Lawrence Hall Celebrates Canine Therapy at 7th Annual Fall Fête

FOX 32’s Corey McPherrin headlines as emcee; Program partners Canine Therapy Corps and Canines & Company honored with Champion for Children Award

CHICAGO, IL – On Saturday, October 26, Lawrence Hall celebrated its groundbreaking therapy work at its 7th annual Fall Fete fundraiser – including the beloved work of their furry friends in canine therapy and their trainers. At the event emceed by FOX 32’s Corey McPherrin, Lawrence Hall’s program partners Canine Therapy Corps and Canines & Company received the 2019 Champion for Children Award. The event raised over $250,000 for the evening and guests included Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, State Representative Curtis Tarver, 40^th Ward Alderman Andre Vasquez, and former Chicago Bear Wendell Davis.

“Healing is the core of who we are and what we do every day at Lawrence Hall. We cannot begin to put into words what these organizations and their four-legged therapists have done for our youth. Thank you to Canine Therapy Corps and Canines & Company for their hard work and for the lives they have changed,” said Kara Teeple, CEO, Lawrence Hall.

Lawrence Hall’s Canine Therapy Program pairs at-risk youth with therapy dogs, meeting them where they are at in their healing process, without judgement and with consistent positive reinforcement. Lawrence Hall also provides an array of innovative therapies for youth in its care, including Wilderness Therapy, Expressive Therapies (Art, Music, and Storytelling), Therapeutic Recreation, and Restorative Justice.

“We are thrilled to receive this award on behalf of the work we all accomplish together. It’s always so remarkable to see canine therapy in action: each child creates a special, individual bond with the dog they select. We then work with each child to deepen that bond, which helps with self-esteem, anger management, and communication skills. Thank you to Lawrence Hall for this honor and we look forward to continuing our work together.”, said Callie Cozzolino, Executive Director, Canine Therapy Corps.

For more than 150 years, Lawrence Hall has been delivering high quality care to at-risk youth and their families throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Its therapy programs complement its traditional clinical treatment and are incorporated across each of our five core programs: Clinical and Residential Treatment, Therapeutic Day School, Foster Care, Independent Living and Workforce Development.

“Every day, we see the powerful impact of these services. In canine therapy, one youth went from weekly angry outbursts to a paid internship at Canines and Company and being on his high school football team. Another youth in our Therapeutic Recreation program went from not knowing how to swim to winning medals in a year.  It’s all about helping a youth heal, which in turn helps their families heal, and helps their community heal,” said Kara Teeple.

Lawrence Hall is a statewide leader in highly-effective, evidence-based, and innovative therapeutic treatment. The agency’s unique continuum of care, which promotes overall well-being led by an expert staff, has positioned Lawrence Hall to meet the changing and complex needs of youth and families by not only becoming more community-based but by developing more preventative programs that help curb violence in our communities.

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