Welcome K9 Guardians!
Although November means Thanksgiving to most of us, it is also the month that we celebrate our veterans and the selfless sacrifices they have made on our behalves. Last June, Leisa Tilley Grajec of K9 Guardians came to our evening meeting and she brought her trained service dog, Daphne. We were so impressed with Leisa and her program that we invited her to speak to our members this month as part of our celebration of our veterans. For the past 20 years, Leisa has been training German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois dogs to be service dogs for veterans suffering from PTSD. She receives up to 5 applications per week from veterans asking to receive a trained dog to help them get through their day. Did you know that 22 veterans commit suicide every day? Having a specially trained dog by their side can make a huge difference in the life of a veteran. Last week, my daughter and I visited Leisa’s home and her kennels where she keeps 12 dogs of various ages in various stages of training. A few of the dogs have their forever home with Leisa. The Malinois dogs are herding dogs and especially sought after for military and police work. They are also very well suited for service work after receiving in depth training from Leisa. K-9 Guardians is a non-profit corporation and dependent on grant funds and donations to feed the dogs, pay the vet bills and maintain the kennels. The dogs are very happy and well cared for by Leisa, and she gives these valuable dogs to the veterans when they finish their training which I found to be remarkable. If you are able to donate or bring a gift card from Costco, Amazon or Chewy to help with care of the dogs who are being cared for and trained by Leisa that would be great! She also needs volunteers to help with walking, bathing, brushing or just giving some loving attention to the dogs. Please plan to attend our November meeting to meet Leisa; I’m sure she will be bringing one of her dogs to meet us!
It’s Easy To Keep Track of Your Volunteer Hours On Our Website
Our Website Chairman, Sandi Leyva, has brilliantly given us the ability to enter our volunteer hours directly onto our website. It is easy – even for those of us who are computer challenged! The link is in the Members Only section here: https://thewomansclubofvista.
Please continue to turn in your Volunteer Hours/Donations Tracking Form either by using our website or our Volunteer Hours form. The information is used at the end of the year to track our club members’ volunteer service and monetary contributions and is included in our award-winning club narratives. If you need a blank hours sheet to fill in, I am happy to email or mail you one. Thank you for taking the time to submit your hours!
My Thanksgiving Wish For You
“May your stuffing be tasty,
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes n’ gravy have nary a lump,
May your yams be delicious,
May your pies take the prize,
May your thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs.”
(author unknown)
Liz Franciscus
