Above Photo is of Emily meeting a Mira guide-dog-in-training and laughing with Mathieu, a Mira O&M instructor.

It can take a long time to be paired with a guide dog, especially when the process is interrupted by a pandemic. Emily first applied with Mira Foundation USA in 2018, when she was 11 years old. Emily was invited to Mira's Evaluation in 2019 and things were progressing wonderfully... That is until everything came to a standstill because of the pandemic.

Now, after patiently waiting 3 long years, we are excited to announce that Emily has been invited to attend Mira's Guide Dog School this fall. She will live on our campus during September and October and when she graduates she will be awarded her furry new friend and guide. We hope her guide dog will assist her for the next 8 years.

Mira USA is the only organization dedicated to providing guide dogs to blind American children. Since 2010, Mira USA has provided these extraordinarily talented service dogs to children at no charge. However, this can only be accomplished with your help. We are dependent on caring individuals, people like you, to help provide for these American children. Mira does not receive any government funding and insurance does not cover guide dogs.

The entire process can cost as much as $70,000 per pairing. A family cannot afford this, and we do not expect them to. This is why we need your help. Together we can make a difference in a child’s life. We are currently working with 6 children for the 2023/2024 session, and while not all these children will qualify, we need funding to support them and the 9 other children that are waiting to be accepted into our program.

2023 Evaluation Photo - All of these people and dogs are there in support of three of our candidates. It takes a village to support a placement. Emily is pictured in the middle.

Emily states that she is looking forward to the dramatic increase in independence that a guide dog will give her compared to the white cane she has to use now. Emily finds social interactions to be a struggle. She hopes her new guide will help increase her social interactions and will result in many new friendships.

10/20/2023 Update ~ We received the following letter from Emily's mom:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This experience has been life changing for Emily. Our family is so excited for the door that Chopine and the whole MIRA team have opened in Emily’s mind and in her life. Guide dog school has been rigorous and challenging and I have watched Emily grow in confidence and increased vision for her life as a result. It has been so refreshing for her to be among vision impaired peers as well as sighted friends who have treated her as the incredibly capable person that she is.

I see now that this is just the beginning of a wonderful journey for Emily and Chopine. A journey of companionship, trust, teamwork, and growth. I have also realized that for Emily, the timing couldn’t be better. Chopine and Emily will have two years to work together before Emily goes to college; which will only make that transition easier.

It has also been beautiful to watch Emily become happier as a result of her partnership with Chopine. It can be so incredibly lonely for a person who is blind. This new friendship has made a big difference already and it is clear that Emily doesn’t feel so alone now.

Warmest Regards,

Katie

Mira Foundation USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN 26-3603779 Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

A Guide Dog for Emily

By Mira Foundation USA Inc

A Guide Dog for Emily

Team Members