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This Able Veteran Spotlight: Meet Dani Figueroa, This Able Veteran Graduate, and Her Dog, Valor

Dani Figueroa completed the Trauma Resiliency Program at This Able Veteran (TAV) in the fall of 2020.  At the end of the program, she was paired with her service dog, Valor.  Dani is currently an artist in residence in Lorton, Virginia, with the Workhouse Military in the Arts Initiative (WMAI) program, which is a program for active or retired service members who want to create original works of art in a collaborative environment.  Dani credits This Able Veteran as the catalyst for becoming an artist in residence. 
 
“As I prepared to go to TAV’s 21-day Trauma Resiliency Program, I debated about whether to take my guitar.  I was anxious about traveling for the first time with a service dog during the pandemic, and only wanted to travel light,” said Figueroa.
 
In the months before TAV’s program, the veterans are paired with mentors who work with the veterans before and during the program.  Figueroa was paired with Kim DeFiori (and her dog, Thor) and they quickly connected.
 
“Kim talked to me about the importance of self-care, especially during the course, so I trusted her and brought my guitar.  It was then I realized music as an important self-care tool that helps me stay in the moment.  On the night I graduated, and was officially paired with my service dog, I wondered,  “What would it be like to Create With Valor?”  This thought was like a coin, because it had two sides.  (What would it be like to create with him physically by my side, but also with bravery or value?),“ said Figueroa.
 
After her graduation from TAV’s program, Figueroa was selected to be an artist in residence with WMAI.
 
“My residency ends in June with a final show that will run for three months.  It will combine music and visual art.  The title I’ve given it is “Together.”  It’s about strength and growth, and what happens when there’s connection, service, and support.  I consider TAV to be a huge contributing factor to the path I am currently on with my art,”  said Figueroa.
 
Figueroa says that through TAV’s dog training and the 21-day Trauma Resiliency Program, she now has the tools to take over after Valor has stepped in.
 
“I belong to a strong pack not only with myself and Valor, also with my peers, and with the staff that I can turn to and lean on in time of need.  I can now say my life and focus, as a result of TAV and Valor, are about the ‘This-Ability’ instead of the ‘Dis-Ability,’” she said.
 
Figueroa would highly encourage other veterans suffering from PTSD to apply for TAV’s Trauma Resiliency Program.
 
“It took me a very long time to apply.  My belief was that I didn’t have it as bad as other military members, so I didn’t rate a service dog.  I am grateful I took that step and sent in my application.  I could never have imagined living a healthier more connected life,”  said Figueroa.
 
Since Valor has been in her life, she has experienced so much joy with him.
 
“There are two amazing moments that rise to the top for me.  One, is having been a mentor; and two, having played at Kim’s wedding.  It was so amazing to have shared that moment with her and her wife, with all of our service dogs, and to meet their extended families and close friends.” she said. 
 
Figueroa has created a website, creatingwithvalor.com, with the intention to pay it forward through art sales and commissions, and to highlight the organizations that have given so much to her and others.  This Able Veteran highly encourages its readers to visit and see photos of Figueroa and Valor along with her artwork, and blog.  She also has listed This Able Veteran and Victor Pet Foods as organizations she supports.
 
If you would like to learn more about This Able Veteran and its mission, please visit thisableveteran.org.  To learn how you can support This Able Veteran, visit https://thisableveteran.org/how-you-can-help/donate-now/
#veterans #nonprofit #veteranlove #servicedogs #donate #thisableveteran #ptsd
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Massac Quilters Guild Raises Donations for This Able Veteran Six Years in a Row

Massac Quilter’s Guild president Janet Mittendorf (third from left, front row) presents the group’s donation to This Able Veteran executive director Rebecca Renshaw. The group raised $2,442 during the 2023 AQS Paducah Quilt Show with its raffle of two quilts. Guild members present are Irene Reising, Charlene Sirmer, Sarah Crim, Martha Bowman, Diane Block, Faith Hammel, and Lorraine Ashby.

