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Brierley Foundation helps bring
assistance to people with disabilities
Th e C a n i n e C o m pa n i o n s fo r
Independence Baylor Scott & White
Health – Kinkeade Campus has been made
possible by several generous gifts, including a recent $2 million pledge from The
Hal and Diane Brierley Foundation. The
impact of these gifts is far-reaching.
In an East Texas classroom last fall, a
5-year-old student began singing his
“ABC’s” with his class. When his mother,
who happened to be in the classroom
observing that day, heard her son’s voice,
she started crying. It was the first time she’d
ever heard him vocalize anything other
than a cry or scream.
The little boy is one of Stacey Odom’s
special-needs students. He has autism and
had never said any words. Stacey said he
began talking at about the same time that
Fuchsia, a black lab, joined her classroom
at Bullard Elementary, near Tyler, Texas.
Fuchsia is an assistance dog that has special skills to help people with developmental and cognitive disabilities. Her training
took place through a new joint program
between Baylor Scott & White Health and
Canine Companions for Independence®,
the largest assistance-dog training organization in the world.
“It was almost to the day that Fuchsia
came into the classroom and this child
started saying words,” Stacey said. “It gives
me chills still.
In recognition of the Brierley Foundation’s
gift, as well as previous gifts to the facility,
Baylor Health Care System Foundation
will provide recognition on the two canine
6
“When I started the process of researching how
assistance dogs can be used in special education
classrooms, I thought, oh that’s really neat,” she said.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought
that it could be this amazing.”
– Stacey Odom, special education teacher
kennel facilities located on the Kinkeade
Campus. The campus will also include a
Canine Center, which will house areas for
grooming, a radiology lab, food-prep room
and veterinary clinic. It will also have cabins where clients like Stacey will be able to
stay while they’re going through a required
10-day class with their new assistance dog.
Construction on the campus is nearing
completion. It is expected to fully open in
November. Plans for an opening ceremony
are in the works.
This is CCI’s first site in Texas and the
first one to be affiliated with a health care
system. This extension of care will allow
Baylor and CCI to improve the quality of
life for many people in the North Texas area
who have a developmental or physical
disability.
Stacey said her experience with Fuchsia
has been life changing. “When I started the
process of researching how assistance dogs
can be used in special education classrooms,
I thought, oh that’s really neat,” she said.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have
thought that it could be this amazing.”
The average cost to breed and train each
assistance dog is $50,000, and assistance
dogs are provided free of charge to individuals. In order to provide this service to the
community, the Foundation is seeking
community support to cover capital and
operating costs for the construction and
maintenance of the Kinkeade Campus. To
date, more than $5.7 million has been
raised in support of this program.
For more information on Canine Companions
for Independence at Baylor Scott & White
Health – Kinkeade Campus, please contact
Sarah Burdi at 214.820.4721 or Sarah.
[email protected].