A new organization called the ‘Guardian Revival’ has emerged out of the Hudson Valley with a ‘Boots and Paws’ program to support our Veterans and our First Responders. The adorable dogs pictured in this article just finished training for their new mission as lovable companions.
Photo Caption: Air Force Veteran Pablo holding Angel at the Boots & Paws award ceremony on August 12, 2022, in Beacon, NY. Credit: Nile Clarke of The Goodie Drop
SUPPORTING VETERANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS!
The Goodie Drop was invited to one of the award ceremonies on August 12, 2022, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Beacon, New York! Beacon's Mayor Lee Kyriacou also attended the ceremony showing his support for the program. During the ceremony, the room was filled with a quiet kind of joy as two of the cutest golden retrievers from the Boots & Paws program were given to Air Force Veterans Pablo and Marcia. Pablo will take home Angel and Marcia will take home Denali. After the ceremony, Pablo spoke to The Goodie Drop saying, “I’m going shopping for Angle tomorrow!”
In 2020, Alex Othmer, created the Guardian Revival as a nonprofit with a mission to “heal our veterans & first responders - our guardians”. Othmer told The Goodie Drop that “Dogs have an incredibly powerful therapeutic affect on humans. When I got out of the military, I got a dog and it saved my life”.
“When I got out of the military, I got a dog and it saved my life”
-Alex Othmer
Photo Caption: Sherry Burger Director of Training for Boots & Paws holding Angel / Founder Alex Othmer, Training Director Sherry Burger, Program Director Rachel Hill, Digital Media Manager Nicole Demattio / Marketing Director Katherine Conaway, Air Force Veteran Maria holding Denali, Air Force Veteran Pablo holding Angel, Deputy Director Jared Shoemaker, Training Director Sherry Burger, Program Director Rachel Hill and Founder Alex Othmer at the Boots & Paws award ceremony on August 12, 2022, in Beacon, NY. Credit: Nile Clarke of The Goodie Drop and Boots & Paws Instagram Post
The national organization’s home base is out of the VFW on Main Street in Beacon, New York. The Guardian Revival also has two more programs that support vets. One is called the ‘Guardian Encore’ which is a music program. The other is called ‘Another Summit’ which is an outdoor adventure program.
Dogs in the Boots & Paws program are trained by professionals under the direction of Sherry Burger. So far the program has successfully awarded 30 companion dogs and 1 service dog with 4 service dogs currently in training!
Visit the Guardian Revival website to learn more or how to get involved. Link: https://guardianrevival.org
Comments