Naperville's Scott Elementary School teams up with VET Service Dogs on Veterans Day
In a given year it is estimated that 11-20% of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have PTSD. This number only represents a small fraction of veterans who would or currently do benefit from a service dog.
To raise awareness and funds for veteran service dogs, Scott Elementary School in Naperville and V.E.T. (Veterans Enduring Trauma) Service Dogs NFP, based in Lyons, Ill., are teaming together.
On Thursday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., the school will be hosting the V.E.T. Service Dogs NFP team in honor of Veterans Day.
During the two- hour event, classes will rotate through and have the opportunity to meet the team, veterans and their service dogs.
This opportunity will allow students the chance to learn more about the sacrifices veterans have made, what it means to have a service dog, and the support their dog and the V.E.T. Service Dogs organization is providing. Each class will have the opportunity to ask questions as well.
In addition to the in-person education session, leading up to the event, students will learn more about the veterans, create cards for the local VFW, and help with a fundraiser. Scott School and the community are donating funds through the V.E.T. Service Dogs, NFP site through Nov. 12.
"Educating the kids about working dogs is key as they are often the ones that go on to teach others, including adults," explains Paul Marchiori, V.E.T. Service Dogs, NFP Co-Founder and President. "It's very hard for someone to deal with the stigma and questions around having a service dog when there is no visible disability and the best thing we can do is educate as many people as possible."
V.E.T. Service Dogs opened their doors in May of 2017.
Since then, they have trained and paired approximately 60-70 dogs.
V.E.T. Service Dogs NFP is a nonprofit organization, that provides veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma, the best quality service dogs.
Their vision is to teach each veteran and dog how to create an everlasting bond and mutual respect for each other's abilities. On top of ongoing training, V.E.T. Service Dogs, NFP provides each dog with a lifetime supply of food, care essentials and veterinary care.
For more information about the programs, visit vetservicedogsnfp.org. Donations are welcome via PayPal. Please mention Scott School in the donation notes.
V.E.T. Service Dogs is a nonprofit organization, helping provide veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma, the best quality service dogs.
All of the dogs are trained for the veteran's needs and have received their Canine Good Citizen certification.
Scott Elementary School is located in the Carriage Hill Subdivision of Naperville. It serves kindergarten through fifth grade with a student population just under 450.
The school is led by Principal Hugh Boger, a Marine Corps veteran. Boger's 20-year military career only strengthens his passion for raising awareness around Veterans Day and causes that support our nation's heroes.