If you’ve ever loved a dog, you understand the profound bond between humans and canines. Thanks to a generous lead gift from the Billi Marcus Foundation, Jacob’s Ladder is now closer than ever to making our dream of adding a canine therapy program called Circle of Hope to our Animal-Assisted Activity Program a reality. Read more about Circle of Hope…
Circle of Hope is a transformative program that will serve clients at our Hope School, a PreK-12th grade accredited private school for individuals with complex emotional, behavioral, and relational disorders. Many of our Hope School clients come to Jacob’s Ladder seeking understanding, love, compassion, and respect they may not have found in other school settings, marking the beginning of their own transformational journeys. Though they have previously struggled to connect with adults and peers, we have witnessed them finding comfort, strength, and a sense of purpose through interactions with the 40+ animals on our campus. Through Circle of Hope, we aim to deepen these connections by allowing clients to work with and care for dogs who, like them, arrive seeking the love, healing, and transformation they can’t find in shelters.
Did you know?
One of Jacob’s Ladder’s most popular therapeutic programs is our Animal-Assisted Activity Program. Incorporating animal enrichment activities into a client’s daily goals naturally provides opportunities to build social, communicative, independent, self-regulation skills, and even fine and gross motor skills in an engaging way. Our 17-acre Roswell campus is home to 40+ animals – from larger animals like alpacas, donkeys, goats, and a miniature horse to our smaller variety, like chickens, guinea pigs, and Kermit, our campus cat.
At the heart of the program, Circle of Hope will harness the unique bond between humans and dogs to foster healing. Here’s how it works:
- Jacob’s Ladder will collaborate with our local rescue partners to select pre-screened dogs suitable for the program. The dogs will reside in a dedicated facility on our Roswell Campus.
- Hope School clients will engage with our animal care team and professional trainers in daily animal care and training activities as part of their educational and therapeutic goals, forming bonds that benefit them and the dogs in their care.
- Community outreach is a core aspect of the canine therapy program. Once trained, our animal care staff and clients will take the dogs to visit local hospitals and assisted living facilities, bringing joy to patients and residents while enhancing socialization opportunities for clients and dogs alike.
- The final component of the program involves finding loving forever homes for the dogs in our care. We will work closely with our local adoption and rescue partners, showcasing our dogs on websites and promoting them at adoption events. Hope School clients will be involved in every step of this process, ensuring their engagement in the entire journey for every animal. A new shelter dog will join the Circle of Hope program for each adopted animal.
The generous grant from the Billi Marcus Foundation sets us on the path to establishing this program, but we still need approximately $35,000 to reach our goal. If you would like more information on Circle of Hope or how to support this effort, please contact Cathy LaClaire, Chief Advancement Officer, at CathyL@TheJacobsLadderGroup.org.
Our Founder, Amy O’Dell, with her dog Copper (pictured in the last photo), visiting the clients and providers on the Jacob’s Ladder campus. 🐕❤️
