A brand new storage shed has been constructed for Paws for Purple Hearts (PPH) at the Welcome Center on the Menlo Park VA campus. Dana Souter, an Ambassador in Girl Scout Troop 61634, partnered with PPH and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) for her Girl Scout Gold Award. This new shed brings much-needed storage and organization in support of the PPH staff, volunteers, and service dogs.

Dana is currently a junior in high school and joined the Girl Scouts in third grade. The Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can achieve and is awarded for creating a sustainable impact on the community and beyond. She has worked in partnership with PPH on prior service projects and feels honored to be making a lasting impact in her community by supporting Veterans and their service dogs.

“Having all of our items consolidated and accessible right where we have our canine-assisted therapy sessions allows us to provide our Veterans with more broad range of activities during therapy sessions. Before we did not have room to store all of our supplies such as agility training items, large training equipment, much of which was donated by our generous supporters in the community” said Tamara, Senior Program Instructor. “We are so appreciative to Dana for her hard work and dedication on this project.”

The new weatherproof shed allows for the storage of vital materials to assist in the training of service dogs. Organized shelves and bins allow easy access to dog food, crates, and training materials. PPH now has an accessible place to store all the required supplies and equipment that keep the program functioning. This will also help to increase their capacity to train more dogs to help even more Veterans.

PPH works tirelessly to help Veterans and Active-duty Service Members.  The services PPH provides can be crucial in the healing process. Their work has helped to transform the lives of countless Warriors and makes a positive impact every day. You can learn more about Paws for Purple Hearts on the VA Palo Alto Heath Care System’s Recreation Therapy website. Please consider supporting this wonderful organization to help make a difference in the lives of America’s Warriors by checking out the PPH Menlo Park team Amazon Gift Wish list or visiting the PPH website.