My Nonprofit Reviews
kelson
Review for Therapet, Tyler, TX, USA
I have been a volunteer with Therapet for over 4 years and I wish I was young enough to be able to do it for another 40 years! The feeling I get when I see how people respond to the animals is priceless. Very often people tell us how much it means to them to have the animals come to visit or to work with them in therapy. I have to say that I get as much from the experience as the patients and family do. One patient in particular that I recall working with in animal assisted therapy had hurt her shoulder and elbow and had to have surgery. It was very painful for her to move her arm, but as she brushed and stroked my dog, she forgot all about her pain. She became so engrossed in telling me stories about her late husband whom she obviously loved dearly that she had no idea how hard she was working during her therapy. She was brushing away on my dog, brushing from his head to his tail and when she started out, she could barely lift her arm up to pet him. Seeing results like this, seeing the progress stroke and accident victims make from week to week, and seeing the looks of joy and comfort on the faces of patients and their families make it a joy to be a part of Therapet. I enjoy belonging to this organization so much and I have made some life-long friends because of it. Therapet people have become my second family.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
My dogs and I have worked with many patients over the last 4 years and I have seen real progress they have made over time. So many patients are motivated to get well so they can get back home to their animals and family.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
hope to make others aware of the experience and knowledge that our executive director, Shari Curran OTR, has gained over the last 25 years. From this she has developed very high standards for Therapet that other organizations should strive toward.
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
the great feeling I get from sharing my animals with others and the great friends I have made with other volunteers.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
wonderful hard-working people. They are always happy to see the animals and I like just about anyone who likes my dogs!
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
educate the rest of the nation and the world about the tremendous results that are possible using animal assisted therapy.
Ways to make it better...
I can't think of a single thing that could possibly make me get more enjoyment from the work I do with Therapet.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
finances. We fund-raise all year long to try to raise money for not only the operating expenses, but the expense of producing educational books and training videos so other animal assisteded therapy organizations can benefit from our experience.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
