Commencement Class 298 - Sponsored by - Southeastern Guide Dogs
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Commencement
Class 298
Sponsored by
welcome
Dear Friend,
Every person who comes to our campus for a guide dog
takes a leap of faith. Will the dog that they’ve been paired
with be the right match? Will the dog keep them safe? Will
the dog change their life?
Happily, the answer is yes! After working together side-by-
side with our gifted trainers, the students of Class #298 can
take on the world with new strength and optimism. And
we will continue to support them and their wonderful dogs
every step of the way.
Thank you for the role you play in helping to land those
leaps of faith onto solid ground. Your friendship and support
make our mission possible.
Warm regards,
Titus Herman
Chief Executive Officer
3
About Southeastern
Guide Dogs
S outheastern Guide Dogs transforms lives
by creating and nurturing extraordinary
partnerships between people and dogs. Our
organization operates the most advanced training
facilities of any service dog organization in the
world. Our experts breed, raise, and train elite
working dogs—including guide dogs, service
dogs, and skilled companion dogs—and provide
life-changing services for people with vision
loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with
significant challenges such as vision loss or
the loss of a parent in the military. Pursuing our
mission since 1982, Southeastern Guide Dogs
now has over 1,200 dogs under our auspices.
All of our services—which include selective
breeding and expert dog training; comprehensive
on-campus student instruction; and the most
robust alumni support program in North
America—are provided at no cost to recipients.
We rely 100% on private donations. Southeastern
Guide Dogs has the distinction of being
dually accredited by the two premier, global
accreditation bodies: the International Guide Dog
Federation and Assistance Dogs International.
Learn more at GuideDogs.org.
4 5
About our Programs
For people with vision loss For children and teens
Guide Dogs help people with vision loss navigate Guide Dogs help teens with vision loss—
independently; trained in over 40 cues. ages 15 and up—navigate independently.
Kids Companion Dogs are skilled companion Kids Companion Dogs are skilled companion
dogs that enhance independence for children dogs that enhance independence for children
with vision loss, preparing the way for a future with vision loss, preparing the way for a future
guide dog. guide dog.
Gold Star Family Dogs comfort military family
For veterans members who have lost a loved one in active
Guide Dogs help veterans with vision loss service to the nation.
navigate independently; trained in over 40 cues. Kids Therapy Dogs are matched with
Service Dogs help veterans with post-traumatic adults who assist children and families in
stress disorder (PTSD) and other disabilities; adverse circumstances, providing therapeutic
trained in 15–20 cues. reassurance to children in need.
Facility Therapy Dogs provide comfort in military
our
medical facilities nationwide.
dogs offer
Emotional Support Dogs benefit veterans and
help restore a more active lifestyle.
Gold Star Family Dogs comfort military family
freedom
members who have lost a loved one in active
service to the nation.
6 7
GRADUATE
Lynn Puckett | Guide Dog AJ
TAMPA, FLORIDA
A humorous storyteller who loves people,
Lynn Puckett has always wanted others
to be successful, never realizing that one
day she’d have to inspire herself. But after
losing vision in her left eye due to a failed
surgery, she woke up two years ago to
find the vision in her right eye was gone as
well. Years of treatments for complications
from diabetes had allowed her to continue
working and driving until that one fateful
day: April 30, 2019.
After isolating at home and depending on her husband and teenage
daughter, Lynn made the decision to embrace life and seek a better
version of herself. Now she’s found her soulmate in a personable,
inquisitive goldador named AJ, her first guide dog. “We both like to be
on the go,” Lynn states. “I used to enjoy watching people and observing
people, and now I do that through AJ, through the harness and the
leash.” Before AJ, Lynn feared being labeled as “the blind lady.” But now
she quips, “His leash is my American Express card, and I’ll never leave
home without it!”
Together, this team will take on the world and change things, one heart,
one inspired soul, and one tiny bit of hope at a time. AJ was destined to
be a superhero, and he was surely destined to be Lynn’s.
AJ is sponsored by his puppy raiser, Jim Ebling, and named in
memory of Jim’s son and daughter-in-law’s twins, Alexander and
Jenna, who sadly, passed away during childbirth.
8 9
GRADUATE
Sanford Steinberg | Guide Dog Alfie
MT. DORA, FLORIDA
Sanford Steinberg has loved eight dogs
over his lifetime, and his only wish for his
first guide dog was that he or she be a
“dog”—all business when in harness, and
playful and spirited when not. He got just
what he wanted in Alfie, a “high energy,
very smart, and very agile” female Lab who
is his perfect match.
Sanford served as an airplane hydraulics mechanic on a Navy aircraft
carrier in the Mediterranean during the Vietnam War, and then he had
a long, rewarding career as an audio engineer in the music business.
