Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation Celebrates Volunteers & Invites Community to Share The Vision®
Bloomfield, CN (PRWEB) April 28, 2014 -- The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation capped off National Volunteer Month by celebrating its more than 350 volunteers who actively support the nonprofit’s life-changing mission of providing the highest quality guide dogs to men and women who are blind.
Fidelco honored its volunteers during an annual Volunteer Recognition Day event on Saturday, which featured powerful and emotional testimonials from some of the organization’s volunteers who help to raise future guide dog puppies in their homes and socialize them in the community as the all-important first steps to becoming highly skilled Fidelco Guide Dogs.
Adding an extra dose of inspiration to the spirited event was Fidelco client and renowned NYC-based musician Frank Senior. Blind from birth, Senior has been a client of Fidelco since 1992, and is currently partnered with his third Fidelco Guide Dog, “Que.” The talented singer crooned for the crowd after delivering an uplifting message of gratitude and hope, describing how his Fidelco Guide Dogs have given him the freedom and independence to pursue his music performance passion and provide for his family.
“It is so important to honor our volunteers, because simply put, Fidelco would not exist without them,” said Eliot D. Russman, Fidelco’s CEO and Executive Director. “Whether it’s raising a puppy, hosting a fundraiser or helping out behind the scenes in our kennel and administrative office, volunteers are the heartbeat of Fidelco. Their contributions are priceless – and the lives of our clients and their families are forever changed because of our volunteers.”
Fidelco breeds and trains its elite German Shepherd Guide Dogs for people who are blind across North America. It takes two years, 15,000 hands-on hours and $45,000 to produce each Fidelco Guide Dog, and they are given to clients at no cost. Fidelco offers many volunteer opportunities for people and groups of all ages and it encourages people to bring their passions to Fidelco. For more information visit http://www.fidelco.org/volunteer.
Heidi Voight, Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, http://www.fidelco.org, +1 860-906-2086, [email protected]
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