Big Donation!
28 August 2016
Thank you to Donna Bednarczyk, her family and friends who raised a huge amount for the second August in a row toward our fundraising for Caz. Her Brownies for Buddies has been a huge success and Gretchen had the opportunity to be there to help on one of Donna's baking days. It was great to see so many of you who donated to our cause and purchased Brownies for Buddies. Than you!
2016 Update on Caz and her family!
Caz arrived into our family a year ago. Since then she has truly become our fifth family member in our household! She has helped us in so many ways. Our children are Leo, 7 and Tiffany, 5. Both children have Down syndrome and other significant health conditions. Caz has a special harness that allows each child to have their own dog leash which is attached to Caz. They can either just hold onto it or it can be clipped onto their belt or backpack. When we all walk together, the children are kept safe and do not run into the street or parking lots and they are very happy to stick close to Caz (and Mom and/or Dad!). They walk further than ever before and Leo, who is legally blind, knows where he is because he likes to trail right behind Caz's tail. Leo can tell when Caz is going up or down a curb or making a turn. It is great for Leo's navigation! And the kids have such freedom this way; Mom has not got a death grip on their hands anymore!
Caz has an important skill that we are using a lot these days. She has been trained tolean on Tiffany! Tiff has ADHD and sensory issues, as well as Down syndrome and she craves the deep pressure Caz can provide. We place a bean bag on top of Tiffy's lap and Caz then crawls on top of it. This helps Tiff calm down and settle, especially after a long day at school. Tiffany just started school on her 5th birthday and she needs Caz's comfort a lot in the evenings!
Caz still lets us know if anybody wakes in the night. This has become especially important now that Leo wants to get up and cook eggs at 4:30 am!
And Gretchen, the Mom, who has impaired vision, has come to rely on Caz a lot in the last year, as a guide when traveling or when out at night.
And besides all of the jobs she does, Caz is a loved, comforting presence in our home. The children take turns brushing her and feeding her and while Tiffany loves to rough house with her and wrestle, Leo loves to cuddle and relax with her.
In the past year, with help from friends like Donna and you, we have raised over $17,000 toward the cost of raising and training Caz. We thank you so much for helping us to achieve the goal of raising $20,000, which is each family's obligation when they receive a trained dog like Caz.
It's the little things that really make a big difference. With Caz, if only one parent has driven somewhere with the children, one child can be left with Caz, who has been trained to be an anchor and will not let the child walk away into danger, while the other child is being loaded up in the car. It is nearly impossible to keep both children safe while loading and unloading from a car, without Caz!
Thank you so much for adding to our quality of life!
