27 Mar Reaching out
Now more than ever we wish we could be sending you happy news and provide a distraction from the continual barrage of messages around COVID-19. When we say that we hope this message finds you well, we sincerely mean it.
At Smart Pups our number one priority is the safety of our staff, clients, volunteers and wider community. We are closely following all recommendations and restrictions set in place by the government to do our part in limiting the spread of this virus.
In practical terms this means the cancellation all scheduled fundraising events into the foreseeable future, temporary closing our Charity Shop, ceasing all training in enclosed public spaces, the suspension of our in-prison training program and most significantly postponing the placement of assistance dogs with families on our wait list, who reside outside Queensland.
We are heartbroken. All of us at Smart Pups and you our supporters, know what a difference these dogs make to our recipient families. Our medical alert dogs save lives and our autism and PTSD assistance dogs change lives, often where all other interventions have failed.
As much as possible we will strive to continue our work, where doing so, does not pose an undue risk. The lights are going out and the shutters coming down across so many businesses, but our trainee dogs still need to be fed, exercised and have their high degree of training maintained.
To achieve this all our staff from our CEO to our kennel hands have had their paid hours reduced, but all have agreed to continue their full-time work commitments on a voluntary basis, we know that everyone is hurting at the moment.
We are reaching out to our valued supporters for help. The fragility of society is everywhere we turn, from the news to our social media feeds, to the conversations with our loved ones. We keep hearing the term social distancing, yet it’s our social connections that we need now more than we have ever needed in the past. What we don’t know is how long this is going to take over our lives, but we do know that we need to act now. Times ahead are uncertain for everyone, but please keep us in your thoughts and help us to continue our vital work through this time and beyond.
As the world faces an unprecedented public health emergency, Smart Pups Assistance Dogs for Special Needs Childrens Inc. is facing a financial crisis that was inconceivable just a few months ago. The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on our ability to raise funds. We are being forced to make decisions that will impact on the lives of children and families who rely on the difference a Smart Pup can make.
Our fundraising model has been torn apart with all our events cancelled. We are now forced to make real-life personal sacrifices to manage our overheads, but we need to do this to put our families first. The one thing that hasn’t changed, is our commitment to enrich each child’s life by increasing independence, safety, confidence, self-esteem, social interaction, life experience and happiness.
We are reaching out to you directly, as someone who has generously supported our important work whether its through volunteering, donating or keeping up to date with how our beautiful dogs are progressing through their training modules.
As a charity that doesn’t receive any Government support and has over the years relied so heavily on the fundraising success of our events, your dollar counts even more now.
We will get through this, but we need to do it together. We need your help. Your gift of any size will help us continue to place a Smart Pup with families that need our support now more than ever.
Can we count on you, please donate here
Please accept our heartfelt thanks for your continued support, and our sincere hope that you and your loved ones keep safe and well in the weeks ahead.
With our warmest wishes,
The Smart Pups Team
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