal's life while enjoying the companionship and unconditional love they offer. 🤗🐱 Many people avoid fostering because they lack information or fear the emotional attachment. However, fostering is a crucial step in helping homeless animals find their forever homes. By providing a safe and nurturing environment, you're preparing them for a successful adoption. 🙏💖 At Pathways Counseling Services, we understand the power of the human-animal bond in promoting mental well-being. Whether you're fostering a playful puppy or a cuddly kitten, the experience can bring joy, purpose, and a sense of fulfillment to your life. 🐾😊 This National Foster a Pet Month, we encourage you to consider opening your heart and home to a furry friend in need. If you're not ready to foster, you can still support the cause by spreading awareness, donating to local animal shelters, or volunteering your time. 📣🐾 Remember, every small act of kindness can make a big difference in the lives of these precious animals. If you're considering fostering or need support on your mental health journey, Pathways Counseling Services is here for you. 🤝💙 #NationalFosterAPetMonth #FosteringSavesLives #MentalHealthMatters #PetTherapy #PathwaysCounselingServices #ScottsdaleAZ
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I DON'T WORK AT A GROCERY STORE! Why is the grocery store the only place where I have to volunteer hours of work to check out and pay for my groceries? I'm tired of it! BRING BACK THE CHECKER-OUTERS! If you're not going to do that then I beg, at a minimum, PLEASE INVEST IN CHECKER-OUTER TECHNOLOGY That actually works or makes sense. I make more violations attempting to check my own groceries out than I do driving! BEEP!!! Please put the item on the tray...I CAN'T! THE TRAY IS FULL! BEEP!!! Random error while you were simply scanning an item; Please wait for the already busy attendant to come put their code in to do what you were just trying to do yourself which they used to do for you. #volunteering
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For as long as I can remember I have loved donkeys, whether it’s seeing them at the seaside or at a farm they always make me smile. Then, when I got my diagnosis of Autism at 15, I felt the bond grow. See, donkeys have a very calming effect and are brilliant therapy animals due to their gentle nature. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/ejx5RA6u But it’s not just grown ups; children can feel the benefit too. Donkeys have a special place in the lives of children, offering a unique blend of companionship, education and therapy. Their gentle nature makes them excellent companions for our little ones, providing comfort and a sense of security. In therapeutic settings donkeys are known to help children with physical, emotional and developmental differences. Engaging with these animals can lead to improved mood, increased self-confidence and enhanced social skills. Moreover, caring for a donkey teaches children responsibility, empathy and the value of hard work. The act of grooming, feeding and leading a donkey can develop a child's motor skills and promote an active lifestyle. Now we aren’t recommending you buying a donkey, there are lots of donkey days out across the country! 😅 Anyway, in educational contexts donkeys can be part of learning programmes that teach children about animal care, biology and environmental stewardship. By interacting with donkeys children gain a deeper appreciation for animals and the roles they play in our lives. Additionally, they can be a source of fun and recreation; they can be ridden, which helps with balance and coordination, or they can participate in shows and competitions, which can be a source of pride and achievement for children. The presence of donkeys in a community can also have broader benefits, such as fostering social interaction and building community spirit as children and families come together to care for these animals. In essence, donkeys contribute to the holistic development of children, touching on physical, mental and social aspects of growth. #happynestuk #donkeys #autism #asc #specialneeds #additionalneeds #neurodivergent #children #grownups
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