Volunteers needed for appeal week

Volunteers needed for appeal week

Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust (ADNZ) is urgently calling for volunteers to help collect much-needed funds for the charitable trust during its national appeal and International Assistance Dogs’ week.

Appeal week runs from August 7 to 13, and the trust needs collectors on Friday (August 12) and Saturday (August 13) in locations around the country.

ADNZ is a charitable trust, providing trained dogs to clients with a disability. The organisation evaluates each applicant individually and provides assessment, training and follow-up to meet each individual’s specific needs.

Wendy Isaacs of the Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust says the appeal week is a critical time for the trust and would be grateful to individuals, students or groups who can spare just a couple hours of their time to collect during appeal week.

“We make it easy for collectors and provide everything you need – all you need to do is turn up on the day. Donating your time makes a huge difference to the Trust and our families in in need.

“Every cent raised will go towards helping a person with a disability gain a special friend, who will help improve their daily living, independence and mobility.”

The life cost of an assistance dog is $48,000. There is a waiting list of more than 40 families and current waiting time is now three to four years. ADNZ fields an average of eight to 10 new enquiries every week.

“There is a huge demand for assistance dogs,” says Wendy. “These four-legged friends completely change the lives of families with disabled and autistic children across New Zealand.

“The dogs are specifically trained to enrich the lives of adults and children with disabilities as diverse as autism, diabetes or cerebral palsy.

“But without money generously donated by the community, we can’t carry out this very important work.”

The Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust is unique in that it’s the only organisation to place assistance dogs with children, and the only organisation to train dogs to support multiple disabilities.

The organisation has been operating for eight years and recently released its 30th dog to a family in need, with another three dogs ready to go out immediately after appeal week.

Assistance dogs are trained to promote independent living, mobility, safety and companionship, and are specifically trained for the individual client’s needs.

Training is rigorous and takes approximately six months, during which time the dogs receive an assessment, obedience, social and task-specific training to suit the disability the dog will support.

The trust evaluates each applicant individually, and provides assessment, training and follow-up to meet each individual’s specific needs.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• VOLUNTEER FOR APPEAL WEEK: To volunteer to collect for the Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust national appeal week, please contact Wendy Isaacs on wendy@assistancedogstrust.org.nz, or text/phone 022 137 4090.

• Vodafone customers can text 7005 to donate $5, or 7010 to donate $10
•
• Make a one-off donation on-line by going to assistancedogstrust.org.nz and clicking on Donate Now
•
• Become a puppy sponsor for as little as $5 a week by joining the Gifted Puppy Programme – see asssistancedogstrust.org.nz for details
•
• Join the movement and share a snap of yourself and your four-legged friend on the Assistance Dog new Zealand Facebook pagewith the hashtag #Woof4ADNZ
•
--ENDS--

© Scoop Media