Golden Retrievers Help Autistic Children
The Autism News | English
Project Chance Program Helps Families With Special Needs Children
By News 4 Jax | Jacksonville News
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Anyone who owns a golden retriever knows they can be great pets.
That’s especially true for families who have special needs children.
In many ways, Callie, Jordan and Flux are your typical golden retrievers.
They love to go for a walk, take a swim or just chase each other around.
But what makes them different is what they do for children like Evan Fitzpatrick and his family.
They are part of “Project Chance,” a program based in Fernandina Beach that matches golden retrievers to autistic children.
“The kids become calmer, the parents become calmer, screaming becomes much less,” said B.J. Szwedzinski, founder of Project Chance. “So as much as it is for the child, it’s also for the entire entity of the family.”
Szwedzinski said it’s a team effort.
The puppies — like Flux and Jordan — are raised by foster families who care for them until they’re about a year old. But there’s also heavy interaction with the family that’s going to adopt them.
Linda Carbiener is raising flux. It’s her second foster dog.
“You feel good after interaction, after this child reaches a new milestone and is able to do something they haven’t been able to do before,” Carbiener said.
Across town Wednesday, at the Fitzpatrick Home, one of Project Chance’s puppies, Jordan, came to spend time with Callie, a graduate of the program.
To say Callie has made a difference for Evan and his family would be a huge understatement.
“It’s much better than I thought it would be,” Evan’s mother, Christina Fitzpatrick, said. “I thought it would be good, but I didn’t know it would be life changing for him.”
And the program has also brought so many families together.
Ilene Paige, who is raising Jordan for now, has become good friends with Christina Fitzpatrick.
She knows she’ll eventually have to give Jordan up, but the experience has been enriching for her and her children.
“There just aren’t enough opportunities for kids to be of service to other kids, and my kids really wanted to get involved in this program, and I just thought it would be a great opportunity all around,” Paige said.
If you’d like information on Project Chance, if you want to help out with money or volunteering or if you just want to find out about how it can help kids, you can call 904-491-0414 or visit www.projectchance.com.
Video: Special Needs Children Get Help
Source: http://www.news4jax.com/news/20146522/detail.html#
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