On Saturday, March 25th, the Comfort Dogs visited the Chicago Public Safety Training Center to meet and greet members of the Chicago Fire Department and their families. The LCC K-9 Ministry was represented by LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Myra (St Andrews – Park Ridge, Illinois) and LCC Kare 9® Military Ministry Dogs Brutus and Nigel (LCC Squad). Parents and children had a great time being with the Comfort Dogs and hearing about how they serve those in need.
On Saturday, March 11, LCC Kare 9® Military Ministry Dog Amos (Our Savior’s Way - Ashburn, Virginia) and his veteran handler joined LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Kezia (Emmanuel - Baltimore, Maryland) to bring comfort and love to a Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Event in Bethesda, Maryland. The event was held for pre and post deployment Air National Guard service members and their families from New Castle, Delaware; Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, D.C. and Langley, Virginia. The LCC K-9 Ministry teams were present for attendees as they spent the day learning about all the resources available to support them as service members prepare to leave or return home. During one emotional moment, a service member shared that she was there for both post and pre deployment as she had just come home and was getting ready to leave for the next assignment. She talked through tears about how much hugging the comfort dogs was helping her let go of her worries and how she wished her children and husband were able to have a dog to comfort them while she was away. It was a blessing to be able to bring smiles to the attendees and to honor their selfless service during this stressful period.
On Saturday, March 4, LCC Kare 9® Military Ministry Dogs Abraham and Beloved (Trinity - Hicksville, New York), along with their veteran handlers spent the day with the men, women and children of the 106th Air Rescue Wing as they prepared for their future deployment. The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program is the Department of Defense's effort to promote the well-being of National Guard and Reserve members, their families and communities, by connecting them with resources throughout the deployment cycle. Kare 9s Abraham and Beloved attend these events to help provide some level of comfort to what can be a stressful day. During pre-deployments the families are encouraged to attend to know what to expect during deployment and what resources are available to them. During the introduction of the dogs and Lutheran Church Charities, John Haines (Kare-9 handler) assured the attendees that both dogs had top level clearance and would not divulge any secrets shared with them. While attendees were in session many of the children were brought over from the daycare to meet the dogs. One young man, Steven ( 2 years old) shared with the team that he had one golden retriever named Grace and couldn't believe he was seeing two more golden retrievers.
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