Hand in Paw Newsletter - Fall 2020

2020 FALL NEWSLETTER

GOLDEN Making a Difference...

virtually!

Grow Through

What You Go Through I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer, despite the coronavirus restrictions regarding masks, social distancing and public gatherings. These restrictions have currently prohibited in-person Therapy Team visits, but opened the opportunity for HIP to pivot…providing meaningful services with a focus on virtual visits. Teletherapy is booming! HIP teams are still in schools and medical facilities, serving the vulnerable.

Virtual visit with UAB COVID-19 ICU

With the academic year beginning, literacy programs are in high demand; and frontline workers continue to request our services. HIP Teams are stepping up to the challenge by committing to extra training, including learning to visit through Zoom and other facility-specific formats. We are also excited about being able to incorporate another level of volunteer, “The Virtual Therapy Team”, as a first step in in-person Therapy Team training.

This year, we could not have Mutt Strut, Picasso Pets, or Barktoberfest. Even with the help of the Payroll Protection loan from the government; Hand in Paw is still facing a large budget shortfall. Your support is more important than ever. We had to lay off 3 staff members and we continue to cut expenses. Your support will make sure we are able to respond to the needs of our community. We will overcome by being resilient and having the courage to bounce back and face these challenges – we accomplish this with hard work, careful planning and the belief that our mission to improve human health and well-being through Animal-Assisted Therapy makes the world a better place.

Virtual Bingo at Children’s of Alabama

- MARGARET STINNETT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

HIP Teams are still in schools, medical facilities and serving the vulnerable thanks to YOU!

Thanks for a Tail-Waggin’ Good Time Due to COVID-19, our Summer fundraising looked a little different this year. Our largest fundraiser, Picasso Pets, was cancelled and TailWaggin’ Takeout was born – a safe, social-distancing alternative!

Thanks to you, almost $80,000 was raised at a time we need it most! These funds make it possible to provide Animal-Assisted virtual visits to hospitalized children and adults, to children struggling with reading, and to lonely seniors in nursing homes.

We are so grateful to every attendee, volunteer, donor and sponsor who made this safe event possible.

Sponsors include: Tito’s Handmade Vodka, John 3:16, ABC 33/40, Kim & Pete Weinheimer, George W. Barber Foundation, Birmingham Legion FC, Dr. Jim & Katie Lasker, Kay Aldridge, Kim & Corbin Day, Lynn & Benny LaRussa, Scott & Cameron Vowell, VP Funds, Jennifer Buettner Bates, The Caring Foundation of BCBS of AL, Veterinary Eye Care Susan R. Nelms, DVM, DAVCO, Catherine & Emmett McLean, Miss Coco’s One Lucky Dog Treats, OB/GYN Associates of Alabama, Philippa & Frank Bainbridge, Riverview Animal Clinic, Sheryl & Jon Kimerling, Aspen Lewis, Debbie Fulton, Dr. & Mrs. Charles E. Bugg, Jim & Lori Schommer, Melissa Mancini & Matt Dickerson, Kristen McGee - RealtySouth, Shipt, Stephanie Stoltzner

You are making a difference!

LEFT: Virtual Sit, Stay, Read! visit RIGHT: Virtual Bingo at The Exceptional Foundation

Zoomies - Not Just a

Funny Dog Trait Anymore!

How your support has transformed the way Therapy Teams visit people in need during these uncertain times.

Hand in Paw has been faced with the ultimate challenge: how do our Therapy Teams make therapeutic visits to people in need during a pandemic? As you know, HIP Therapy Teams typically visit in-person at partnering facilities bringing comfort and joy to all the patients, students, and elderly they meet. However, COVID-19 has made it unsafe to come in close contact with others, so changes needed to be made. Thanks to your unwavering support during these challenging times, Therapy Teams are now visiting virtually!

just talk with clients virtually on their “zoomies.” During virtual Sit, Stay, Read! visits, children can practice their reading skills by reading aloud to a nonjudgmental furry friend online. These visits are especially important right now as schools are also having to adapt their teaching methods. “Ava was very hesitant to read aloud, but after just six weeks of reading to a team with a dog, all she wants to do now is read to everyone! She’s become a proud and confident reader,” says Stacey Roudebush, HIP Volunteer Coordinator and mother.

