Teddy is being trained by a certified Service Dog Trainer in Arkansas for a young woman living with Autism. Teddy will be trained so her handler can live a more independent life. Teddy’s training is expensive. Donate Now: https://gf.me/u/zb53tk
He will start out in obedience training and will move on to “Boot Camp” where he will be trained on site for the skills he needs to be a Registered Servic
e Animal. While Teddy will be skilled in emotional support, he will also be able to assist his handler in navigating her environment, react to emergency alerts, help provide balance and stability, and to remind his handler of important tasks to be finished. Teddy will likely be in training a year or more. He will spend some time in boarding “Boot Camp” and some of the time with his handler.
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Our Team
Journey to Independence is proud to have dedicated team members ready to assist you in any way we can. Keith Glass – Treasurer
Keith Glass is a CPA in Fayetteville, AR. He has two children living with learning disorders and he intentionally hires staff that are living with disabilities. Keith has been in business for 25 years locally. He volunteers with many non-profit organizations if they work with people living with disabilities. Harold and Helen McKinney – Members at Large
Harold McKinney is a former teacher, coach, and veteran. He currently runs a successful Real Estate Leasing business. He has lived in the Fayetteville area for 50 years and is invested in Northwest Arkansas area and actively supports many local charities who help people on the autistic spectrum. Helen McKinney is a former math teacher/administrator in Fayetteville Schools systems. She raised several children that struggled with learning disabilities as well as educating any number of learning challenged students in her teaching career. Helen is a champion of non-profits who provide job training for persons on the autism spectrum. Amie Glass – Director
Amie is a Social Worker and living with ADD and Dyslexia. She knows firsthand how difficult it can be to navigate employment and education while struggling with disabilities. Amie has adult children who have learning disabilities and struggle with Anxiety. Through her experiences she became passionate about provide a saft place for persons with disabilities to learn job and social skills necessary to compete in society. Lisa Hostetler – Member at large
Lisa is a former schoolteacher and has raised several children who are living with disabilities. Lisa has learned to be an advocate for persons in the education and medical field. She has great skills to teach parents of disabled children who do not know where to begin. Lisa has a niece with Downs Syndrome and another on the Autism Spectrum. She is compassionate and dedicated to making everyone feel valued. Lori Martinez – Secretary
Lori Martinez is a dedicated mother of three and grandmother of four. She has always had a compassion for persons with disabilities, but recently has had firsthand experience with being a foster parent and with a close member of her family being diagnosed with serious disabilities. Lori and her husband have always made their home welcome to people dealing with extreme social issues.
