Commencement Class 298

Sponsored by welcome

Dear Friend,

Every person who comes to our campus for a guide dog takes a leap of faith. Will the dog that they’ve been paired with be the right match? Will the dog keep them safe? Will the dog change their life?

Happily, the answer is yes! After working together side-by- side with our gifted trainers, the students of Class #298 can take on the world with new strength and optimism. And we will continue to support them and their wonderful dogs every step of the way.

Thank you for the role you play in helping to land those leaps of faith onto solid ground. Your friendship and support make our mission possible.

Warm regards,

Titus Herman Chief Executive Officer

3 About Southeastern Guide Dogs

outheastern Guide Dogs transforms lives Sby creating and nurturing extraordinary partnerships between people and dogs. Our organization operates the most advanced training facilities of any service dog organization in the world. Our experts breed, raise, and train elite working dogs—including guide dogs, service dogs, and skilled companion dogs—and provide life-changing services for people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges such as vision loss or the loss of a parent in the military. Pursuing our mission since 1982, Southeastern Guide Dogs now has over 1,200 dogs under our auspices.

All of our services—which include selective breeding and expert dog training; comprehensive on-campus student instruction; and the most robust alumni support program in North America—are provided at no cost to recipients. We rely 100% on private donations. Southeastern Guide Dogs has the distinction of being dually accredited by the two premier, global accreditation bodies: the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International. Learn more at GuideDogs.org.

4 5 About our Programs

For people with vision loss For children and teens Guide Dogs help people with vision loss navigate Guide Dogs help teens with vision loss— independently; trained in over 40 cues. ages 15 and up—navigate independently.

Kids Companion Dogs are skilled companion Kids Companion Dogs are skilled companion dogs that enhance independence for children dogs that enhance independence for children with vision loss, preparing the way for a future with vision loss, preparing the way for a future guide dog. guide dog.

Gold Star Family Dogs comfort military family For veterans members who have lost a loved one in active Guide Dogs help veterans with vision loss service to the nation. navigate independently; trained in over 40 cues. Kids Therapy Dogs are matched with Service Dogs help veterans with post-traumatic adults who assist children and families in stress disorder (PTSD) and other disabilities; adverse circumstances, providing therapeutic trained in 15–20 cues. reassurance to children in need. Facility Therapy Dogs provide comfort in military our medical facilities nationwide. offer Emotional Support Dogs benefit veterans and dogs help restore a more active lifestyle. freedom Gold Star Family Dogs comfort military family members who have lost a loved one in active service to the nation.

6 7 GRADUATE

Lynn Puckett | Guide Dog AJ TAMPA, FLORIDA

A humorous storyteller who loves people, Lynn Puckett has always wanted others to be successful, never realizing that one day she’d have to inspire herself. But after losing vision in her left eye due to a failed surgery, she woke up two years ago to find the vision in her right eye was gone as well. Years of treatments for complications from diabetes had allowed her to continue working and driving until that one fateful day: April 30, 2019.

After isolating at home and depending on her husband and teenage daughter, Lynn made the decision to embrace life and seek a better version of herself. Now she’s found her soulmate in a personable, inquisitive goldador named AJ, her first guide dog. “We both like to be on the go,” Lynn states. “I used to enjoy watching people and observing people, and now I do that through AJ, through the harness and the leash.” Before AJ, Lynn feared being labeled as “the blind lady.” But now she quips, “His leash is my American Express card, and I’ll never leave home without it!”

Together, this team will take on the world and change things, one heart, one inspired soul, and one tiny bit of hope at a time. AJ was destined to be a superhero, and he was surely destined to be Lynn’s.

AJ is sponsored by his puppy raiser, Jim Ebling, and named in memory of Jim’s son and daughter-in-law’s twins, Alexander and Jenna, who sadly, passed away during childbirth.

8 9 GRADUATE

Sanford Steinberg | Guide Dog Alfie MT. DORA, FLORIDA

Sanford Steinberg has loved eight dogs over his lifetime, and his only wish for his first guide dog was that he or she be a “dog”—all business when in harness, and playful and spirited when not. He got just what he wanted in Alfie, a “high energy, very smart, and very agile” female Lab who is his perfect match.

Sanford served as an airplane hydraulics mechanic on a Navy aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean during the Vietnam War, and then he had a long, rewarding career as an audio engineer in the music business. When retina surgery from diabetes took 90% of his peripheral vision and reduced it to “looking through a puddle of dirty water,” he suffered a bad fall over a curb that shattered his arm. He became cautious and nervous about navigating safely, and it was time to listen to his family and friends and get a guide dog. Alfie’s great energy will serve him well on their seven-mile fitness walks around Mt. Dora each day.

