A $50,000 matching grant from a California woman is having real impact locally. Two children with autism, one in Montrose and the other in Carmel, plus another three new participants, now have “heeling guide dogs” to help them navigate life”™s shoals, social and physical.
The grant and the program are run by Guiding Eyes for the Blind, with a headquarters in Yorktown Heights.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is celebrating April”™s National Autism Awareness Month with a new challenge grant to benefit its Heeling Autism program. Supporter Mary Bianco, a Californian, has committed to match up to $50,000 in donations dollar-for-dollar. The funds will allow the nonprofit to train more autism service dogs for families on its two-year waiting list.
Heeling Autism dogs help to ensure safety for children with autism and help them to develop emotional and social bonds. As a result, families are able to lead more normal, less stressful lives. Parents report other life-changing benefits, including seeing their children move from social outsiders to accepted peers with autism service dogs by their side.
Over the past five years, Guiding Eyes has placed 43 dogs through its Heeling Autism program and claims a 100 percent success rate. This month, the nonprofit welcomed three more families to its Yorktown Heights headquarters where they met their children”™s new autism service dogs for the first time. The dogs are specially trained.
A Heeling Autism dog can be a matter of life or death for an autistic child, according to Guiding Eyes. Parents rank their children”™s wandering or bolting as one of the most stressful of all behaviors. Drowning is the leading cause of death among children with autism who wander away from a safe environment. The dogs also gnaw away at the isolation of autism.
Montrose resident Lynda Mitrone, mother of 4-year-old Nicholas, said, “There are many places we don”™t dare go right now because we fear losing Nicky. It is our hope that Heeling Autism dog Kelso will help give Nicky more life experiences and our entire family a new sense of freedom and independence.”
“Like all parents, we have high hopes for our son,” said Carmel resident Angie Poulin, mother of 7-year-old Eric. “Through Guiding Eyes”™ vision and gift of Heeling Autism dog Janelle, we imagine a safe future for Eric and a destiny that includes friendship, forethought, tolerance and patience.”
There is no cost for the dogs or the long-term professional training designed to ensure each family”™s success.
