HAPPY - Lions District 201W1
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JANUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER
HAPPY
NEW
YEAR
“Alf”, first Hearing Dog
placed in 2021
IN THIS EDITION
2020 WRAP UP
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO 2021 OPEN DAY
CONFIRMED!
MEDICAL ALERT DOG
PROGRAM UPDATE HEARING DOG APPLICATIONS
PO Box 164
T: (08) 8388 7836 E: info@lionshearingdogs.com.au www.lionshearingdogs.com.au
Hahndorf SA 5245
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO I’m thrilled to welcome 2021 with the first Lions Club Newsletter of the year, and what a big year ahead we have. We’ve all spoken enough about the challenges of 2020, but I would like to just say this; thank you to every single Lions Club that was able to support us in any way possible. Fundraising in 2020 was incredibly difficult, and Clubs across Australia and internationally struggled to keep afloat themselves, unable to run business as usual in their local communities. Lions Clubs continued to provide much-needed support in a challenging year, and we sincerely appreciate the efforts to support the deaf and hard of hearing community. We still need your support, like never before. Our waitlist is at an all- time high, and support from Lions Clubs at an all-time low. ALHD are in a period of profound growth to keep up with our demand and we need donations to sustain us through our next chapter. Please remember us this year when we send our appeals, at tax time and at Christmas. ALHD achieved some fantastic outcomes in 2020, with a record number of Hearing Assistance Dogs delivered. I’m incredibly proud of our team for working so hard to reach this number, considering our access to states and territories across Australia was limited for much of the year due to COVID border restrictions. The Medical Alert Dog program continues to make progress as Project Coordinator, Laura, acquires volunteer support and commences scent training with some of our puppies and dogs in training. Our first Diabetic Alert Dog is expected to be placed late this year/early next year. After missing our Annual Open Day in 2020, we will be back with a bang on the 18th April 2021; entry is free, but please reserve your tickets as guest numbers will be limited. You can get your tickets at www.trybooking. com/BOFFE. Lastly, if you haven’t already; please join us on social media. We would love your Club Members to “like” us on Facebook, “follow” us on Instagram, and enjoy the puppies and updates we regularly share. Lion David Horne Chief Executive Officer 2
2020 WRAP UP
31 Hearing Dog 16 Puppies into
Placements Foster Care
2020 was a rollercoaster for everyone, with COVID seeing the cancellation of
many events that we are normally involved in. The biggest of these was the
National Lions convention which was meant to be held in Adelaide, where
we were looking forward to celebrating our 40 Year Anniversary.
We instead adapted to a new online world, conducting Zoom meetings
with clients and hosting our first online information session for recipients
and Lions representatives. Community groups, Lions Clubs and Cabinet
all learnt about the work of Australian Lions Hearing Dogs through online
forums.
We still, despite restrictions, managed to have 31 Hearing Assistance Dog
placements which is a new record for us here at ALHD! We were able to
accredit 17 dogs, some of which were assessed online, and we conducted 8
in-person Public Access Tests on dogs already working in homes.
In 2020 we also announced our Medical Alert Dog program with our first
Diabetic Alert Dog expected to be delivered in 2021/22.
Throughout 2020, we had 16 puppies placed into their Foster homes where
they received love, attention, learnt boundaries and were socialised. There
are currently 13 in Foster care.
We have had many wonderful Sponsors support our pups while they were in
these homes and throughout training. They received monthly updates and
were able to name their sponsored pups. We will continue to have lots of
new and exciting opportunities for sponsorship over the next few months!
Volunteers continued to enlighten the lives of trainee ALHD’s with there
now being over 30 volunteers involved in our program.
We also continued to be hard at work on our Capital Campaign, with the
hope we will break ground in 2021. We welcomed new sponsors Specsavers
Australia Audiology and look forward to work with them into the
future. 3
NEW ADDITIONS!
Meet some of the new pups and dogs to
the foster care and training programs
Name: Lilli
Sourced from: Yorke Peninsula Puppy Rescue
Breed: Jack Russell X
About Me: My best friend is a Chihuahua who
belongs to my Foster Home. I recently learnt
how to ride a skateboard and I am named and
sponsored by Lions Club of Woolgoolga Inc.
Name: Maisie
Date of Birth:
Breed: Labradoodle
About Me: I am a quiet yet confident puppy. I
have a very special name as I was named after
a friend of ALHD who passed away and left a
special bequest in her Will.
Name: Theo
Date of Birth: 08/11/2020
Breed: Labradoodle
About Me: I’m a cheeky, naughty boy which
makes me a great Hearing Dog candidate! I am
kindly sponsored and named by the Lions Club
of Theodore Inc.
New Sponsorship Opportunities
There is an exciting new way for Lions Members and their family and
friends to sponsor a puppy! Head to www.lionshearingdogs.com.au/
puppysponsor to give a monthly donation in return for some adorable
updates from Bella, one of our puppies in training.
4
APPLYING FOR A HEARING
ASSISTANCE DOG
Lions Clubs are an integral part of our Hearing Dog Application
process. They support with the application, interview, and in successful
applications, the follow-up of delivery of the dog.
Below are the steps for an applicant to apply for a Hearing Assistance Dog,
and where Lions Club’s involvement fits into the process. If you have any
questions about this process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@
lionshearingdogs.com.au or 08 8388 7836.
CONTACT
STEP
• Applicant requests an application pack for an Australian
Lions Hearing Dog. This is done directly with ALHD,
through a District Chair or a Lions Club. All applications
ONE are sent out from the Training Centre to keep a record
of packs sent out, District Chairs are informed of any
applicants in their District.
