08/02/2024
A message from Healing Paws for Warriors co founders -
Mike Arena & Sheila Hale:
It is with the most profound regret that we have decided to step away from Healing Paws for Warriors, an organization that we’ve put our hearts, souls, and countless volunteer hours into the program for nearly a decade.
From the earliest days, as we pursued our vision of how we would help our veterans—those who sacrificed so much for our nation—by providing trained service dogs at no charge, we felt as though we were changing lives. The dogs we rescued and trained to serve our veterans in this noble cause truly embodied our mission of “Save a Veteran. Rescue a Dog.”
And what better place to do it? A military-friendly community with businesses and individuals supporting our nonprofit with donations and volunteer hours. In those early days as we volunteered our time and worked the late hours during the week and the long hours on the weekend, our team—the veterans and their families, the volunteers, and everyone else who stepped in to ensure our success—we were “family.”
We celebrated the smallest gains to the greatest successes. We have laughed, cried, and mourned with each other through the years. And though we mourn our decision to depart, we will always carry in our hearts everyone who played a role in saving lives at both ends of the leash.
We will always forever cherish in our hearts the support you gave to Healing Paws for Warriors. –Mike Arena & Sheila Hale
