Healing Species of Orangeburg, SC Receives Grant from Doris Day to expand Prison Program
July 22, 2015
Healing Species Prison Program to welcome 10 new dogs thanks to grant provided by Doris Day Animal Foundation.
ORANGEBURG SC, July 15,2015 – The Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF,www.ddaf.org), a national non-profit organization founded by the legendary actress and animal welfare advocate, has provided a grant to Healing Species of Orangeburg, South Carolina, to support their rescue work with homeless dogs and their educational work in nearby communities and state correctional institutions.
“When we learned about Healing Species and its excellent work with prison fostering and training with rescued dogs, we were moved to help,” Miss Day said from her home in Carmel, California. “DDAF funds 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organizations helping animals and the people who love them. The founders and volunteers at Healing Species are doing good work, and we’re proud to be able to support their efforts.”
“What started out as an ask for assistance to add ten new dogs to our Prison Program, has already turned into what will prove to be multiples of that outcome- -it’s funny how a ‘jump start help’ can go such a long way when you know ‘help is on the way.’ Within the first week of hearing that the Doris Day Foundation will support Healing Species’ Prison Program work- we have already added 6 new dogs to the program at Lee Correctional Facility in Bishopville, SC. The magnitude of gratitude we feel toward Miss Doris Day, a legend in her own time and a soul with such a magnanimous spirit of love and generosity, is overwhelming. I have been a longtime supporter of Doris Day, and now to be partnering with her in this way literally brought me to tears. Warden Cecilia Reynolds at Lee Correctional, and Character Dorm Officer Sargeant Goodman, are also heroes in our eyes for fostering and encouraging the growth of the Healing Species Prison Program at Lee.” says Cheri Brown Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of the Healing Species founded in Orangeburg, SC.
Cheri founded the Healing Species in 1999 first as a Compassion Curriculum School Based outreach program for school children when she learned in Law School at USC about the relationship between violent crime and children who grow up abused and who in turn, abuse others, namely animals, while still themselves children; thus establishing a pattern of disrespecting the feelings of others, even life, that follows them into adulthood and adult choice-making. Cheri knew this awful cycle could be broken with proper intervention, education, and compassion. Cheri believes that what so many people are missing is that animal welfare is “peace on earth” welfare.
“As long as humans can segregate, isolate, or compartmentalize one form of cruelty as something they are permitted to turn a blind eye to, we will never stamp out barbarism in our society. But if we realize that cruelty perpetrated against the weakest among us escalates to permissive violence amongst all of us, we can truly begin to turn the tide in society to evolve to a more civilized, kind, and compassionate culture on this planet. At Healing Species, we believe if every child could experience our love, our curriculum lessons, and experience a relationship with our rescued dogs nobody else wanted, along with the basic principles we teach of self-mindfulness, how to seek help if in abuse, and of healing through giving love instead of returning ‘hate for hate’- even youth in war torn areas of conflict could stand a chance for peace over ‘violence as the only solutions.'”
The suffering of innocence should not be tolerated. At Healing Species we believe circumstances can change, people’s minds can open, and hearts can soften. That’s why we teach children and work with prison inmates. Not just any prison inmate is allowed to become a dog handler however; they have to have joined an honor or character dorm, and signed a “treaty” of sorts among other unit residents to respect the feelings, space, person, and needs of all others. They have to live a life of stellar character, right inside their own surroundings behind the gates, to be considered as a dog handler. Then, they go through a Healing Species training, and are monitored both by prison staff and Healing Species unannounced visits. What we at Healing Species have seen is an amazing healing for both inmates and the formerly unwanted dogs!
Healing Species sums up their Prison Program this way, from a dog’s perspective: “If I have no time left… If I’ve overstayed my welcome at a shelter, or am knocking on death’s door from abuse… And if all he has is time to serve; Can’t we make each other better together?”
With the simple and straightforward mission of helping animals and those who love them, Doris Day Animal Foundation provides funding to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations for animal welfare work with specific low-overhead programs, including animal rescue, lifetime care for search and rescue dogs, helping people care for their animals, assisting with care for horses, paying for spay/neuters and other animal-related needs.
Additional grants have provided funding for college scholarships, rescue efforts for California seals and sea lions, Kevlar vests for service dogs, greyhound rescue, wild mustang rescue, reduced adoption fees for seniors adopting senior pets, wildlife sanctuary assistance, and feral cat TNR programs, to name but a few.
Healing Species is grateful beyond measure to the Doris Day Foundation, making our work possible.