APPLICATION
• Application is completed and returned to ALHD.
STEP • District Chair is informed that an application has been
received from their District.
TWO • ALHD assessment panel reviews application for
eligibility and makes recommendation for application to
move to interview stage.
INTERVIEW
• Local Lions Club is contacted by ALHD to conduct
interview on our behalf, or Program Director to organise
STEP interview with Local Club representative in attendance,
where possible.
THREE
• Interview pack sent to Club including copy of
application, interview questions, and sponsorship
pack. District Chair and District Governor cc’d into all
correspondence.
APPROVAL
• Assessment panel reviews application as a whole and
makes recommendation to CEO for approval.
STEP • Applicant, Club, District Chair, and District Governor
notified of application outcome. If approved, Applicant
FOUR will be placed on wait list for a Hearing Assistance Dog.
• Where possible, Club to provide financial sponsorship
to ALHD for the placement, and assist with 3 month
follow-up visit procedure.
5
MEDICAL ALERT DOG
PROGRAM UPDATE
Welcome to the first quarterly update on the Medical
Alert Dog program, written by Laura Harris, Project
Coordinator for Diabetic Alert Dogs.
Millie and I went to NSW to attend a Scent Detection
training course in October. I learnt how to train a dog
to alert to a specific scent and how to slowly increase
the difficulty of the training to reach the end goal.
Millie was an excellent test subject and gave me an
idea of how to begin this training from scratch. This Laura with Millie, practicing
her “touch”
course provided me with the knowledge to write up
the initial training plans for the Diabetic Alert Dog
Program—from puppy stages to adult dog stages.
Saliva sample kits have been delivered to those volunteers in greater metropolitan
Adelaide and I have received my first samples back. This has allowed me to begin scent
training with a number of dogs which is very exciting.
I have been trialling the training plans on two puppies,
Walter and Mawson, who come in for a training day once
a week. These puppies will eventually come into full-time
training as Hearing Assistance Dogs when they are older.
Practicing training techniques and testing my plans on
these puppies has been very helpful to see what aspects
of the plans need to be altered.
Walter, puppy in training
I am planning to attend the upcoming Canberra Lions
Convention in May with one of our dogs in training, Betty,
a Cocker Spaniel raised in our Puppy Program.
Betty and I have commenced scent training to prepare for
the Lions Convention, and we are hoping to demonstrate
how the Diabetic Alert Dog program will function once
operational. Mawson, puppy in training
The development of the Diabetic Alert Dog
program continues to only be possible with the
support of volunteers providing samples, and
donations from Lions Clubs and other generous
supporters.
If you are interested in supporting the Medical Alert
Dog program, or volunteering, please contact me
at laura@lionshearingdogs.com.au or
08 8388 7836. 6
FEATURED MERCHANDISE
Each purchase you make supports people across Australia who are deaf or
hard of hearing. Here are some of our featured items!
Calico Our newest product, a
calico tote bag with zip for
Tote Bag your shopping needs!
$7 $6 Blue pens
Our newest range of
To purchase these products and see what else branded pens
we have for sale, please visit
www.lionshearingdogs.com.au/shop or phone ALHD on 08 8388 7836 to
arrange EFT/cheque payment.
Prices above do not include postage costs.
LIONS CLUB MERCHANDISE
Our Lions Club of Australian Hearing Dogs has some merchandise
available, too! You can purchase from our new online store or checkout
the stock and phone to order from us directly over the phone. Our online
webstore can be found at www.hearingdogs.bigcartel.com.
We have handmade dog
bandanas, handmade beeswax
wraps, and snuffle mats for your
dog’s enrichment. All products
are made by our volunteers and
profits go back to supporting our
Lions Club.
Prices for each can be found on
the webstore link above.
7
ALHD BOARD & MANAGEMENT
CONTACT DETAILS
Chief Executive Officer Chairman
Lion David Horne PDG Rhys Roberts OAM
T: 08 8388 7836 T: 08 8278 1073
E: ceo@lionshearingdogs.com.au E: ozart@internode.on.net
Secretary Treasurer
PDG Frank Gratton PDG Megan Butler
T: 0413 596 852 T: 0411 616 649
E: frank.gratton@bigpond.com E: lionmeg17.18@gmail.com
C Districts Coordinator Q Districts Coordinator
Lion Margie Thomas Lion Andy Fitzgerald
T: 0418 806 775 T: 0417 629 957
E: summerleas1@gmail.com E: andyfitzgerald51@gmail.com
N Districts Coordinator T Districts Coordinator
Lion John Chate Lion Geoff Clow
T: 0438 704 188 T: 0408 281 176
E: johnchate@bigpond.com E: geoff49@bigpond.net.au
V Districts Coordinator W Districts Coordinator
Lion Maureen Capizzi Lion Robert Halford
T: 0400 050 719 T: 0459 952 672
E: maureencapizzi@bigpond.com E: halford2017@gmail.com
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS &
TRAINING CENTRE
T: 08 8388 7836 E: info@lionshearingdogs.com.au
F: 08 8388 1299 W: www.lionshearingdogs.com.au
National Training Centre: Direct Debit Details
793 Mount Barker Rd BSB: 035 094
Verdun SA 5245 Acc No: 118 965
Postal Address: Cheques Payable To:
PO Box 164 Hahndorf SA 5245 Lions Hearing Dogs Inc.
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