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AMERICAN HUMANE RAISES $4 MILLION AT
SIXTH ANNUAL PUPS4PATRIOTS™ DINNER
DANCE
Pups4Patriots Dinner Dance™ honors
the donors, dogs, and handlers who
support American Humane’s commitment to
service dogs for
wounded warriors
It
was an evening of altruism and
newsworthy moments, as more than 200
supporters of the nation’s first
national humane organization attended
the 6th Annual Pups4Patriots™ Dinner
Dance on March 3 at Club Colette in Palm
Beach.
To kick off the event, a surprise gift
of $500,000 was made in honor of
veteran’s advocate and champion of
American Humane’s Pups4Patriots™ program,
Lois Pope, by business leader, Lloyd
Schiller.
“No one has surprised me like this in a
very long time,” said Pope. “I am deeply
humbled by your generous gift to our
Pups4Patriots™ program,
and you can be assured that your
contribution is going to help an awful
lot of our military and first responders
through this life-changing initiative.”
Also announced during the event, a
show-stopping $3 million donation from
the Kazma Family Foundation, which will
serve as the seed gift for the new
American Humane Sanctuary located in
Martin County. The
new animal sanctuary will be a
transformational rescue retreat for all
animals and the residential home for the
Pups4Patriots™ service
dog program.
Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of
American Humane, who announced the major
gift with members of the Kazma family,
said, “Our mission with the American
Humane Sanctuary is to give veterans
who have graduated from the
Pups4Patriots™ program a comfortable
oasis to seek peace, and a home where
they and their service dog can further
their journey together. This gift is an
enormous leap in making that mission a
reality, and to helping us rescue and
protect many animals in need in a new
Ark of Hope facility.”
To date, Pups4Patriots™ has
delivered more than 300 healing leashes
into the hands of U.S. military veterans
– at no cost to them - thanks to the
generous support of donors. Three of
these heroes attended the event and
shared inspirational stories of how
American Humane’s program was a life
changing experience for them. Their
remarks are as follows:
Christina & Freyja: Christina has
served as a First Responder,
a Wildland Firefighter, and an EMT. She
lives in Idaho and was paired with Freya,
a Standard Poodle.
“Freja has been the most wonderful
partner for me. She is my best
friend. Because of Freja’s ability to
support me in so many ways I have been
able to go out and do things I couldn’t
or didn’t do without her. I’m able to go
out and run errands and do shopping
without having to leave the store in the
middle of shopping and have even found
myself wanting to venture out to travel
more. I have gotten more of a “normal”
life back because of Freja and that has
helped me so much.”
Zack & Winnie: Zack is a U.S. Air
Force veteran who served from 1999-2021.
During his service, he was deployed to
six overseas locations and served as
Special Ops and a Squadron
Superintendent. He has been paired with
“Winnie,” a 1.5-year-old, female
Labrador Retriever.
"After serving 22 years in the Air
Force, 12 in Special Operations, and
retiring with a PTSD and Traumatic Brain
Injury diagnosis, I thought my
journey was over. The baggage I carried
coupled with the symptoms of my
battlefield wounds was just too much.
That was until I was turned on to
American Humane and their Pups 4
Patriots Program. The hardest part was
taking that first step but after filling
out that application I was surrounded by
a care team and before I knew it a leash
was placed in my hand and Winnie on the
other end. At that moment, my focus
changed. Winne gave me that
companionship and healing I required to
get back on track, live life the way I
wanted, and reintegrate back into my
family!"
Thomas & Joly: Military
Working Dog (MWD) Joly was retired and
needed a ride home from Bahrain to her
family in South Florida. Her handler
that served with her (Brian) is still
deployed, so she was received in Florida
by Brian’s father, Tom.
“After several failed attempts to bring
Joly stateside, American Humane stepped
in and assisted us in bringing her
home. If not for this organization this
reunification probably would not have
occurred. In June, Brian, Morgan, and
Joly will continue their military
service in Sasebo, Japan and reside
together as a family for the first
time.”
“For some, medications and therapy are
simply not enough to help restore a
sense of normalcy, and nothing can put a
smile on a vet’s face like a wagging
tail,” said Dr. Ganzert. “We want every
veteran to know that they do not need to
face this battle alone.
Man’s best friend can help.”
To learn more, visit americanhumane.org.
About American Humane
American Humane is the country’s first
national humane organization and the
world’s largest certifier of animal
welfare, overseeing the humane treatment
of more than one billion animals across
the globe each year. Founded in 1877,
with offices in Palm Beach and
Washington, DC, American Humane has been
First to Serve™ the cause of animals and
for 145 years has been at the forefront
of virtually every major advance in the
humane movement. For more information or
to support our lifesaving work, please
visit AmericanHumane.org, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
and YouTube for
the latest breaking news and features
about the animals with whom we share our
Earth.
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