Photos of volunteer teams: Silver Paw Studio
The Human-Animal Bond in Colorado center in Colorado State University’s School of Social Work has announced three human-animal teams and a local Fort Collins long-term care facility for its annual volunteer awards.
Winnie Award – Volunteer of the Year
Theresa Boyle and her dog Summer received the “Winnie Award” Volunteer of the Year honor, which is given to a HABIC volunteer who goes above and beyond to support the mission of HABIC during volunteer activities and in their everyday lives.
Summer, a Golden Retriever, loves to comfort others and encourages people to pet her when she’s working as a therapy dog, said Boyle.
“For therapy work, Summer immediately gets excited as soon as I put on her HABIC bandana because she knows she will get lots of petting,” Boyle said. “Only problem is, when she gets home again, she doesn’t think the petting should stop!”
Therapy dogs provide Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) at community service centers such as rehabilitation facilities, hospitals, and schools. Boyle has volunteered with Summer in all of these settings, and with many different populations in their community.
“Whether it is a stressed college student, high school students learning what therapy dogs can do, elementary students learning new behaviors, medical care workers that need to separate from their work for a moment, or elders that just want a warm head to touch and connect with, all are important roles and ones that our dogs can fulfill so easily and lovingly,” Boyle said.
“Whenever I see how much others enjoy petting her, I know we are giving love to the community and that brings me such joy,” said Boyle. “Summer is in her element around people and I only hope that she brings others as much joy and comfort as I get from her.”
Polly Award for volunteer work in long-term care
Jeff Geilenkirchen and his dog Olivia received the “Polly Award,” which recognizes outstanding animal-assisted interventions in long-term care facilities. The pair have a remarkable human-animal bond.
“We’ve covered thousands of miles on the road. We’ve hiked through dead horse point in Utah. Did some off-road in Moab, played in the water in the Oakland Bay,” said Geilenkirchen.
“We’ve stayed on the 56th floor of The Cosmopolitan in Vegas,” Geilenkirchen said, “chilling on the balcony, high speed elevators, all the activity. She handled it like a pro. It was awesome. We camped out in Wyoming for the solar eclipse a few years back. We’ve played frisbee golf in the Sierras—I did while she chased the discs.”
When Geilenkirchen and Olivia serve as a HABIC team, they seem to bring their zest for life to the work. They have volunteered at Columbine West Health and Rehab and Good Samaritan Society – Loveland Village. “You can’t help but smile when you see the interaction,” he said. “In the long-term care environments, loneliness and depression are issues. I love watching Olivia shine in those circumstances.”
Geilenkirchen believes the community outreach service they provide as HABIC volunteers makes a difference in people’s lives. “We live in such a toxic world. The comfort that animals bring to the mix is priceless.”
Toby Award for volunteer work in schools
Lee Miketa and her dog Brooklyn received the “Toby Award,” established to recognize an outstanding volunteer who provides animal-assisted interventions in a school setting. Miketa and Brooklyn have served as a HABIC team at local schools in Northern Colorado since 2017.
“It is a happiness boost for both of us to go to school each week. Brooklyn loves doing the work,” Miketa said. “She has worked at Putnam, Lesher, Lincoln, B.F. Kitchen and now Bennett,” said Miketa. “She loves working with the children because of her playful personality.”
The impacts on school students have become cherished memories for the pair.
“One student learned to stand up for himself after learning to communicate with Brooklyn,” Miketa said. “We followed one student from elementary school to middle school because the student was so attached to Brooklyn and we were attached to the student too. One year, a counselor closed the year in tears because Brooklyn had such an impact on a student’s happiness.”
Community Partner Award
Lemay Avenue Health & Rehab Facility in Fort Collins received the “Community Partner Award,” given to an organization in recognition of their partnership with HABIC to provide individuals and communities with the benefits of animal-assisted interventions.
“Animals provide so much comfort to our residents,” said Rebecca Wohlers, activities director at the facility. “I see decreased stress, I see increased happiness and it helps with socialization too. I’ve seen residents talk to dogs and they don’t like talking to humans.”
“In a skilled nursing setting, we can’t have animals [living] in the facility, so residents look forward to having therapy animals,” added Wohlers. “It’s a great program for residents who have lost control of everything to have a little of that control back in their day.”
About Human-Animal Bond in Colorado
Founded in 1993, Human-Animal Bond in Colorado (HABIC) is a center in the School of Social Work, part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences. HABIC’s mission is to improve the quality of life for people of all ages through the therapeutic benefits of companion animals, with particular focus in the areas of community outreach, teaching, and research.