When retina surgery from diabetes took 90% of his peripheral vision
and reduced it to “looking through a puddle of dirty water,” he suffered
a bad fall over a curb that shattered his arm. He became cautious and
nervous about navigating safely, and it was time to listen to his family
and friends and get a guide dog. Alfie’s great energy will serve him well
on their seven-mile fitness walks around Mt. Dora each day.
Their future is bright. As Sanford says, “Things are constantly changing,
and I have to go with the change. And that’s where Alfie can help me
because she can see all the changes that are going on and know what
to do . . . and I think that’s going be a big thing in my life.”
Alfie is sponsored by the Tampa Area Puppy Raisers in honor of a
raiser’s father who was an avid dog lover and a well-known Tampa
businessman and philanthropist.
10 11
GRADUATE
Mike Moaba | Guide Dog Clara
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA
Mike Moaba was born with juvenile macular
degeneration that causes severe myopia.
His orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist
recommended a guide dog, and in 2012
Mike was matched with a big, lovable black
Lab named Mac. Mac passed away on a
Friday in September 2020, and by Monday,
Mike had applied for a successor dog. Now
his new guide, Clara, “has filled a void that
was there for several months,” Mike says.
This sweet, petite yellow Lab is a calm cuddler who is eager to please.
Formerly, Mike was afraid of running into people with his cane or having
them run into him. “But people tend to move out of the way for you
when you have a dog,” he notes. And from the start, he could tell that
Clara’s pace was perfect for a fast walker.
Previously employed in customer service, Mike now volunteers with a
local youth center where children honed their literacy skills by reading to
Mac. Soon Clara will assume that role and will take him to meet friends
at restaurants and guide him inside the mall. At the end of the day, she
loves her food and a belly rub, which Mike is happy to provide. And
when he looks at Clara’s black eyebrows, he finds it comforting as he
remembers Mac’s face looking back at him with love.
The late Doris LaFlam sponsored and named Clara in loving memory
of her daughter who passed away in 2018. Clara is an adaptation of
her name and Doris felt it was perfect for a superhero.
12 13
GRADUATE
Lisa Kemp | Guide Dog Charlie
NORTH FORT MYERS, FLORIDA
Lisa Kemp is a lifelong learner with four college
degrees in education, business, and human
resources training and development. Work took
Lisa all over the country until 2010, when she
lost her vision and her job due to retinopathy.
In spite of using a white cane, giving up driving,
and ending her beloved career, Lisa didn’t think
she was blind enough to take a guide dog away
from someone else. Then her neighbor brought
her to Southeastern Guide Dogs for a tour and a
glimpse of what could be.
After “marinating” on the idea of a guide dog for four years, Lisa is
now paired with a friendly, gentle giant named Charlie, a loving, laid-
back Lab who is intuitive about her moods and can keep up with
her active lifestyle. “I don’t sit around doing nothing!” Lisa says with
understatement, having also created a business teaching English as a
second language for blind and visually impaired people. Soon, Charlie
will accompany her to water aerobics, her community’s restaurant and
club house, ceramics classes, and even trips to the Caribbean with her
husband. “Life will be better,” she says. “With friends now, I always rely
on them physically. I hold onto an arm or a shoulder. They don’t mind.
But with Charlie, I know that I will feel more independent.”
Martie and Dean Anderson sponsored and named Charlie in memory
of a rescued medical alert service dog they adopted in hopes of training
him to be a therapy dog. Charlie was everyone’s friend and had quite
the fan club because of his wonderful personality and sweet spirit.
14 15
GRADUATE
Bob Newport | Guide Dog Igor III
LAKEWOOD RANCH, FLORIDA
Bob Newport has a rare genetic disorder
called pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE),
which causes serious damage to the
retinas. He lost his vision gradually and was
in his 60s when he realized he could no
longer drive safely. Suddenly, trucks and
bridges appeared as if they were coming at
him and falling over into the median.
A former vet tech in the Air Force in the ‘60s, Bob served on a variety
of bases in the southern U.S. He worked in veterinary clinics where he
sometimes had to put down sentry dogs and other canines, and he
took their passing hard. After his pet shar-pei passed away, Bob wasn’t
sure that he could handle more loss. But after visiting Southeastern
Guide Dogs with his wife and seeing our puppies, he decided to give a
guide dog a try.
Bob and his new best friend, a yellow Lab named Igor III, are two
peas in a pod. These laid back, mellow guys like their downtime. Igor’s
favorite position is with his head on one of Bob’s feet and his bottom on
the other. An exception to their quiet lifestyle will come when Igor rises
with Bob each day before daylight for one of several long walks. “I won’t
be tripping over things and running into people,” Bob explains. “And Igor
will be great company.”
Igor III is sponsored in honor of Sherry and Mike Guthrie’s continued
generosity and named in memory of their beloved dog Igor. They loved
him so much that they named their company “Igor the Watchdog.”
