The relationships developed within a community are vital to the success of nonprofits, and Ponte Vedra-based K9s For Warriors is excited to start what they hope is a lasting partnership with The Boeing Company.
And what a start it was, as the The Boeing Company presented K9s For Warriors with a $10,000 donation during its monthly graduation ceremony, where five veterans and their dogs graduated from the program, at K9s’ national headquarters in Ponte Vedra.
“To be recognized by Boeing is a big deal,” K9s For Warriors Director of Development Lindsay Snyder said. “It’s almost as if Boeing is leading the way to show other organizations that K9s is where you want to be. It can only go up from here.”
The K9s For Warriors program takes 21 days to complete, as both the warrior and their assigned dog get to know each other and create a lasting bond during that time.
“On that 21st day, they graduate with their dog and start their new life,” Snyder said. “This donation right here, will help us put a warrior through the program. They (Boeing) just saved somebody’s life with this one check.”
It is fitting that Boeing’s check presentation coincided with the graduation because the funds will go toward helping future graduates with the needs they have.
“Our hope is that people in the community will recognize the work that they are doing,” said Ingrid Piedrahita Morales, community investor with The Boeing Company. “The warriors in our community have sacrificed so much for us, this is just one way that we can give back to them.”
Boeing has supported various organizations throughout the country, but this is the first time they have worked closely with K9s For Warriors.
“Some of Boeing’s charitable pillars are supporting our heroes and our veterans that are returning,” Morales said. “We provide support for workforce preparation but also recovery and rehabilitation.”
Partnering with Boeing has been a goal of K9s For Warriors for some time, and they have been on the company’s waiting list for some time.
“Boeing is hard to break into, because for obvious reasons they want to vet each organization they associate with,” Snyder said.
According to Snyder, there is also plans down the line to expand the reach and partner with Boeing’s San Antonio location as well.
Organized leadership events are also being looked at along with future volunteer opportunities by both outfits.
“This is the beginning of a relationship, and we know that our employees would love to give back and continue to support the mission,” Morales said. “We’re going to find ways to volunteer because we don’t just want to give money but support the cause by really being engaged.”
A typical class of graduates includes eight to 12 warriors and their dogs. However, the pandemic forced the process of receiving dogs and getting them trained slowed down, and they have been unable to train the dogs at the same rate.
Snyder believes that next month will begin to get back to pre-pandemic numbers with about 10 graduates expected.
At the end of the day, building a strong relationship between a warrior and his dog is the program’s main goal, and it is something always on the mind of everyone at K9s For Warriors.
“Ideally, we would want eight to 10 graduates, but we also want to put out quality dogs so we’re not going to rush it,” Snyder said.
K9s For Warriors was created in 2011 by Shari Duval with the goal of training shelter dogs to service veterans battling traumas from their years in the military.
The graduation ceremony and check presentation was held at the Shari Duval K9s For Warriors National Headquarters in Ponte Vedra, which was named in honor of her after she died from cancer in February.
