Will Work for Pets! How your donations are providing much-needed furry stress relief! Can we all agree that work has been a bit stressful for the past year and a half? While everyone’s experience has been a bit different, with many adjusting to working from home and others working overtime, what we have in common is that these challenges have taken a toll on our mental health! That’s where Hand in Paw says, “bring in the furry therapist!” Thanks to your donations, Hand in Paw Therapy Teams are making restorative Wags for Wellness visits in an effort to boost morale and alleviate stress during this unpredictable and ongoing public health crisis.
One program partner we recently visited is McLeod Software. After working from home for several months, they transitioned back to working inperson and wanted to take extra steps to focus on the employee experience. “Our employees enjoy the visits from the Hand in Paw Therapy Teams tremendously! It’s a wonderful opportunity for our employees to connect with a furry friend, and each other for a few moments out of the day,” says Meribeth Gilbert, HR Director. Therapy Teams also visited Child Life Specialists at Children’s of Alabama, who have been working overtime to provide activities and support for the hospitalized
children in their care. Therapy Team handler Carol Ritter comments, “I felt that our visit, just for them, was greatly appreciated. They do such a great service for the kids and deserve the much-needed stress relief.” The Wags for Wellness program was created by Hand in Paw in collaboration with UAB Hospital and is provided at no cost thanks to your ongoing support!
To donate to the Wags for Wellness program, please use the envelope provided or visit our website at handinpaw.org/donate!
Wags for Wellness visits boosts morale and alleviates stress during this unpredictable and ongoing health crisis.
It’s
hip to Have You at Hand in Paw!
With COVID putting in-person visits on “paws” for over a year, our focus this Spring and Summer was to research and implement new health and safety guidelines to allow for the return of safe, in-person visits from Therapy Teams. Because of your support, we were able to host Therapy Team refresher courses, team renewal evaluations, and officially began visiting program partners in-person in June! Now that our current Therapy Teams are up-to-speed and back to regularly scheduled visits, Hand in Paw is eager to bring in some fresh (and furry) faces! The volunteer department is currently meeting and screening qualified applicants who have applied to volunteer on our website during our pause. The volunteers who pass their screenings will then start Hand in Paw Therapy Team training, be evaluated and start visiting! As we enter this exciting season of recruitment, we want to take a moment and say “thanks.” Thank you for your patience as we strive to safely meet with new applicants and for your donations which have allowed us to adapt and continue growing.
If you are interested in becoming a Therapy Team, be sure to apply on our website at handinpaw.org/volunteer!
New Therapy Teams are being screened because of your support!
