Canine Companions Thank Joe For Ongoing Support

The Southwest Region of Canine Companions for Independence visited our office to thank Joe for his continuing support on Thursday. CCI is a non-profit organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs for wounded veterans and people with physical or developmental disabilities.

Since 2013, Joe Verde, who served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, has donated $142,000 to CCI through the NADA foundation.

At the NADA Convention in April 2016, a record $128,000 was raised when a motorcycle donated by ADESA, was auctioned off three times, along with matching bids, to benefit CCI’s wounded veterans initiative.

CCI SW Executive Director demonstrated some training exercises with ‘Dee Dee’ a golden / yellow lab for JVSMT’s staff who looked on, impressed by the extensive training required to meet each veteran’s specific needs. For example, handling purchases at the grocery store can be a challenge depending on the person’s disability, so the dogs are trained to help clients handle credit card or payment transactions with a cashier. The dog is taught to take money, change or a card from the person, put its front paws on the checkout counter and complete the transaction with a cashier.

You can help too! Support this worthy cause by clicking here to benefit CCI through the NADA Charitable Foundation.