With your help, Therapy Teams have adapted and are able to facilitate beneficial HIP programs such as Sit, Stay, Read! and Petscription via Zoom (or as some petlovers call it, “having a Zoomie”). While the clients are unable to pet the therapy animals like on a normal visit, just interacting with the teams and seeing the animals on screen has proven valuable.

Therapy Teams are also able to facilitate virtual Animal-Assisted Activities such as Bingo! These visits provide some much-needed stress relief and fun to kids and the elderly. HIP Therapy Teams have played Bingo with Children’s of Alabama over their CCTV network, as well as with The Exceptional Foundation. “Our participants love Bingo and this was ‘Bingo with a kick’,” says Del Wright, Volunteer Coordinator at The Exceptional Foundation.

“Every card Stephanie held up was an opportunity to talk about different dog breeds and things related to dogs. It was an excellent activity!”

Wendy Walters, UAB Hospital’s Clinical Ethics Consultant, explains the impact of their weekly virtual visits in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, “I have a tremendous amount of concern for our frontline caregivers. I am trying to find ways to bring smiles to their faces, even for just a moment. The dogs are one way to do that. The staff were so excited, they just wanted to come and pet the screen. ” With some creativity, Therapy Teams are able to do more than

While this season of life has been challenging for everyone, we are extremely grateful because it has shown us that no matter what, you, our donors and volunteers, will always have our back. No matter the challenge or crisis, you will be there to help Hand in Paw overcome any obstacle. We certainly look forward to the day we can make in-person visits again, but we are also excited about continuing to adapt and provide meaningful services in this new way to more and more people and facilities. THANK YOU.

The Gift of

Peace & Comfort Why one long-time supporter gives to Hand in Paw – and how you too can make a difference!

Aesop once said, “No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” This quote truly embodies the heart and spirit of Hand in Paw donors and volunteers. You are the backbone of Hand in Paw. When you donate your time, talents, and funds to Hand in Paw, you help accomplish our mission of improving human health and well-being through Animal-Assisted Therapy.

One couple that has seen the impact of Animal-Assisted Therapy first-hand and has been giving to Hand in Paw for over 15 years is Kelly and Jay Agnew! Kelly was a Therapy Team with her cat Asher AND her dog Oliver. When asked about why she and her husband have been giving to Hand in Paw for so long, Kelly responded,

“Jay and I recognize the healing and calming power of pets and support Hand in Paw’s efforts to bring peace and comfort into the lives of those dealing with hardship or illness. We also understand the joy that Hand in Paw volunteers receive when they see the impact their pets have on people because we were lucky enough to have been on that side as well. I still remember going in to test with Asher years ago and after volunteering for a while, it was an easy decision to give more than hours to Hand in Paw.”

With the pandemic still looming overhead indefinitely, Hand in Paw appreciates your support now more than ever. While in-person visits are on pause, our volunteer Therapy Teams are still making a meaningful impact by safely visiting program partners virtually. We need your help to continue to adapt our programs and visits, while also preparing to visit a world that has a heightened need for our services.

There are several ways to donate to Hand in Paw! > You can become a member of our recurring giving community, The Pack, just like Jay and Kelly. The Pack lets you donate as little or as much as you’d like on a monthly basis, plus you will get insider communications and gifts as a thank you for your membership. It’s easy to sign up at handinpaw.org/ ThePack . > You can also make a one-time donation using the slip and envelope provided. > OR, if you want to consider leaving a legacy and making a planned gift, you can join The Jessica Legacy Society by contacting Beth Franklin at beth@handinpaw.org.

Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference!