Welcome to the July 2020 Roxy Reporter Newsletter!
President’s Note
To I hope this finds you all happy and healthy and spending the Summer doing things that bring you joy.
Mo and Sharon Fleck, President
As you know, this Summer is different than most. All of the Roxy venues for Roxy visits are closed to visitors, which will presumably continue into the Fall and Winter. Nonetheless, our Roxy teams continue to be committed to the children in our community. Many of our teams have connected with their school classes through “virtual” team meetings and plan to continue these visits in the Fall.
The Roxy mission is to support and comfort children. Now, more than ever, it will be critical for us to have some type of presence in the classroom, even if it is just virtual. These are confusing and scary times for young students. Young adults are also experiencing a great deal of stress and anxiety about the future. Virtual visits can bring happiness to Roxy teams and students.
For obvious reasons, Roxy teams will not visit any healthcare settings for quite some time. Courthouse visits are also on hold for now with an update from Judge Mellon expected in September. Roxy teams will be ready and waiting when the time comes! We will continue to “retrieve hearts” any and every way we can!
Thank you for your continued support - community support is a big part of what keeps us going, especially during difficult times such as these. Enjoy the rest of your Summer!
Sharon Fleck, President of Roxy Therapy Dogs
Be A Part Of Roxy’s Summer Fun
Calling All Artists
All kids 18 and under can participate in our Pup Portraits contest!! Send Roxy a portrait of your favorite Roxy dog (or any dog). Win a Prize! To enter, scan or take a photo of your portrait and post it to our Roxy Therapy Dogs Facebook page or email to roxy@roxytherapydogs.org. Deadline is August 10. For contest details, visit Pup Portraits or click below. Tell your friends, neighbors and family too!
Roxy Baseball Cards
Watch the Roxy Therapy Dogs Facebook page for your favorite Roxy dog's "baseball card". Every Roxy dog is featured on their own card with quite a few student cameos included too! You can also learn more about your favorite Roxy dog on Meet Our Dogs.
Supporting Children in Class
Stay Tuned...
By Phyllis Mikolaj, Roxy Director of Schools
Central Bucks School District (CBSD) is in the process of formulating plans for “Back to School”. As a CBSD partner, Roxy will work directly with the CB Administration on the best way that Roxy can be of assistance this school year. Please stay tuned for further updates as the situation develops.
Roxy Reads!
Our Roxy teams can't visit you during this pandemic, but we still want to provide you and your children with support and comfort at home.
How?
By reading our favorite books aloud — with our favorite furry friends, our Roxy Therapy Dogs, of course!
We created videos for you to watch and share with your family. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed creating them for you!
View online at Roxy Reads!
Certificate of Excellence Series Goes Virtual
After 3 years in the making, Roxy was excited to successfully launch our Certificate of Excellence program (COE) in July 2020. The goal of the COE program is to provide continuing education on specific topics relevant to therapy dog teams so that teams will gain a better understanding and more confidence when working with all types of children in our community. Postponed from March, our first series, Insights Into the Child With Autism, was virtual with lectures via Zoom rather than in person.
Feedback was extremely positive with attendees pleased with our knowledgeable professionals and parents who shared their insight and experience for working with Autistic children. As hoped, one attendee even commented that after listening to the lectures, she is now extremely interested in working with the Autistic population moving forward.
Roxy plans to continue educating therapy teams on a variety of topics that will enable teams to better serve all the children in our community. Stay tuned for future details or visit our Certificate of Excellence program.
Tips: CDC Guidelines For Pet Owners
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted some helpful information for pet owners regarding COVID-19. Please visit CDC If You Have Pets for details.
While our future at the majority of our venues is uncertain right now, the CDC has also posted potentially helpful recommendations for future visits at Guidance for Handlers of Service and Therapy Animals.
Well Deserved Roxy Retirements
Three of our Roxy Teams retired this quarter after years of pawsome visits with countless children and young adults in our Central Bucks Community; Debbie Saffren and Cody, Rachel Reilly and Elvis, and Bev Seltzer and Gus. We are incredibly grateful for their time and dedication. May they enjoy retirement!
To read a few words from Debbie about her 15 years with Cody as a Roxy Team (one of the first!), visit A Well Deserved Roxy Retirement.
To see Elvis working his magic at CB East, click below to visit Elvis Has Left The Building.
To see Gus in action, click below to visit Retiring After 9 Years As A Roxy Dog.
In Memoriam
With heavy hearts we mourn the loss of four amazing Roxy dogs this quarter; our sweet Bella, Sam, Zeva and Freya. We are forever grateful to their handlers for sharing them with Roxy and the children in our community. They will be missed.
Upcoming Roxy Events
There are currently no Roxy events scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Central Bucks South annual Shops at South fundraiser scheduled for November 22, 2020 has been postponed.
For details on other annual events and new events, please visit Events.
Roxy Needs YOU!
Do you have a pawsome pup? Are you looking for a rewarding volunteer opportunity? We are looking for passionate and positive teams to join Roxy Therapy Dogs. Click below and learn how to Volunteer With A Dog today!
