Palatine seniors raise funds for K9s for Veterans

For the past month, residents from Solstice Senior Living in Palatine have been raising funds for K9s for Veterans, a charity that pairs rescue dogs with veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder.

A group of volunteers has been gathering at Jewel-Osco, 45 S. Plum Grove Road, Palatine, setting up a table with handcrafted wares near the store’s entrance and accepting donations.

“The people of Palatine have been so generous and so amazing,” said Domenica Johnson, celebrations director at Solstice Senior Living. As of Sunday, the group raised $2,000.

Johnson said the charity rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to become service animals for veterans. The organization then provides comprehensive support, including free food and basic medical care, for the life of the dog.

Volunteers created the jewelry. Table offerings included resin necklaces, Halloween-themed items, key chains, bookmarks, handmade earrings assembled from purchased charms, decorative push pins, regular pins and an array of bracelets — including particularly popular yarn bracelets.

“We do two or three charities a year,” said one of the volunteers, Maureen Brady. “We're seniors who are retired, so we have some time, so we can make things and try and get involved in these charities. We just want to be involved. We want to give back.”

Another volunteer at Jewel was Solstice resident Allison Lungren, who served in the Navy.

Today, Allison, who has diabetes, relies on her service dog Buddy, an English Mastiff pit mix. Buddy performs many critical functions. He alerts Allison when her blood sugar levels are too high and provides protection when she feels nervous around people.

“This guy has saved me a couple times” she said. “He’s the friendliest dog until he thinks something is going to happen to me.”

PTSD is a terrible disease, she said.

“People don’t believe us, because you can’t see it,” she said.