 

The members of the Massac Quilters Guild have long believed in the power of giving back to others. Over the years, they have created a variety of items to help others — from pillowcase dresses, items for Lourdes Hospice, to pillowcases for area nursing homes.

“Those things were good,” said president Janet Mittendorf. “But we decided we wanted to do something that would make a bigger difference.”

The group decided that would be by helping veterans, but they weren’t sure how to find a local organization.

And then, Mittendorf attended a Red Hats Society meeting where This Able Veteran representatives were speaking and passing out brochures.

“I thought their program sounded amazing, so I contacted them,” Mittendorf said. “We decided we wanted to find a place that was helping veterans and we knew they were getting the help they need. We’ve found something and stuck with it.”

That was 2017 since the partnership began. Since then, Massac Quilters Guild has made and raffled off quilts, raising thousands of dollars for the veterans’ organization. That latest donation was presented to This Able Veteran executive director Rebecca Renshaw on June 5.

The raffling of two quilts raised $2,442.80 during the 2023 AQS Paducah Quilt Show.

Those funds are used by This Able Veteran to train service dogs for U.S. military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Headquartered in Carbondale, This Able Veteran has been helping veterans since 2011. Serving veterans from around the country, it was founded by Behesha Doan, who is the organization’s training director and the owner of Extreme K-9. As a trauma survivor, Doan brings insight to how a correctly trained service dog, combined with a trauma resiliency program, can make a difference in the lives of those suffering from post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries and those with co-occurring substance abuse. Through This Able Veteran, Doan has developed a veteran-centric model of care that involves the veterans, their clinicians, the service dogs and This Able Veteran.

Renshaw explained the training program costs over $30,000 for each service dog as they get the service dogs as puppies to start training them right away. The dogs go home every night with a trainer and are specially trained for each veteran.

“There’s a very strenuous process we go through to select both the veterans and the dogs. Service dogs are selected based on their temperament, structural soundness, proven lineage of healthy genetics and several other qualifications. Veterans must fill out an online application to be considered for the program,” Renshaw emphasized.

“Once selected, we find out what they need,” Renshaw said. “We pair the dog with the veteran based on where the veteran lives, the veteran’s lifestyle, and the temperament of them both. We train that dog for that veteran specifically.”

During its almost 12-year history, This Able Veteran has graduated 80 pairs of dogs and veterans. The next class is set to graduate in late October.

“It’s a great thing to be a part of,” Mittendorf said.

Massac Quilters Guild members have already begun the work on the quilt they will be raffling off during the 2024 AQS Paducah Quilt Show. The fabric and other materials will be donated allowing proceeds to go to This Able Veteran. The members divvy up the work of each block and then put it all together by January.

“Ticket sales will begin in February. Tickets are $1 each and available from guild members or during the April quilt show, during which AQS allows us to sell tickets at the Julian Carroll Convention Center,” said Mittendorf.

The Massac Quilters Guild was organized in 1983 to encourage interest in all phases of quilting. The group meets the first Monday of the month at the Metropolis Community Center at 9:30 a.m. with doors opening at 9 a.m. Meetings are held the second Monday if the meeting day falls on a holiday.

“We’re a very small group, but we try to get a lot done,” Mittendorf said.

For more information on This Able Veteran, visit thisableveteran.org.

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What Makes a This Able Veteran Service Dog Special?

The US Department of Veteran Affairs says Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) “is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.”

Fortunately, This Able Veteran is doing something to assist qualified veterans suffering from PTSD with highly trained service dogs.

In this post, we will identify what makes a This Able Veteran service dog so remarkable and unique and how they help veterans suffering with PTSD by the tasks they’ve been trained to perform.

What Makes TAV Dogs Special?

Behesha Doan, founder and Program Director of This Able Veteran, is a certified dog trainer and a certified service dog trainer through the International Association of Canine Professionals, and her training career spans nearly 40 years. Doan explains what makes TAV dogs so special.

