Teacher: Emily Heuer
School: Arriiba-Flagler
District: Arriiba-Flagler CSD #20
District Website: https://www.af20.net/
School Address: 421 Julian Ave, PO Box 218 Flagler, CO 80815
Grade Level: K-12 School Counselor
Region: Southeast
Project Title: Four Paws of Healing
Category: Social Emotional Learning
Amount Requested: $1000

Project Description:
What makes Flagler special is how welcoming the people are. Agriculture is a big thing around here and most of the students come from farms. Rural life can be isolating and difficult at times. Mental health and life struggles don't discriminate by where you live. The students here struggle with a lot of the things that students in bigger schools struggle with: drugs, alcohol, self-harm, anxiety, etc. I would like help training my pup, Bea. We are starting from scratch; she needs basic obedience, then we can get certified as a therapy dog team. If I get this grant, having Bea trained and specialized as a mental health therapy dog will help students empathize, regulate stress, improve attendance, relieve depression, anxiety, and much more. The possibilities are endless with how we can impact the students at Arriba-Flagler.

Project Justification:
Dogs have a way of helping us in ways that humans can't sometimes. I have seen firsthand how therapy dogs can help students. I have seen a kindergartner scared of dogs become warm and loving toward my certified therapy dog. Students come into my office or seek me out just to see the therapy dog because they are having a bad day. Therapy dogs help.

I am a school counselor at Arriba-Flagler with about 180 students, K-12. Our students struggle with many issues, and Bea has the potential to be amazing and help so many people. To become a therapy dog, dogs need basic obedience training and can then become certified through a third-party organization. If funded, Bea and I could be a resource not only for the school but also for the community. Our impact could be endless.

Budget Breakdown:
$800 - Basic Dog Obedience (Trainer TBD)
$350 - Workshop Package (Professional Therapy Dogs of Colorado)

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