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SwedishAmerican Caring Canines Therapy Dog Program makes donation to Rockford Police K-9 Unit
SUBMITTED PHOTO The Journal
Left to Right: Carol Snider, Dan Zaccard with Lillie (white shepherd), Jocelyn Turek, Claudia Aschbrenner, Lt. Dan Watton, K9 Ofc. Joshua Carpenter, Caro-lyn Dryden with Ginger (Poodle Bichon Mix), and Rick Popp with Munchkin (Basset Hound). SA’s Therapy Dog wall calendar sales provided funds to show appreciation to the Rockford Police K-9 Unit.
SwedishAmerican’s Caring Canines Therapy Dog program donated $3,944 in proceeds from its 2020 wall calendars to the Rockford Police Department’s K-9 Unit at a check presentation Thursday at SwedishAmerican, 1401 E. State St. in Rockford.
The wall calendars were sold at SwedishAmerican’s E. State St. campus in December and feature adorable photos of the Caring Canine dog team members who provide so much value to patients and their families.
“Our therapy dogs work hard for SwedishAmerican and its patients,” said Claudia Aschbrenner, Director of Caring Canines. “We know their doggie friends at the Rockford Police Dept. work just as hard in the K-9 unit keeping Rockford safe, so we wanted to show our appreciation.”
SwedishAmerican’s Caring Canines program is ten years old. The program’s 21 dogs provide therapeutic services throughout the hospital.
“Dogs are such an important resource for both SwedishAmerican and for the Rockford Police Dept. in serving the community,” said Kathy Hansen, board member for the Friends of the Rockford Police K-9 Unit. “We are very appreciative of the support SwedishAmerican and its Caring Canines are providing to our K-9 unit which has provided highly skilled four-legged members of the police force for 20 years.”
This is the second year the Caring Canines Program has donated its calendar proceeds to a local organization. Last year’s proceeds benefitted the Ryan Jury Early Childhood Development Center.
More information:
For more information on the Caring Canines, contact 779-696-2166 or [email protected]. For more information on the Friends of the Rockford Police K-9 Unit, visit https://www.friendsofrockfordpolicek9.com/.
About SwedishAmerican:
A division of UW Health, SwedishAmerican is dedicated to providing excellence in healthcare and compassionate care to the community. The organization serves residents of 12 counties in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin through a dedicated and caring staff, a major acute care hospital and a free-standing outpatient cancer center in Rockford, a medical center in Belvidere, a network of nearly 30 primary care and multi-specialty clinics, and the region’s largest home healthcare agency. Additionally, SwedishAmerican has achieved Magnet recognition as a reflection of its nursing professionalism, teamwork and superiority in patient care. Please visit swedishamerican.org for more information.
