RETRIEVING FREEDOM, Inc.

[Bridget Bodine]

Got my raffles! Anybody else? not a brag just a bump, plus be nice to have a new boat!!!......come on folks,

[Charles Dwyer]

Thanks Bridget! Tickets in the mail this afteernoon. Good Luck and thank you so much for your support!!

[JS]

Folks,


......

The thing that sets us apart from most all of the service dog organizations is that we are dog trainers first , we have all the tools and many years of experience.

......

Charles

What Charles said here is worth repeating.

RFI is somewhat unique in that the managers ... those who will run the operation and make the business decisions ... are the trainers themselves. They are “dog people” who have extensive experience in running a business. As such, they can understand the how’s and why’s of things like minimizing the washout rate.

Being able to finish and place a high percentage of the dogs that start out the training program is a major factor in containing the final cost per dog.

JS

[Scott Dewey]

This thread has been great! Thanks again to all that have posted, purchased raffle tickets, and contacted us directly. The raffle tickets on the boat will only be available for the next month, and the odds of winning are still better than 1:100 at this point if you purchase the deal for 5 tickets. Several personal emails have asked us about doing local fundraisers for Retrieving Freedom. What a great idea! I am putting some packages together with handouts, presentations, newsletters, etc. Feel free to contact us about these if you think that there might be some local interest in your area.

These local events could be put together many ways:
1. Local club training day that portion of entries go to Retrieving Freedom
2. 5k run to support RFI
3. Local raffle on a donated item or item that we can get for you Example: Yeti Cooler
4. Local papers running a story on RFI
5. Bake Sales
6. Poker run with local motor cycle clubs -- many veterans enjoy this
7. Larger event with dinner and auction
8. Looking for any other ideas as well

Again, thanks for the involvement in this thread. The longer we can have questions and responses the more awareness we can bring.

Scott Dewey

sdewey@retrievingfreedom.org

[Scott Dewey]

Also I have received several PM's that I can not reply to until I have made 10 posts, so please email me if you can.

Scott

sdewey@retrievingfreedom.org

[jcjcarnes]

Thank you gentleman for doing so much. What an honor to have met you and spend time with you. We're behind you and support your efforts. John Carnes

[Charles Dwyer]

Thursday October 18th, we are having a special event in Memphis, TN. We are blessed to have former Army Captain Luis Montalvan. He has written a New York Best Seller called “Until Tuesday” and will be speaking at a small fund raising event,. Luis will be at the Fire Museum on Adams Street. His book is incredible, easy to read, gives you an insight into what war is like, how he was injured, and how a dog named Tuesday pulled him back from the brink of suicide as a result of a traumatic brain injury and Traumatic Stress Disorder.
www.until-tuesday.com

"A highly decorated Captain in the US Army, Luis Montalvan never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home from combat however the pressures of his physical wounds, traumatic brain injuries, and crippling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder began to take their toll. Haunted by the war and in constant physical pain he soon found himself unable to climb a simple flight of stairs or face a bus ride to the VA hospital. He drank, he argued, he ultimately cut himself off from the ones he loved. Alienated and alone, unable to sleep or bend over without pain, he began to wonder if he would ever recover. Then Luis met Tuesday a beautiful and sensitive Golden Retriever trained to assist the disabled. Tuesday had lived among prisoners and at a home for troubled boys blessing many lives. He could turn on lights, open doors, and sense the onset of anxiety and flashbacks. But because of a unique training situation and a sensitive nature he found it difficult to trust in or connect with human beings until Luis.
“Until Tuesday” is the story of how two wounded warriors had given so much and suffered the consequences and found salvation in each other. Is a story about war and peace, injury and recovery, and psychological wounds and spiritual restoration? But more than that it is a story between a man and how they healed each other’s souls."

Autographed copies of this book are available on our website. If you want to see a deeper insight into what the world is for a wounded veteran and the value of service dogs, this would be a good book. It is also available at most all book stores and it is soon to be a major motion picture. Anyone in the Memphis, TN area that would be interested in hearing Luis talk, we have seats available.

Thanks!
Charles

[Strongline Retrievers]

Bump to top...

[Charles Dwyer]

rfi.jpg

Here is the 2nd painting our good friend Dan Hatala has done for us. Our next fund raising event will focus on PTSD and we hope to have captured that theme in this painting. Prints will be available soon, let us know if your interested. All donations for these sponser prints will go to covering the production costs for service dogs for wounded Veterans and children with Autism.