We're excited to announce that we've partnered with Grace Communications, a full-scale marketing, public relations, and business-development agency based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Through this partnership, we will kickstart new efforts in outreach via speaking engagements and podcast appearances by our founder, Charlie Petrizzo. Grace Communications is a leader in the Charlotte business community, led by CEO Emily Green—a marketing professional with over 12 years over experience. This partnership brings Project 2 Heal together with an incredibly skilled team of public relations professionals to innovatively share our mission of increasing the availability of a service dog for veterans, children with special needs, and adults with disabilities.
Beyond the marketing services they offer, Grace Communications also loves working with organizations, like Project 2 Heal, that have heart. They are passionate about animals and helping people through the amazing bond that develops between a dog and its person. Emily is the proud dog mom of a Labrador Retriever named Gracie (pictured below) and has a special place in her heart for Labradors. Through their public relations efforts, Emily and her team hope to help spread awareness of Project 2 Heal and the life-changing services they provide to people across the country.
Getting to Know Grace Communications:
Grace Communications was founded a little over 4 years ago by CEO Emily Green. After spending 12 years in the corporate marketing world, during which she gained wonderful experience working all over the country, Emily decided she wanted to focus on a calling she'd always felt to make a difference through her skills in marketing. She'd found that while she was able to do this a bit through corporate roles, it just wasn't enough.
After her last corporate role was eliminated, Emily knew it was time to embark upon a dream she'd had for many years—starting her own company. With support from her husband, Grace Communications was born.
Drawing upon great connections she developed during her time in the corporate world, Emily was fortunate to have her first Grace Communications client already lined up. After four years running her own company, she enjoys being able to choose the organizations she works with and loves partnering with organizations that make a difference.
Related:
Dog People Helping Dog People.
One of the greatest elements of this new partnership is that Emily is a total dog person! While she has had many dogs over the years, she's said that there's something about her yellow Lab Gracie that has enriched her life so much:
"Labs just have this special quality... I feel like they just spread joy. I call Gracie 'my sunshine girl.' She just lights up the room, she's so happy and loving. I love that Project 2 Heal gives that to people who really need it."
(We agree—there really is something special about Labradors!)
Grace Communications will help Project 2 Heal gain a larger audience nationally, secure placement in difference media outlets including digital, print, and potentially even television! Another major way Grace Communications will expand awareness of our mission is by connecting our founder Charlie Petrizzo with podcast appearance opportunties.
This will be a wonderful way for Project 2 Heal to gain national exposure with audiences interested in topics like animals, nonprofits, and helping veterans and other groups benefiting from service dogs.
Follow Us on Social Media for More Puppies!
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Training and Nurturing Puppies at Project 2 Heal:
At Project 2 Heal, we breed Labrador Retriever puppies for the purpose of donating these animals at 8 to 12 weeks of age to one of our partner organizations. From there, our puppies are trained extensively in service dog work and matched with an individual in need.
Our process begins with Early Neurological Stimulation, which are exercises conducted during the first two weeks of life—beginning at only 48 hours after birth!—that slightly stress the puppy's nervous system and allow them to become less reactive to novel stimuli as adults. This process includes the following:
Tactile stimulation: Stimulating puppy paws through touch or tickling.
Holding the head of the puppy erect.
Holding the head of the puppy pointed downward.
Supine position: Resting the puppy on its back in the palm of hands.
Thermal Stimulation: Placing feet of puppy on top of a cool, damp towel and allowing the puppy to move about.
Service Dog Scent Training:
Also occurring during the first 14 days, service dog training includes a process called early scent introduction. This training exposes dogs to smells it will encounter during working life. During this process, trainers pay close attention to the way puppies react to various smells. This helps identify which puppies may not be suited to work as a service dog.
Service Dog Clicker Training:
Championed by Karen Prior Academy, clicker training service dogs is a method that teaches puppies about associations. Puppies learn commands through a combination of rewards and clicking sounds. During service dog training, high-level tasks are broken into smaller tasks, after which puppies are rewarded with food and stimulated with sound from a handheld clicker.
Eventually food and clicking sounds are phased out so that puppies are able to execute tasks upon command.
You Can Heal a Veteran & Honor a Loved One.
It can take up to 4 years and between $25,000—$40,000 to provide a life-changing service dog to a veteran struggling with PTSD or loss of limb. But it doesn't have to be this way. Project 2 Heal is a nonprofit working to reduce the cost and time needed to provide a service dog to someone in need. We accomplish this by breeding, nurturing, and donating world-class Labrador Retriever puppies to become service dogs for veterans, children with special needs, or adults with disabilities.
By joining our Healing Pawtners, you have the chance to dedicate every donation you make to honor a loved one. Your monthly contribution of $10, $30, or $50 will provide a consistent and reliable source of funding to help us meet our mission. Your support will help nurture our puppies' growth and development, as we prepare them to literally change lives as future service dogs. To show our appreciation for your support, you'll receive:
Opportunity to honor a loved one through your charitable giving.
One "paw-tograph" from a Project 2 Heal puppy.
Professional family photo of each Project 2 Heal litter of future service dogs.
Access to visits with future service dogs at the Project 2 Heal facility.
Updates on puppy progress as our puppies are donated to service dog partner organizations.
"Healing Pawtners" car magnet to proudly display.