Something very exciting will be happening in 83 days! William will meet his furry, new, best friend. He understands this will happen around Christmas time. What an awesome gift that will be for him! (And us, too!)
Please begin praying now for a mild December since we will be out everyday practicing searching and tracking.
Some of the questions we are asking is what breed(s) of dog will William's friend be? Short or long hair? How big will the dog be? What will the dog's name be? (Just like our kids, the dog will already be named!) Will the dog like us? Will we be able to learn all the commands for the dog? Hopefully, the dog will be patient with us.
Ok, the excitement is mounting!!!!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
I Want That One!
"Watching a man painting a sign to sell four puppies, a little boy asked, 'Mister, I'd like to buy one of your puppies.'
'Well, these are fine pups and cost a lot of money.'
The child dropped his head, then reached into his pocket and pulled out 'some coins. 'I have thirty five cents. Is that enough to take a look, sir?'
'Sure, sonny. You can take a look.' Then he called, 'Here Dolly!'
Down the doghouse ramp came Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face to the chain link fence, his eyes dancing with delight. Then he noticed movement again at the doghouse. Slowly, another little fur ball appeared, a noticeably smaller one. Down the ramp it slid. Awkwardly the little pup hobbled toward the others, trying his best to catch up with the others.
'I want that one,' the little boy said, pointing to the runt.
'Son, you don't want that pup. He'll never be able to run and play with you like the other ones would.'
With that the little boy reached down and rolled up one pant leg to reveal a steel brace attached to a specially-made shoe.
Looking up at the man, he said, 'You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.'
With tears in his eyes, the man lifted the pup, and holding him carefully, handed the lovable little ball of fur to the boy.
'How much?' asked the little fellow. The man smiled and answered, 'There's no charge for love.'"
Author Unknown
We all need to be wanted by someone who will give us unconditional love and understanding.
'Well, these are fine pups and cost a lot of money.'
The child dropped his head, then reached into his pocket and pulled out 'some coins. 'I have thirty five cents. Is that enough to take a look, sir?'
'Sure, sonny. You can take a look.' Then he called, 'Here Dolly!'
Down the doghouse ramp came Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face to the chain link fence, his eyes dancing with delight. Then he noticed movement again at the doghouse. Slowly, another little fur ball appeared, a noticeably smaller one. Down the ramp it slid. Awkwardly the little pup hobbled toward the others, trying his best to catch up with the others.
'I want that one,' the little boy said, pointing to the runt.
'Son, you don't want that pup. He'll never be able to run and play with you like the other ones would.'
With that the little boy reached down and rolled up one pant leg to reveal a steel brace attached to a specially-made shoe.
Looking up at the man, he said, 'You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.'
With tears in his eyes, the man lifted the pup, and holding him carefully, handed the lovable little ball of fur to the boy.
'How much?' asked the little fellow. The man smiled and answered, 'There's no charge for love.'"
Author Unknown
We all need to be wanted by someone who will give us unconditional love and understanding.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
He Gets It!
We were relaxing in the rockers after eating at Cracker Barrel. A gracious lady and her mobility service dog walked past William. William jumps up and start yelling: "ME! ME! ME!"
When I told him this was the lady's service dog and not his, he initially gave me his pout face. Then starting yelling: "Ho! Ho! Ho! (meaning Christmas)." When we said: "Yes!" He started jumping up and down. He gets it!
Monday, August 2, 2010
It's tail waggin' time!
Because of an extremely generous donation from an estate (Someone we don’t even know!) plus well over 100 donations in all sorts of amounts, and several successful fundraisers, William’s 4 Paws best friend will be home in time Christmas.
We are in the December class which will train & certify from 11/30 – 12/10. Please pray for mild weather since we will be out everyday practicing tracking. For those of you who William, realize how much we are anticipating having a service dog help us out.
Now we will be working on a video which 4 Paws staff will use to help select a dog that will be trained specifically for William. (Ok, 1st we have to borrow a video camera!) To answer some of the most common questions that we’re asked:
No, we don’t pick out the dog. The 4 Paws staff will choose the dog. We can make suggestions, but ultimately it will be up to their staff.
Just like our kids, the service dog will already come with a name.
The dog will go everywhere William goes (just like “Mary had a little lamb” except the lyrics will be: “William has a service dog”). A service dog is covered under the ADA (American Disabilities Act). Basically, anywhere a wheel chair can go, a service dog may go.
The service dogs 4 Paws places are usually between 11 months – 18 months of age.
