Local honored for dog club work
Presentation on Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Juniata Valley also given
MIFFLINTOWN – A long time volunteer with the Juniata County Seeing Eye Puppy Club was recently honored by the state and again, on Tuesday, by the Juniata County Commissioners.
Jean Swartz, who has been working with the seeing eye dog training program since 1994, recently received the 2016 Pennsylvania Community Service Award from the PA Agricultural Extension Service. She was nominated by Teresa Ellinger, 4-H program assistant.
“The Pennsylvania 4-H office allows educators to submit applications for this award,” Ellinger said. “Jean has been the leader of the seeing eye puppy club for a long time. She arranges outings and the club does an excellent job with community service projects.”
Swartz said the dogs the club receives are primarily for seeing eye purposes, but some, unfortunately don’t make the cut.
“If they don’t make it as a seeing eye dog, some are recruited as drug dogs,” Swartz said. “Some get rejected for medical reasons. If that happens, they also make excellent pets.”
Swartz said club members look for any opportunities to get out in the community with their animals in order to acclimate them to as many situations as possible.
“We just got back from (Hershey’s) Chocolate World,” Swartz said. “We’ve taken them to Rehoboth Beach, we go to airports, train stations and even to a (Hershey) Bears hockey game. That’s the fun part of the training. We do anything we think a blind person might do.”
Commissioner Alice Gray said she thinks they can all be proud of Swartz’s work for the community as well as the state and nation.
In other business Tuesday, Judy Fitzgerald, representing Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Juniata Valley, was on hand to give an overview of the program and to invite Juniata County residents to take part in the organization’s signature fundraising event in April.
“Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a youth mentoring service,” Fitzgerald said. “We match adults up with children ranging in age from 5 to 17. We also sponsor an after school program at Tuscarora Junior High School matching junior high kids with high schoolers.”
Fitzgerald said the program, especially for the “littles,” addresses risk factors in children’s lives and helps better decision making skills. She said the teen volunteers also benefit from what she described as “protective factors.”
“This provides (high schoolers) a connection with the community and their school,” Fitzgerald said. “They feel they’re doing something good for the community and their schools, which they are.”
Fitzgerald said the local program follows the strict guidelines of the national organization, including setting up standards and maintaining child safety, helping matches get together, and keeping in constant contact with all match parties.
“After being matched with the same mentors we start to see some changes in them after six months,” she said. “After 12 months, those changes become permanent.”
Challenges ahead for the program, Fitzgerald said, are finding more volunteers to match up with “littles,” and, of course, funding.
On April 9, Fitzgerald said the program will partner with three Juniata County restaurants, Bread of Life on March 18, Tyson Hill on March 23, and Harshbarger’s Sub N’ Malt on March 28. During that time, those restaurants will donate a percentage of their dine-in and takeout proceeds to Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Also, the annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake will be held April 8 at Lewistown Lanes and the Moose Family Center. During that event, teams of four bowl for two hours during a time of their choice. The $225 registration fee includes a T-shirt, bowling shoes, hot dogs, chips and a soda. Deadline to register is March 3 by calling (717) 248-4034.
In other business Tuesday, the commissioners:
¯ Approved the subrecipient grant agreement with the Mifflintown Municipal Authority for a project to construct a water storage tank and pumping station to provide municipal water and fire service to customers located in Walker Township along William Penn Highway and Route 75. Total amount of the project grant is $1 million.
¯ Approved payment of bills in the amount of $70,482.71.
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