Travel to Get Jeffery's Service Dog
Donation protected
Hello! Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jeffery. I am 10 years old and I live in Shenandoah, Virginia. I attend Shenandoah Elementary School and am in the fifth grade. I am a black belt in American Freestyle Karate and I play football for the PYFL Panthers. When I put my mind to something, I can accomplish just about anything and my mommy and daddy encourage me along the way.
I seem like a typical 10 year old, don't I? For the most part, I am. What most people don't know is that to do everything I do, school, karate and football...I have to work really hard to do it and when I am in an environment I am comfortable in (ie, home) I completely lose control. The smallest of things can set me off, even if it's just where I sit at the dinner table. In public, to help myself keep calm, you can most of the time see me rocking back and forth, it's how I soothe myself. When I'm upset, mad or overwhelmed, I don't process my emotions very well and can get a bit extreme with screaming or throwing things. Nothing mommy and daddy do can calm me down and no punishments or therapies have ever worked to keep me from acting this way, they've tried just about everything that counselors have suggested.
Mommy and daddy have taken me to a lot of doctors to try and find out why I am like this. My official diagnosis is ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder and Mood Disorder (unspecified). I stump a lot of doctors because I like to talk, I enjoy being with people so they say I'm "too social" to be autistic, but I show a LOT of autistic traits, including being socially inappropriate at times.
After a lot of research, mommy and one of my doctors agreed that a Service Dog would benefit me GREATLY. The dog would be trained to disrupt my meltdowns or distract me before a meltdown occurs. If I were to ever run away, the dog could also track me down! Isn't that cool? After MORE research, mommy found 4 Paws For Ability. She sent in my application and we were approved. We agreed to raise $14,000 for 4 Paws for Ability so they can continue their mission of providing service dogs to kids with disabilities and veterans.
GUESS WHAT! In January of 2016 WE FINISHED!!! I'M GETTING A SERVICE DOG! In the Summer of 2017 we will travel to Xenia, OH to meet my new best friend!
I'm not an only child, I have 4 younger siblings. We're a family of 7, so you can imagine how much it's going to cost to get us to Ohio and through the 2 weeks and then home again with my new buddy. That's why we have this GoFundMe page, we need help :) Anything that is left after our trip will be set aside for doggy stuff (basic necessities, extra toys, vet care, emergencies with the doggy, etc)
We'll even accept gift cards for gas or food (there are a lot of restaraunts/fast food near 4 Paws for Ability) too, just go to my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/4PawsForJeffery/ and message my mommy. She'll let you know where you can send it :)
Every little bit helps. Will you help me go meet my new best friend?
I seem like a typical 10 year old, don't I? For the most part, I am. What most people don't know is that to do everything I do, school, karate and football...I have to work really hard to do it and when I am in an environment I am comfortable in (ie, home) I completely lose control. The smallest of things can set me off, even if it's just where I sit at the dinner table. In public, to help myself keep calm, you can most of the time see me rocking back and forth, it's how I soothe myself. When I'm upset, mad or overwhelmed, I don't process my emotions very well and can get a bit extreme with screaming or throwing things. Nothing mommy and daddy do can calm me down and no punishments or therapies have ever worked to keep me from acting this way, they've tried just about everything that counselors have suggested.
Mommy and daddy have taken me to a lot of doctors to try and find out why I am like this. My official diagnosis is ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder and Mood Disorder (unspecified). I stump a lot of doctors because I like to talk, I enjoy being with people so they say I'm "too social" to be autistic, but I show a LOT of autistic traits, including being socially inappropriate at times.
After a lot of research, mommy and one of my doctors agreed that a Service Dog would benefit me GREATLY. The dog would be trained to disrupt my meltdowns or distract me before a meltdown occurs. If I were to ever run away, the dog could also track me down! Isn't that cool? After MORE research, mommy found 4 Paws For Ability. She sent in my application and we were approved. We agreed to raise $14,000 for 4 Paws for Ability so they can continue their mission of providing service dogs to kids with disabilities and veterans.
GUESS WHAT! In January of 2016 WE FINISHED!!! I'M GETTING A SERVICE DOG! In the Summer of 2017 we will travel to Xenia, OH to meet my new best friend!
I'm not an only child, I have 4 younger siblings. We're a family of 7, so you can imagine how much it's going to cost to get us to Ohio and through the 2 weeks and then home again with my new buddy. That's why we have this GoFundMe page, we need help :) Anything that is left after our trip will be set aside for doggy stuff (basic necessities, extra toys, vet care, emergencies with the doggy, etc)
We'll even accept gift cards for gas or food (there are a lot of restaraunts/fast food near 4 Paws for Ability) too, just go to my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/4PawsForJeffery/ and message my mommy. She'll let you know where you can send it :)
Every little bit helps. Will you help me go meet my new best friend?
Organizer
Jackie Staples
Organizer
Shenandoah, VA