Ed or I will be the actual certified trainer. The is one of the few service dog organizations that places service dogs with kids under the age of 10 and where a 3rd party can be the certified handler.
If you want to know more info, you can always visit the 4 paws web site at: http://www.4pawsforability.org.
Now we're on a countdown until we’ll have a “new” family member and William will have a best friend to help keep him safe while helping him feel secure!
Thank you to everyone who has support us with their love, prayers, and their wallets.
We are in the December class which will train & certify from 11/30 – 12/10. Please pray for mild weather since we will be out everyday practicing tracking. For those of you who William, realize how much we are anticipating having a service dog help us out.
Now we will be working on a video which 4 Paws staff will use to help select a dog that will be trained specifically for William. (Ok, 1st we have to borrow a video camera!) To answer some of the most common questions that we’re asked:
No, we don’t pick out the dog. The 4 Paws staff will choose the dog. We can make suggestions, but ultimately it will be up to their staff.
Just like our kids, the service dog will already come with a name.
The dog will go everywhere William goes (just like “Mary had a little lamb” except the lyrics will be: “William has a service dog”). A service dog is covered under the ADA (American Disabilities Act). Basically, anywhere a wheel chair can go, a service dog may go.
The service dogs 4 Paws places are usually between 11 months – 18 months of age.
Ed or I will be the actual certified trainer. The is one of the few service dog organizations that places service dogs with kids under the age of 10 and where a 3rd party can be the certified handler.
If you want to know more info, you can always visit the 4 paws web site at: http://www.4pawsforability.org.
Now we're on a countdown until we’ll have a “new” family member and William will have a best friend to help keep him safe while helping him feel secure!
Thank you to everyone who has support us with their love, prayers, and their wallets.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Lia Sophia Fundraising Party
Please come to our Lia Sophia Fundraising Party to benefit 4 Paws for Ability, Inc. in William's honor. 15% of sales price will be donated to 4 Paws. Come and have fun while seeing the latest fashions in jewelry.
When: Friday, June 25th @ 7:00 p.m.
Where: William's House
To view an online catalog please go to: www.liasophia.com/carolburke
RSVP's appreciated (need to know how much desert to prepare!). You're welcome to bring a friend!
If you need directions, please let us know.
When: Friday, June 25th @ 7:00 p.m.
Where: William's House
To view an online catalog please go to: www.liasophia.com/carolburke
RSVP's appreciated (need to know how much desert to prepare!). You're welcome to bring a friend!
If you need directions, please let us know.
Monday, June 7, 2010
New fundraising total
Our new fundraising total is $6,924.15 benefiting 4 Paws for Ability, Inc. in William's honor. That puts us over the halfway mark towards our commitment of $13,000.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our journey.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our journey.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Fundraiser at Riverside Coffee Mill
Saturday's fundraiser at Riverside Coffee Mill was AWESOME! And yes, we are still doing Happy Dances!
First round of applause goes to Tiffany Brigner who got this whole fundraiser starter and helped out during the entire event (including publicity).
Second round of applause goes to Jamie & Mike, owners of Riverside for their open arms of hospitality.
Thank you to our fabulous volunteers during the event: Tiffany Brigner, Linda Diller, Wendy Auchenbach, Kathleen Pompa, Brittany Robertson, Debbie Jeschke, and Tyler Rose Auchenbach.
Silent Auctions Donations came from: Mark & Denise Strimple (Wine & Chocolate Basket), Lisa Fragassi (Creative Memories), Angel Reichard (Mary Kay & greeting cards), Laura Hoevener (Adventures Around Cincinnati), Sonnie Woodruff (Maccessorized), Justin & Emily Carabello (Carabello Coffees and Journals), Bill Gore (Magellan GPS & Dream Gear i.Sound), Linda Diller (Shaklee Weekend Warrior Therapy Basket), Mark Pfister (Bob Sumerel Free Oil & Filter Change), Gina Pfister ( lillie reed jewelry), Chris Russell (Lia Sophia Jewelry), and Kathleen Pompa and Wendy Auchenbach (beaded bookmarks).
Special guests included: Dash, 4 Paws Service Dog in Training, and Madison, Therapy Dog. Both got to smell the waffles (and drool) but didn't get to taste them.
A big round of applause goes to everyone who came out and support us Saturday morning enjoying delicious waffles after the Friday night storms.
Thanks everyone for making this a successful event of raising over $1,000 for 4 Paws for Ability in William's honor!
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