“One of the things that makes TAV service dogs so remarkable is our puppy selection process of the service dog candidates. Given the importance of the tasks these dogs will need to perform, we start with puppies that come from a genetic and temperamental history of proven service dog stock. That means the mother and father have produced puppies whose temperaments are consistent with the kind of work they will need to do as adult working dogs.” said Doan.

This Able Veteran typically takes pups in at eight weeks of age and their training begins at that time. It takes between 16-18 months from start to finish.

“One of most important things is that our new puppies must learn how to learn.  We accomplish this in our 8 week old pups by teaching interactive games using positive reinforcement and play.  When done effectively, our training system creates a highly motivated, focused, engaged young dog that loves to learn new things.  When this system of communication is built and cemented in the months that follow, we can teach the dogs new things for the rest of its life. Because dogs also have genetic motivations, breed specific tendencies, social and interactive needs, food motivations, and varying capacities to sustain mental focus, we make sure we expand the dogs’ capacities as far as possible while loving their work every hour of every day of their lives.” said Doan.

Doan says that This Able Veteran dog trainers have learned directly from her how to develop and instill a clear understanding of how to do tasks that have dozens of layers required for understanding and reliable performance under high distraction levels or to awaken out of a dead sleep and still accomplish the task(s). She explains that nightmare interruption is a good example of a multi-layer process.

“The dogs must have genetic, temperamental and trained responses to remain completely calm and peaceful when a veteran might be at work, in a classroom, or in a meeting. In the same instant, they also must recognize, react and alert the veteran when the veteran shows even the most subtle signs of rising anxiety which could be a jaw clench, a stiffening of the body, wringing of the hands or respiration changes. The dog is trained to move from calm inactivity to highly focused in a matter of two or three seconds.” she said.

“That is a razor thin line for a dog to do that especially when the dog is being petted or talked to by others or in crowds or stadiums. TAV dogs also must be non-reactive to loud/strange sounds, abrupt movements, uninvited touch, and stressful environments. They must become neutral to all those things.” Behesha stated.

Reflecting on the goal of placing a TAV service dog in a veteran’s life, Doan states “It is a powerful thing to hear our veterans tell us how much more peace, freedom, and independence they experience on an increasing basis from year to year.  As the veteran practices what he/she learned in our Trauma Resilience Program, and the dog practices it’s trained skillsets, the result is a more and more empowered life, deeper attunement between the dog/handler pair, and better quality of life for their families and friends as well.

And it all starts with those special TAV dogs.

 

To learn how you can support This Able Veteran, visit here. Thank you.

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Spotlight on This Able Veteran Board President, Jonathan Mitchell

Jonathan Mitchell has served on This Able Veteran’s (TAV) Board of Directors since
2016. He became aware of TAV, a non-profit organization located in southern Illinois,
through his affiliation with Rotary.

“When Phil Gillespie, a former member of TAV’s Board of Directors and fellow Rotarian
told me about this about this great program that helps veterans suffering from PTSD, I
was impressed. As a veteran myself, I thought this organization’s mission was
outstanding, so when he asked me to join the board, I didn’t hesitate,” said Jonathan.
Jonathan says his experiences serving TAV have been enriching.

“TAV is an organization that provides personal and direct support to help veterans in
need. Every year I get to see the substantial impact that TAV makes for the veterans
who are chosen to be part of this program, which is why I continue to proudly serve on
TAV’s Board,” he said.

Jonathan’s has a rich and varied background. Born in Tyler, Texas, he graduated from
Baylor University with a Business degree and a secondary education teaching
certificate. After graduating, he started his professional career with a marketing
company headquartered in St. Louis. Jonathan worked on projects including the 1996
Olympic Torch Relay, the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and he traveled the
country on projects for K-Mart and Coca-Cola.