16 17
GRADUATE
Jessica Woods | Guide Dog Rubi
MILTON, FLORIDA
Jessica Woods was born legally blind due to
coloboma, which caused optic nerve damage
and retina deformity. The world gradually went
dark, and by age 17 Jessica had lost all of her
sight. At 19, after using a cane for 12 years,
she decided that a guide dog would give
her independence and confidence. Her first
guided walk 15 years ago was instantly life
changing. Her third guide dog, Cookie, was
medically retired nine months ago.
Now Rubi, a sweet, calm, and gentle Lab, is Jessica’s fourth guide
dog—and her first girl. They connected from the moment they met, and
Jessica can’t wait to get back to the life she had with her previous guide
dogs. “Before Rubi, I was lost,” she says. “I didn’t have the freedom to
go out in the world by myself. I had to wait on others to guide me. Now
with Rubi by my side I can do it on my own.”
Rubi will keep Jessica from falling when she’s walking, but she’ll
also sit quietly by her side when she’s quilting or reading. Jessica
reflects that her biggest challenge has been how society views people
with visual impairments. “They think that we can’t do anything for
ourselves, even though we can,” she states. Her new partner, Rubi will
make all the difference.
Rubi is sponsored by the Tampa Jeep Krewe and named for the
iconic Rubicon off-road trail in California which also inspired the name
for the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Rubicons are more capable off road
and always ready for adventure, just like guide dogs!
18 19Puppy Raisers Class Supporters
Thank you for your contribution in developing Thank you for your thoughtful and compassionate gifts. We recognize
these amazing dogs. We recognize the hard work, your desire to make a difference and your ability to create a lasting
dedication, commitment, and patience that helped impact through meaningful giving. This commencement represents
to create the incredible dogs now graduating. a welcome return on your investment!
Carla Anderson & Jennifer Taylor Puppy Naming Sponsors
Tim Carney Martie & Dean Anderson
Jim Ebling Jim Ebling
Karen Haubenstock & Artie Jacobowitz Sherry & Michael Guthrie
Colleen & Ralph Heagy Doris LaFlam
Lauren Thibert Tampa Jeep Krewe
Tampa Area Puppy Raisers
thank Scholarship Supporters
you Garth Family Foundation
Mike & Suzanne Monte
Lora Murphy
Raymond George and Ruth Bitner Fisher Foundation
20 21Leave a Legacy That Lasts
The Heritage Society is a No will? There’s a way...
group of caring individuals committed to Remembering Southeastern Guide Dogs in your
ensuring the long-term stability of our school will creates a legacy of kindness, and gifts of
through wills and bequests. To join, simply any size impact our extraordinary dogs. Don’t
notify us that you have included Southeastern have a will? We’ve partnered with Freewill to
Guide Dogs in your will by emailing give you a simple, convenient way to write a
heritagesociety@guidedogs.org, legally valid will, at no cost. Get started on your
and find out more at Guidedogs.org/HS. will today by visiting Guidedogs.org/will.
Consult your tax professional for advice, and thanks for giving!
22 23I was born for a purpose.
Trained to help you.
You hold me when you’re afraid,
Whisper that I saved you,
That I’m your brightest star.
I am your guide, your support,
Your friend. A dog, I’m not.
With me, you see the world again.
1.800.944.3647 | GuideDogs.org
We provide all dogs and services free of charge.
24 25Enrollment form
S ustaining dollars are the bedrock of our
financial strength, and our Cornerstone
Society is an important program for like-minded
Name(s):_______________________________________________
I/We would like to commit: $_______________________ per year.
members of our community who believe in our Enclosed is my/our first gift of: $__________________________
mission. Your commitment to make a lasting OR
difference ensures that we can provide our
I/We will make our first gift on:___________________________
extraordinary dogs to the people we serve.
We invite you to join the Cornerstone Society, I/We would like to be recognized in the donor honor roll as:
an exceptional group of donors who pledge a _______________________________________________________
recurring gift. With your multi-year commitment, I/We would like to remain anonymous
you will receive the following benefits:
join
please •E
xclusive invitation to our annual
I/We would like my/our name(s) to be displayed
as follows on my/our nametag(s):
Cornerstone Society events
Nametag 1:______________________________________________
today •An engraved nametag identifying you
as a member Nametag 2:______________________________________________
•S
pecial listing on our donor recognition
wall and in our donor honor roll Signature:_______________________________________________
MEMBERSHIP LEVELS Date:___________________________________________________
Partner _| $1,200 – $4,999 per year
Mail this form to:
Benefactor _| $5,000 – $9,999 per year Southeastern Guide Dogs
Visionary_ | $10,000 – $49,999 per year 4210 77th Street E, Palmetto, FL 34221
Guardian_ | $50,000 – $99,999 per year You can also join by filling out our easy, online commitment
Founder _| $100,000+ per year form at guidedogs.org/cs, or call 941.729.5665.
26 27AND THEIR PUPS Count, Corona and Dixie congratulate Class #298
You can also read
