NEADS Celebrates 21 New Service Dog Teams at its Fall Graduation Ceremony on Sunday, November 3
NEADS Service Dog teams, their friends and families, as well as NEADS staff, volunteer puppy raisers, and supporters come together to recognize these life-changing partnerships
What: NEADS Fall 2019 Graduation
When: Sunday, November 3, 2019, 2pm-4pm
Where: Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (“Monty Tech”),
1050 Westminster Street (Route 2A), Fitchburg, Mass
Admission: FREE; suggested donation is $5 per person upon entrance
PRINCETON, Mass., October 28, 2019 – NEADS World Class Service Dogs holds its 78th Graduation Ceremony on Sunday, November 3 at 2pm at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (“Monty Tech”) in Fitchburg, Mass. The public is invited and welcome to join the celebration.
Graduating teams share their personal, moving stories of how having a Service Dog has affected their lives. This fall’s graduating class represents a wide range of NEADS Service Dogs, including Service Dogs for Veterans, Service Dogs for individuals with physical disabilities, Service Dogs for Hearing, Service Dogs for Children, and Assistance Dogs for professionals in classroom, courthouse, and hospital settings.
In recognition of our veteran clients and Veterans Day, the program also features a “fireside chat” with three organizations who are integral to the NEADS community: the Blue Star Mothers of Leominster and Worcester, and Quilts of Valor. The Blue Star Mothers have been providing meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – for veteran clients during their training on campus since 2006. The Quilts of Valor have presented beautiful, hand-made quilts to each of our veteran clients since 2010. Together, these organizations have provided more than 3,800 meals and more than 125 quilts for NEADS veteran clients. Ann Marie Slomcheck (Blue Star Mothers Leominster), Karen Belliveau (Blue Star Mothers Worcester), and Darlene Coit (Quilts of Valor) will share their experiences and address the critical role they play in providing veterans with a sense of belonging and community.
NEADS will also have a collection box available for anyone who has an American flag that is ready for retirement. NEADS is collecting these flags so they can be properly retired.
The graduating teams come from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, and Colorado.
About NEADS Inc.
NEADS Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Princeton, Massachusetts. Established in 1976, NEADS offers the widest array of Service Dog programs in the industry, including Service Dogs for adults and children with a physical disability, Service Dogs for veterans, Service Dogs for Hearing, and Service Dogs for children with autism or other developmental disabilities. NEADS dogs are also partnered with professionals in classroom, therapy, hospital, ministry, and courthouse settings. For more information, please visit neads.org.