Thank you to Carol Abbanat and Julie Baird for taking notes!
The meeting was called to order by President Kim McCue. Guests included Ria Worden (prospective member) and esteemed Rotarian Edguardo Parrillo.
Events: Kerry reminded members to save the date of the May 19 for Nite at the Races. More information will come from Chair Kris at future meetings. Kim announced that Rotary is again providing funding for the Trees for Parks for the Leadership Program of the Chamber of Commerce.
Guest Speaker: Vickie Curtis- RRUFF- Healing Heroes Program
In 2014 the RRUFF Healing Heroes program was established. The program funds Service Dog Training for Disabled American Veterans with PTSD and other invisible disabilities.
Sadly 17 Veterans die by suicide every day. Healing Heroes exists to be a catalyst for hope and change for Veterans who have sacrificed so much.
Vickie gave touching examples of some of the Vets who have graduated from the one year+ program with their uniquely trained service dogs. Since 2014 200 Veterans have graduated and 551 have had the opportunity to participate in the program. There is no cost to the Veterans. Training for both the dogs and the Veterans costs about $10,000 and is provided through grants made by Healing Heroes.
Fundraising is a necessity for the program and funds are achieved in many ways: grants, events, donations on line etc. The River Cats have a sponsored event on May 24th with some portion of the ticket price going to RRUFF. Their big fundraiser is Heroes, Hounds, and Hoedown October 20, 2023 in Loomis.
For more information about RRUFF and Healing Heroes, visit their website here: https://www.rruffhealingheroes.org/
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