34 Puppy Raisers Honored at Seeing Eye Family Day
MORRISTOWN, N.J. – On August 17, 2024, The Seeing Eye honored five long-time puppy raisers with induction to the “The Seeing Eye 21 Club”, a special honor for volunteers who have raised at least 21 Seeing Eye® puppies. The non-profit also honored the Seeing Eye puppy raising club volunteers with two awards, the Outstanding Leader Award and the 20-year Leader Award. Finally, 34 exceptional college-bound puppy raisers were awarded college scholarships totaling $64,000.
“Each year, The Seeing Eye’s Family Day is a celebration of all the hard work and dedication of our volunteer puppy raising families,” said Seeing Eye director of canine development Peggy Gibbon. “An army of volunteers provides each Seeing Eye puppy with a loving home environment, socialization, and basic training that prepares them to become Seeing Eye dogs for people who are blind.”
“We’re actively recruiting puppy raisers and puppy sitters for our upcoming litters that are planned for the coming months. If you’re interested in joining our community of dog lovers, now is a great time to reach out to us and learn what puppy raising is all about,” said Gibbon. “We need homes and families of all shapes and sizes for our puppies because fully trained Seeing Eye dogs are placed in similarly diverse families and living situations with people who are blind.”
Outstanding Club Leader Award
Loreli Stochaj, Bridgewater, N.J.: Loreli is a volunteer club leader in Morris County although she lives in Somerset County.
20-Year Leader Award
Lisa Warburton, Titusville, N.J. (Mercer County)
21 Club Honorees (5):
Sherri Adamson, Mt. Wolf, Pa. (York County)
Pam Heady, Union, N.J. (Union County)
The DiCola Family, Boonton, N.J. (Morris County)
The Scheblein Family, Flemington, N.J. (Hunterdon County)
Kim Tzap, Mount Laurel, N.J. (Burlington County)
Scholarship recipients (34): To qualify, students have raised at least two Seeing Eye puppies, demonstrated a high level of academic achievement and are active in their communities.
Kevin Armstrong, Madison, N.J. (Morris County), University of Notre Dame
Anna Bender, Lancaster, Pa. (Lancaster County), Penn State University
McKenzie Bittinger, Waynesboro, Pa. (Franklin County),Penn State University
Ellie Bollinger, McVeytown, Pa. (Juniata County) Lancaster Bible College
Dina Capeci, Wyckoff, N.J. (Bergen County), Penn State University
Aricka Creyer, Slatington, Pa. (Lehigh County), Cedar Crest College
Nora Cumiskey, Cranford, N.J. (Essex County), Drexel University
Jasmine Doney, Westminster, Md. (Carroll County), Carroll Community College
Keira Drohan, Warriors Mark, Pa. (Juniata County), Penn State University
Jason Fancher, Andover, N.J. (Sussex County), SUNY Cortland
Madelyn Fehr, Nazareth, N.J. (Northampton County), Northampton Community College
Maddie Garretson, Randolph, N.J. (Morris County), University of Delaware
Rylan Gibbons, Sparta, N.J. (Sussex County), James Madison University
Elsa Heacock, Schwenksville, Pa. (Montgomery County), Delaware Valley University
Audrey Hearn, Chalfont, Pa. (Bucks County), West Chester University
Courtney Keane, Hackettstown, N.J. (Warren County), Ramapo College
Meghan Langer, Pitman, N.J. (Gloucester County), Rutgers University
Elliott Layman, Sparta, N.J. (Sussex County), Loyola University
Kara Loewrigkeit, Sparta, N.J. (Sussex County), Messiah University
Ariana Mastroianni, North Plainfield, N.J. (Somerset County), High Point University
Julia Messerman, Westfield, N.J. (Essex County), University of Richmond
Owen Monday, Greencastle, Pa. (Franklin County), Liberty University
Luna Mumma, Willow Grove, Pa. (Bucks County), East Stroudsburg University
Lucas Newquist, Easton, Pa. (Northampton County), Rochester Institute of Technology
Lily Roberti, Stroudsburg, Pa. (Luzerne County), Arcadia University
Julia Seminaro, Flemington, N.J. (Hunterdon County), Raritan Valley Community College
Aviva Solovey, Westfield, N.J. (Morris County), University of Maryland
Dean Stiso, Manasquan, N.J. (Ocean County), University of Alabama
Jack Stiso, Manasquan, N.J. (Ocean County), University of Alabama
Marcus Tocci-Esher, Ocean View, N.J. (Cape May County), Atlantic Cape Community College
Kiley Tully, Franklin Lakes, N.J. (Bergen County), University of Delaware
Ellyn Wong, Nazareth, Pa. (Northampton County), John Hopkins University
Joshua Xu, Bridgewater, N.J. (Somerset County), Rutgers University
Ryland Zimany, Collegeville, Pa. (Montgomery County), Penn State University
A puppy raiser family is responsible for providing a loving and nurturing home environment for approximately one year. During that time, the raiser is responsible for teaching basic obedience, house manners, bringing the puppy to Seeing Eye puppy club meetings and socialization trips in their area. The Seeing Eye puppy could be a German shepherd, Labrador retriever, golden retriever, or a Labrador/golden retriever cross.
Puppy raisers must live within New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware or New York (Rockland or Orange Counties) so they can attend regular puppy club meetings where they will receive help and coaching with their puppies. All veterinary expenses are covered by The Seeing Eye and a stipend is provided to help cover the cost of dog food. If a Seeing Eye puppy does not graduate from the program, the family who raised the puppy is offered the first option to adopt the puppy they raised. For more information visit seeingeye.org/raise.
Established in 1929, The Seeing Eye provides specially bred and trained dogs to guide people who are blind. Seeing Eye dog handlers experience greatly enhanced mobility and independence, allowing them to retain their active lifestyles. The Seeing Eye is a 501(c)3 non-profit supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, bequests, and other planned gifts.
The Seeing Eye is a trademarked name and can only be used to describe the dogs bred and trained at the school’s facilities in Morristown, N.J. If you would like more information on The Seeing Eye, please visit the website at www.SeeingEye.org, call (973) 539-4425, or email info@seeingeye.org.
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