A Letter of Encouragement from a Parent

Let me start by saying Congratulations! to each and every family.

My name is Michelle Grove and I live in Lakewood, Colorado, just 10 minutes from the heart of downtown Denver. I contacted Karen and 4 Paws about a mobility Service Dog for my 5 year old son, Hunter, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy.

Hunter falls many, many times a day, wears heavy leg braces that make mobility even harder, and now he is starting to be left behind by his peers. For these, and many other reasons, I chose to join the 4 Paws family and commit to the fundraising requirement.

We started in late April and as of June 12th we had successfully reached the needed $9800! We had A LOT of support, which was key, and a small miracle in the end...but the fact is that we did it! We had scheduled several events of various types and sizes throughout our fund raising goal which was by the end of August. And although our fund raising requirement was fulfilled, we elected to hold two of our last events simply because they were planned and ready. Our last official 4 Paws fund raiser in the name of Hunter and Kicker, our SD, will be August 9th.

That is our story in a nutshell. But the reality is that no matter how we all got here, or how long it took, the fact is that we meet the challenge and succeeded. And I am willing to bet that the one commonality between us all was support; support from our families, friends, and community.

We all remember the daunting feelings we had at the start of our fund raising, and even during. But we can help others overcome these feelings and help ensure their success in return. They gain through our success the knowledge that they too can do it!

As a team we offer so much that others may not have...ideas, a plan of action, organization, and support! And we can offer them a taste of what they will feel when they too have completed their fund raising...and I know that we will never forget that.

As you may notice, I am a passionate person, but more than that I am passionate about helping others gain what we all have for ourselves and for our families.

I want everyone who chooses to do so to succeed. And I am very passionate about Karen and 4 Paws, who without, my son would not have the chances he now will have at happiness and friendship.

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