BALDWINSVILLE — A local Girl Scout is teeing up for a second round of her fundraiser for K-9 Caring Angels, a nonprofit that trains therapy dogs and psychiatric service dogs for veterans. The “Paws for Soldiers and Sailors” Golf Tournament takes place Sunday, June 5, at Foxfire.
Dariyan DeWeese, 15, said the inaugural Paws for Soldiers and Sailors tournament last year raised $8,000 for K-9 Caring Angels.
“I felt really good about it. Just seeing the payoff [of the efforts] of all the different people in the community that helped was really cool,” DeWeese told the Messenger.
Last year’s tournament drew 120 golfers and 40 dinner guests, and DeWeese is hoping the now-annual event continues to grow. She is still accepting sponsors and participants; the registration deadline is Sunday, May 29.
With the ongoing pandemic, DeWeese acknowledged that resources are spread thin, but every cent counts.
“Everyone’s going through a hard time right now and businesses are dealing with so many different things,” she said.
A member of Troop 10127, DeWeese is working on her Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. She jumped right into working on her Gold Award after completing her Silver Award project — last year’s tournament. She said she wanted to keep the momentum going.
“I wanted to do the same thing as last year, but try to make it even better,” she said.
A new component for this year’s project is a letter-writing campaign in support of the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act (PAWS Act) of 2021, which directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot program to provide service dogs for veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
President Joe Biden signed into law Aug. 25, 2021, but the law only covers PTSD and not other mental health diagnoses. VA benefits will pay for a service dog for a veteran “diagnosed as having a visual, hearing, or substantial mobility impairment.”
DeWeese is hoping the PAWS Act can be expanded to include conditions such as anxiety, depression and social phobias.
“It’s not just about what you can see on the outside. It’s about disabilities you can’t see on the inside and helping meet their needs too,” she said.
K-9 Caring Angels is based in Virginia and provides training and certifications for psychiatric service dogs as well as therapy dogs, which are trained to provide comfort and affection in schools, libraries, hospitals and nursing homes.
K-9 Caring Angels also trains facility dogs — therapy dogs who work full-time at fire departments, funeral homes and other locations. The organization has a Syracuse branch that connects therapy dogs with local schools.
To learn more about K-9 Caring Angels, visit k-9caringangels.org or follow @K9CaringAngelsofSyracuse on Facebook or Instagram.
Paws for Soldiers and Sailors takes place Sunday, June 5, at Foxfire Golf Course in Village Green. Registration is $110 per golfer; each team that donates an item for K-9 Caring Angels (such as collars, puppy-safe toys or puppy food) will receive a mulligan. For non-golfers, there is a $50 dinner-only option as well.
For more information about sponsorship or registration, contact Dariyan DeWeese at 937-243-0056 or [email protected].
