Centennial family sells garden boxes to support school therapy dogs

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After surviving a school shooting, three brothers in Centennial are working together to donate money to help support the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce school therapy dogs and the agency’s e orts to keep students safe.

“It’s been really cool to have my kids be able to nd something that they have a connection to, that they can give back to,” said Bambi Watson, the mom of the three boys.

Her sons — Bannon, Brycen and BG — build and sell garden boxes through Facebook Marketplace. For each box sold, they donate $5 to Back the Blue K-9 Force, a nonpro t that helps fund school therapy dogs and law enforcement K-9 units.

e idea originated when Watson saw a Facebook post from Back the Blue K-9 Force asking for money to help support Rex, the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce rst-ever school therapy dog who serves in Littleton Public Schools.

e Watson family knew Rex, as they had met him and Deputy John Gray, a school resource o cer and the K-9 handler of Rex, during a school fun run.

to turn it around.

“ ey like to give back to things that mean something to them and that they have a connection to, so as soon as they found out this (was) to Rex, it was just an immediate connection with my kids,” Watson said.

Having school therapy dogs like Rex, a certi ed therapy dog who is also trained in detecting rearms perfect way to get guns out of school, nd guns in schools, keep our kids safe (and) keep our kids happy,” she said.

“My goal in donating is, I don’t ever want my kids to go to a school again where there is a school shooting. And I can’t think of a better way to make sure it doesn’t happen,” she added.

Reflecting on the STEM school shooting

On May 7, 2019, Watson’s three children were at STEM School Highlands Ranch when two people opened re, killing one student and injuring eight others.

Watson re ected on how intense and chaotic the shooting was for her and her children, who were in kindergarten, second grade and third grade at the time.

It was the last day her sons went to school there. e family moved out of