GFWC-SC President s Special Projects Paws * Hands * Soles In Action Helping Our Wounded Warriors During the 2012-2014 Administration clubwomen are being asked to be patriots and put hands and soles in action in love and support of freedom and liberty. The special project is Canines For Veterans Paws In Action Campaign with a supporting project of Sew Much Comfort Sewing Our Support For The Troops. Sew Much Comfort is a GFWC Public Issues Partnership Program. The project has eight sponsorships who will work collectively with GFWC-SC by providing venues across South Carolina to raise awareness and monetary contributions for Canines For Veterans. The sponsors are identified below with their logos. Sumter, SC COLUMBIA, SC Eastern Carolina Fair Florence, sc
Canines for Veterans, previously Carolina Canines, is a national program which provides veterans with disabilities quality trained service dogs. The program works with military prisoners at the Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, SC and teaches them how to train rescued dogs as service dogs for the wounded and injured Veteran. Canines for Veterans Program has twice been awarded a Newman s Own Award for program innovations supporting our military and their families and was recently named a Joining Forces Community Challenge finalist. Triple Win Canines for Veterans is a national program with many benefits; a Triple Win. Revitalization of the Veteran The assistance of a quality trained service dog at no cost to the Veteran to help them regain independence and enjoy an enhanced quality of life. Rehabilitation of the Military Prisoner A positive environment with the presence of dogs in the prison. Reduced stress and a chance for rehabilitation for the prison population. Rescue of the Shelter Dog Rescued shelter dogs pass strict heath and temperament evaluations and can discover new purpose as a service dog Prisoners at the Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, SC teaching Esther to retrieve a bottle from the refrigerator.
Four-Legged Heroes Launched in 2008, the program operates entirely on private donations. A Canines for Service dog is a constant assistant that can perform 90 commands to assist with everyday tasks for the wounded veteran including: retrieve and carry objects pull their partner in a wheelchair push elevator buttons transfer money at the grocery store provides social support by acting as a bridge to conversation and acceptance as the focus is on the dog, not the disability provides balance and stability for an amputee or someone who has lost mobility provides support for PTSD with ADA compliant tasks and is a source of love and companionship both the veteran and the dog are a team and make the transition back to independence together. The Program is often imitated, never duplicated! Canines For Service 2011 Facts Nine people received their service dogs valued at $360,000 Over 28,000 hours of service dog training time Over 5,500 hours of animal assisted visitations Received U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Program Approval for Canines for Veterans Program $0.89 of every dollar directly supports programs Make the Dream A Reality They served our country, now is the time to serve them. Change the life of a Veteran by helping to provide a quality service dog at no cost to the Veteran. Canines for Veterans relies on the generosity of private donations, corporate donations, sponsorships and grants. There is no military or government funding for the program. All contributions are tax deductible! Click Here For Canines For Veterans Donation Form CFC Campaign # 16373 Click Here For GFWC-SC President s Special Project Donation Form
Sew Much Comfort provides FREE adaptive (Velcro closures) clothing to support the unique needs of our wounded service members from all branches of the Military and National Guard serving in current conflicts. These injuries require large fixator, prosthetics and casts that are too bulky to wear regular clothing, wounded service members are limited to wearing hospital gowns. Sew Much Comfort designed the clothing to appear as normal civilian apparel. Sew Much Comfort is the only organization providing FREE adaptive clothing to wounded service members. Since their founding in November 2004, Sew Much Comfort has distributed more than 115,000 pieces of adaptive clothing to our wounded. The battlefield survival rates have soared in the past decade because of critical advancements in military emergency care. Ninety percent of the 51,000 U.S. troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have survived, largely due to breakthrough in causality care. But what they have not addressed is the clothing used to aide their recovery process. Sew Much Comfort has stepped in to fill the void by providing FREE adaptive clothing to replace the ill-fitting and drafty hospital gown. The adaptive clothing allows them to wear normal appearing clothing and provides them warmth, comfort and dignity as they recover from their injuries. Through adaptive clothing we want to let them know that their sacrifice has not been forgotten as the clothing is made by thousands of volunteers across the USA who want to send a message "thank you for your service, and that your sacrifice has not been forgotten." By contributing to Sew Much Comfort as a volunteer, donating or becoming a partner, you can help make a difference in the recovery of our wounded service members. Sew Much Comfort is a General Federation of Women s Club Public Issues Community Service Partnership Program. Public Charity #75-3178122 and CFC # 12289. Sew Much Comfort Website: www.sewmuchcomfort.org SMC Ambassador to GFWC Clubs: Joy M. Campbell, 931-670-1826, jcampb1045@aol.com Corporate Office: Financial Information and to send Donations: Michele Cuppy, Sew Much Comfort, 13805 Frontier Lane, Burnsville, MN 55337 michele@sewmuchcomfort.org Together, we have the power to help our wounded veterans heal as they face the challenges of recovering from their injuries. All donations are tax deductible! Click Here For GFWC-SC President s Special Project Donation Form
CANINES FOR VETERANS - DONATION FORM MAKE THE DREAM A REALITY - FOUR PAWS AT A TIME Donation Category: Paw Print $15 - $25 Furry Friend $26 - $99 Puppy Pal $100-$499 Big Dog $500-$999 Top Dog $1000 or greater Other $ Name Address City/State/Zip Phone E-Mail GFWC-SC Club Member Make Checks Payable to: Canines For Service P. O. Box 12643 Wilmington, NC 28405 WAYS TO SUPPORT CANINES FOR VETERANS Honorarium in Honor of Memorial in Memory of Make a gift for Special Pet In Honor of: In Memory of: Amount of Gift $ Minimum Donation for Personalized Acknowledgement Card: $10 Please Notfy: Address: VISA MASTERCARD AMEX Card No. Exp. Date Security No. Signature Donations also accepted via PayPal @ www.caninesforservice
PRESIDENT S SPECIAL PROJECT - DONATION FORM PAWS * HANDS * SOLES IN ACTION DONATION CATEGORY CANINES FOR VETERANS SEW MUCH COMFORT AMOUNT OF DONATION $ Name Address City/State/Zip Phone Email GFWC-SC Club Member Make Checks Payable To: Mail Form With Check To: GFWC-SC President s Special Projects Kristin Fields GFWC-SC Treasurer 230 Muirfield Court Columbia, South Carolina 29212