VIA Grant to Help Recruit More Therapy Dog Teams
Village Improvement Association of Doylestown Awards Roxy™ Therapy Dogs Grant to Support Growing Need for Volunteer Therapy Dog Teams
Roxy™ Therapy Dogs is the recipient of a grant from the Village Improvement Association (VIA) of Doylestown.
The grant supports the VIA’s mission to enhance the health and well-being of their communities and is specifically targeted at addressing a growing need for new Roxy volunteer therapy dog teams.
Steve and Tucker at Pine Run Elementary
“We want to ensure we never have to say ‘no’ to a child in need…This grant from VIA will help us achieve that goal, and we’re honored they believe in our mission.”
“20.5% of youth worldwide now struggle with anxiety symptoms. Roxy Therapy Dogs is uniquely positioned to help reduce childhood anxiety, stress, and depression—plus improve reading skills for the children in Bucks County,” said Sharon Fleck, President, Roxy Therapy Dogs. “The requests for our volunteer teams keep growing, and we want to ensure we never have to say ‘no’ to a child in need. Ideally, we’d have 25 more volunteer teams, but even 10 would help tremendously. This grant from VIA will help us achieve that goal, and we’re honored they believe in our mission.”
Currently, Roxy has 78 all-volunteer teams who visit 125 classes each week in the Central Bucks School District in addition to comforting children at the Bucks County Courthouse, universities, events, and pediatric healthcare facilities. Additionally, Roxy™ Responders teams respond to traumatic events affecting children. Volunteers visit 3,200 children per week, yet still cannot meet the demand for the comfort and support provided by their registered therapy dogs.
How The Grant Will Be Used
Teagan reads with her friend at Gayman Elementary
“This grant to Roxy Therapy Dogs will ensure our community can help address childhood mental health issues.”
The grant will be used to spread the word in the local dog-owning community about Roxy and to help find those dogs that are uniquely qualified to do this important work. Outreach through local dog training schools and dog-related events is planned.
Kathleen Krick, President, Village Improvement Association of Doylestown, said, “The VIA has been improving health and well-being in our area since April 26, 1895. We have a long and proud history of getting things done—like founding Doylestown Hospital (now Penn Medicine Doylestown Health) in 1923. The VIA is proud to be focusing on the mental well-being needs in our community, and this grant to Roxy Therapy Dogs will ensure our community can help address childhood mental health issues.”
The recruitment campaign will begin in the fall of 2025 and is chaired by Jen Smith, who volunteers with her registered therapy dog, Penny, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi.
