An intriguing man named Avshalom Beni (originally from the USA, now residing in Israel) started a program that we call “Humans Helping Animals Help Humans” where animals help humans get better. And while it is easy for cat and dog lovers to love this program, the project is really about people – all kinds of people. They work with ADD and ADHD kids, schizophrenic Holocaust survivors, fathers who want to reconnect with their kids and family, and more.
We met Avshalom at a kibbutz in northern Israel, and he introduced us to a fantastic group of teenagers studying at the regional high school. They had just finished their first year of a pilot program called “Gateway to Learning through Animals”, where they learned about animal assisted therapy and about helping others. It was part of their school English classes, and was a full year program. HOT has agreed to fund Year Two, so that these kids can continue to give, grow and learn, and they have included a mentoring project so that these now “experienced” teens will be able to help the newcomers to school in the Fall.
The picture here is of Yonatan and Frankie. Frankie was rescued as a puppy after being badly beaten by a street gang. Avshalom turned him into a great therapy dog, and Frankie served until almost the day he died from cancer at age 11, this past June, when Frankie and Yonatan worked with some kids who were hospitalized at Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot.
HOT would like to continue to work with Avshalom – his biggest need is covering the costs of the vet and the food for his dogs and cats. While traditionally HOT will not cover overhead, the dogs and cats are not overhead but are the key participants in the programs. He is facing the possibility of not being able to care for all of his “therapists” and we encourage our donors to designate:
$4,800 to feed and pay vet care ($1,200 for each of four “therapists”)
$3,400 to sponsor an incremental ADD Program which works with fathers and children, and/or
$60,000 for a new van to be outfitted to transport his special therapists – the current van has over 300,000 miles and has been showing serious signs of wear.