Teresa Fitzpatrick Elected to America’s VetDogs and Guide Dog Foundation Board
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Smithtown, N.Y. (February 3, 2022) – The Guide Dog Foundation and its sister organization America’s VetDogs, are pleased to announce the election of Teresa Fitzpatrick, of Springfield, VA., to serve on their boards of directors. The boards provide
counsel and oversight to advance the organizations’ mission to provide guide and service dogs and training – free of charge – to people who are blind or have low vision, and to those who have served our country honorably.
Fitzpatrick is the Associate Director of the Air National Guard’s Intelligence and Cyber Effects Operations Directorate, within the National Guard Bureau, Joint Base Andrews. Teresa is a VetDogs graduate and serves as handler to Sgt. Cleo, a male, black Labrador Facility Dog that visits with personnel at Joint Base Andrews to promote wellness and stress relief.
“We are privileged to welcome Teresa to our boards of directors,” said John Miller, president and CEO of the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs. “Her extensive career, wealth of experience and passion shown through handling a Facility Dog to support military personnel will be a tremendous asset to our organizations as we further our missions.”
The Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs boards of directors comprise volunteer leaders from the medical, business, academic, and military and veteran communities. Members of the board of directors set strategic direction and policy and help raise awareness of the organizations’ services.
About America’s VetDogs
Since 2003, America’s VetDogs (www.VetDogs.org) has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to veterans with disabilities from all eras. In 2015, VetDogs opened its programs to first responders, including fire, police, and emergency medical personnel. America's VetDogs is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by the Guide Dog Foundation and serves clients from across the United States. VetDogs relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to help those who have served our country live with dignity and independence. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but America’s VetDogs provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. America’s VetDogs has been accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.
About the Guide Dog Foundation
For more than 75 years, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. (www.GuideDog.org), has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to people who are blind, have low vision, or have other special needs. The Guide Dog Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization serving clients from across the United States and Canada. The Foundation relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to serve people with disabilities. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but the Guide Dog Foundation provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. Its sister organization, America’s VetDogs, trains and provides guide, service, and hearing dogs for disabled veterans and first responders. The Guide Dog Foundation was the first assistance dog school in the United States to be accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.