48 Humans Helping Animals Help Humans in Israel Avshalom Beni started a program that we call “Humans Helping Animals Help Humans” where animals help humans deal with problems they are having trouble coping with. And while it is easy for cat and dog lovers to love this program, the project is about helping people. They work with children and adults suffering from PTSD, schizophrenia, ADD, and ADHD, and with Holocaust survivors and fathers who want to reconnect with their children. In the past we have funded (i) the costs of camp for some of the kids he helps; (ii) in a break with our normal grant rules, food and veterinarian fees (see the reason in bold black print below), (iii) a critical Parent Child Therapy Group that helped families in the south deal with the trauma of the thousands of missiles unleashed by Hamas in the south of Israel in November of 2012. In the aftermath of the 2014 Hamas War, we funded (iv) two PTSD programs in the south. Last year we made (v) a Challenge Grant that was matched for a program helping parents and children dealing with cancer, (vi) a program helping parents and siblings of autistic children and (vii) a Challenge Grant that Avshalom found another donor to meet for a special needs program for children age 3-5 in Be’er Sheva. During the 2014 Gaza War, children in the south (young and old) were screaming as they heard siren after siren and explosion after explosion. Avshalom, who thinks more of the well- being of who he helps then his own safety, drove to Ashkelon with a helper and a bunch of dogs and cats (his “therapists”) and did not leave until a bunch of kids were smiling and laughing. The war is NOT over for many of the children who lived through all the shelling. The four legged “therapist” in the picture (lower right) died last year, but not before he made this frightened (from the shrill of sirens) little girl feel protected. Since there can be no programs without these “therapists,” many of our donors have made designations to help feed them and pay their vet bills. We encourage our donors to designate up to $33,750 to feed and pay for vet care ($2,250 on average), for each of fifteen four legged “therapists.” We would like our donors to consider supporting all or part of additional programs Avshalom would like to start or continue that will help parents and kids through the horrors of PTSD, cancer or autism. Which group is more important? Which group needs this therapy the most? That is for you to decide. Each program costs approximately $9,450. Please contact me if you would like to hear the specifics of each program he would like to start. How does interaction with a dog or a cat help? For an adult, maybe it awakes a positive memory –For a child, maybe it is a friend. Maybe it is warmth? Avshalom can explain it far better than I can. I first met Avshalom in a hospital – in a psychiatric ward with Survivors who never recovered from years of horror. One of the survivors was holding the leash of a small dog. He was remembering something. Who knows what? And he smiled. What was he remembering? It doesn’t matter what. He smiled. That is enough.