2020 was an incredible year of growth for CCPT. One would think, in a year when we were limited to almost all virtual visits, that our staff would have had little to do. Instead, with a stellar team led by our Executive Director, Mary Beth Cooney, and supported by our dedicated board, they were busier than ever. Instead of stagnation, the “down time” gave everyone the ability to work on and fine tune all the key elements that make our organization run smoothly. This included new and exciting ideas, outreach and increasing our social media presence. I am so proud of the team we have in place and all of our so very dedicated volunteers, without whom we wouldn’t be CCPT. I know Annie would feel that pride as well.
Annie Murphy and I co-founded Creature Comfort Pet Therapy in 2011 with the vision of not only “Enhancing people's lives through therapeutic visits with caring volunteers and their pets” (our mission), but we also wanted to create an organization solely dedicated to pet therapy, an organization where our teams could meet each other, learn about different topics, trade ideas and socialize. It’s now our 10th (!!) anniversary. Our little organization and the continuing demand for pet therapy just continues to grow!
I’ve witnessed the unique power of pet therapy many times – from the little girl in the hospital being treated for a dog bite who bravely touched my dog, to the man who “didn’t get it” until he had a dog hug, the young boy who hadn’t moved in the hospital but reached out when he was told there was a dog there, to the woman who said “I felt so defeated until you came in my room”. And these are just a very few examples of my own.
Your support for The Furry Scurry – our major fundraiser - is incredibly important in allowing us to continue making connections with people in all kinds of circumstances through our wonderful pets. Thank you all!!
