Sherry Lawson, Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations for Casino Rama recently attended a C.O.P.E. Service Dogs Puppy Petting session to present a cheque to the charity. On hand to receive the donation were TEN, five week old puppies! C.O.P.E. Service Dogs is grateful for the ongoing, generous support from the Casino Rama Wellness Fund.

Through the training and subsequent placement of special service dogs, C.O.P.E. Service Dogs (Canine Opportunity, People Empowerment) helps people with disabilities, challenged youth, children, and people in the community achieve positive changes and growth in their lives.

C.O.P.E., a multi-faceted charity, involves many groups in the community in the two-year training period of its service dogs. Through its youth programs, C.O.P.E. reaches out to high school students experiencing challenges in school.  Each student is matched with a C.O.P.E. puppy and taught how to train it to open doors, turn on lights, and help with clothing - tasks that a person using a wheelchair might have difficulty doing on their own. Each dog interacts with numerous community groups and participates in activities throughout the training, including acting as reading buddies and math partners for elementary school students, and therapy activities in hospital and retirement homes. As the dogs graduate the students “turn over the leash” to people with disabilities who gain a whole new world of physical and social access, thanks to these assistive and therapeutic animals.