Leadership Hamilton Class 33 is raising the funds for the first dog, an $8,500 expenditure, and Blevins said that eventually each school building would develop fundraising initiatives to acquire therapy dogs. The goal is to have one in each of the district’s 13 buildings, including the Miami School.
“This is completely community-generated, and for us, that was a big factor,” said Blevins, who will be Hamilton‘s next superintendent in August. “To spend the type of money these other programs were looking at was just not something at the time the district could choose.”
When other Butler County districts were acquiring therapy dogs, Hamilton instead invested in other mental health supports and positive school culture initiatives that they said immediately benefited all school children.
“When this process and this program came up,” Blevins said, “it was at the right time for us.”
Leadership Hamilton is a nine-month Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce course that began in 1992, from September to May. It continues today by the philosophy that “the greatest wealth of a community lies not in the amount of its treasure, but in the quality of its leadership.” Thus, each class develops a community project.
The Pawsitive Connections campaign was chosen because “therapy dogs work,” said class member Martina Weber, associate executive director of Addiction Services at Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board.
“Research does support the use of therapy dogs,” she said. “When therapy dogs are present in the schools, there’s a higher motivation for learning.”
She said research shows children become better readers when they read to dogs instead of a person, and therapy dogs help reduce school-related stress in students who are uncomfortable in social settings.
Blevins said the idea for this project was inspired by a conversation with the Hamilton Community Foundation‘s education committee. The foundation manages the Pawsitive Connections funds.
“The Hamilton Community Foundation is honored to assist many Leadership Hamilton classes with establishing funds to support their chosen projects,” said foundation President and CEO John Guidugli. “These projects create positive change in the community and help strengthen the relationships developed through Leadership Hamilton. The Pawsitive Connections is a great example of how local leaders are turning big ideas into lasting change.”
Donations can be made to support the Pawsitive Connections projects through the Hamilton Community Foundation website, HamiltonFoundation.org.
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