After two years of marketing, meeting his wife, and getting married, he returned to
school for a graduate degree and attended law school at the University of Oklahoma.
Immediately after graduation from law school, Jonathan started with the US Navy Judge
Advocate General’s Corps and his first duty locations were at Naval Air Station
Jacksonville, Florida and at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. After five years of active
duty, he transitioned into the Navy Reserve and he and his wife, and their two
daughters, moved to southern Illinois where he has practiced law in the civilian sector
since 2005 while continuing to serve in the US Navy Reserve. He is currently the
Managing Partner for Feirich/Mager/Green/Ryan law firm in Carbondale, Illinois, where
he has a general practice, but focuses on corporate law and civil litigation.

With almost 23 years of military service, Jonathan currently is a Captain serving as the
Commanding Officer of the Navy Reserve Region Legal Service Midwest at Naval
Station Great Lakes.

“The Navy has allowed me to travel the globe and it has opened doors for me
throughout my life. During my active and reserve career, I have served at locations
across the US and in Afghanistan, Iraq, Cuba, Bahrain, Italy, and Japan,” he said.

Jonathan has always had an affinity for dogs, which also helped him relate well with
This Able Veteran.

“I had a Labrador Retriever for the past nine years named Cash, who
unfortunately passed away in 2022. Cash was a two-time champion of the Splash Dogs
retriever jumping contest at John A. Logan Community College Fishing and Hunting
Days. He was a member of the family and a smart and loyal friend,” said Jonathan.
For the dogs TAV trains each year, Jonathan says he stands in awe watching the
trainers train the dogs for the veterans.

“I have a tremendous amount of pride and joy observing Behesha Doan, founder of This
Able Veteran, and the trainers work and teach the dogs with the goal of pairing each
dog with a veteran in need. Even though I have seen the fully-trained dogs many times
in the past seven years, I continue to find it amazing to watch the service dogs work
with and support their veterans,” he said.

Jonathan’s wife, Christie Mitchell, is a lecturer at Southern Illinois University in
Carbondale, Illinois and teaches in the marketing department of the SIU School of
Business. They have two daughters, Annie and Grace, who are both currently attending
the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Jonathan says in his spare time, he
enjoys exercise, golf, and spending time with friends and family.

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This Able Veteran Spotlight: Meet Jon Steele, This Able Veteran Graduate, and His Dog, Lobo

Jon Steele completed the Trauma Resiliency Program at This Able Veteran in the fall of 2020. At the end of the program, he was paired with his service dog, Lobo, and it’s been a lasting match ever since. Recently, he and Lobo were asked by Mid America Pet Food Company to go to Dallas and be in a video featuring veterans and their service dogs. Naturally, Jon jumped at the chance and he and Lobo flew to Dallas in early March. The video will be aired later this month.

“The experience was so much fun! It was amazing to see how much coordination and effort goes into a video shoot like this. All the crew were so friendly and helpful, and my hat goes off to them for their excellence!” said Steele. “Lobo was amazing of course. I had him vested most of the time, either for the shoot or working. He certainly helped me stay present and comfortable on set.”

Steele says that This Able Veteran’s program was something he will never forget and that he is so grateful to have participated.

“The Trauma Resiliency Program was tough, with a lot of information and emotions, but worth every second. The people at This Able Veteran are simply the best people and program you could imagine. I feel like I was introduced to a whole new family that I’m thankful and proud to be a part of!”

Steele encourages other veterans who are suffering from PTSD to consider applying to This Able Veteran.

“This Able Veteran provided me with the expertise and support to be more introspective. I have a much better understanding of what is triggering me and how to mitigate it. My marriage has strengthened and relationships that were nearly severed are now very strong,” said Steele.

Steele lives in Thornton, Colorado, approximately 30 minutes north of Denver and he is a cyber security engineer at Raytheon Intelligence & Space. Steele says he and his wife enjoy taking Lobo for hikes in the Colorado Mountains, and swimming with him in nearby lakes.

‘I love watching him run and play in the water like a little pup. He has brought me so much joy!”

If you would like to learn more about This Able Veteran and its mission, please visit thisableveteran.org. To learn how you can support This Able Veteran, visit https://thisableveteran.org/how-you-can-help/donate-now/

 

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