Their future is bright. As Sanford says, “Things are constantly changing, and I have to go with the change. And that’s where Alfie can help me because she can see all the changes that are going on and know what to do . . . and I think that’s going be a big thing in my life.”

Alfie is sponsored by the Tampa Area Puppy Raisers in honor of a raiser’s father who was an avid dog lover and a well-known Tampa businessman and philanthropist.

10 11 GRADUATE

Mike Moaba | Guide Dog Clara PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA

Mike Moaba was born with juvenile macular degeneration that causes severe myopia. His orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist recommended a guide dog, and in 2012 Mike was matched with a big, lovable black Lab named Mac. Mac passed away on a Friday in September 2020, and by Monday, Mike had applied for a successor dog. Now his new guide, Clara, “has filled a void that was there for several months,” Mike says.

This sweet, petite yellow Lab is a calm cuddler who is eager to please. Formerly, Mike was afraid of running into people with his cane or having them run into him. “But people tend to move out of the way for you when you have a dog,” he notes. And from the start, he could tell that Clara’s pace was perfect for a fast walker.

Previously employed in customer service, Mike now volunteers with a local youth center where children honed their literacy skills by reading to Mac. Soon Clara will assume that role and will take him to meet friends at restaurants and guide him inside the mall. At the end of the day, she loves her food and a belly rub, which Mike is happy to provide. And when he looks at Clara’s black eyebrows, he finds it comforting as he remembers Mac’s face looking back at him with love.

The late Doris LaFlam sponsored and named Clara in loving memory of her daughter who passed away in 2018. Clara is an adaptation of her name and Doris felt it was perfect for a superhero.

12 13 GRADUATE

Lisa Kemp | Guide Dog Charlie NORTH FORT MYERS, FLORIDA

Lisa Kemp is a lifelong learner with four college degrees in education, business, and human resources training and development. Work took Lisa all over the country until 2010, when she lost her vision and her job due to retinopathy.

In spite of using a white cane, giving up driving, and ending her beloved career, Lisa didn’t think she was blind enough to take a guide dog away from someone else. Then her neighbor brought her to Southeastern Guide Dogs for a tour and a glimpse of what could be.

After “marinating” on the idea of a guide dog for four years, Lisa is now paired with a friendly, gentle giant named Charlie, a loving, laid- back Lab who is intuitive about her moods and can keep up with her active lifestyle. “I don’t sit around doing nothing!” Lisa says with understatement, having also created a business teaching English as a second language for blind and visually impaired people. Soon, Charlie will accompany her to water aerobics, her community’s restaurant and club house, ceramics classes, and even trips to the Caribbean with her husband. “Life will be better,” she says. “With friends now, I always rely on them physically. I hold onto an arm or a shoulder. They don’t mind. But with Charlie, I know that I will feel more independent.”

Martie and Dean Anderson sponsored and named Charlie in memory of a rescued medical alert service dog they adopted in hopes of training him to be a therapy dog. Charlie was everyone’s friend and had quite the fan club because of his wonderful personality and sweet spirit.

14 15 GRADUATE

Bob Newport | Guide Dog Igor III LAKEWOOD RANCH, FLORIDA

Bob Newport has a rare genetic disorder called pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), which causes serious damage to the retinas. He lost his vision gradually and was in his 60s when he realized he could no longer drive safely. Suddenly, trucks and bridges appeared as if they were coming at him and falling over into the median.

A former vet tech in the Air Force in the ‘60s, Bob served on a variety of bases in the southern U.S. He worked in veterinary clinics where he sometimes had to put down sentry dogs and other canines, and he took their passing hard. After his pet shar-pei passed away, Bob wasn’t sure that he could handle more loss. But after visiting Southeastern Guide Dogs with his wife and seeing our puppies, he decided to give a guide dog a try.

Bob and his new best friend, a yellow Lab named Igor III, are two peas in a pod. These laid back, mellow guys like their downtime. Igor’s favorite position is with his head on one of Bob’s feet and his bottom on the other. An exception to their quiet lifestyle will come when Igor rises with Bob each day before daylight for one of several long walks. “I won’t be tripping over things and running into people,” Bob explains. “And Igor will be great company.”

Igor III is sponsored in honor of Sherry and Mike Guthrie’s continued generosity and named in memory of their beloved dog Igor. They loved him so much that they named their company “Igor the Watchdog.”

16 17 GRADUATE

Jessica Woods | Guide Dog Rubi MILTON, FLORIDA

Jessica Woods was born legally blind due to coloboma, which caused optic nerve damage and retina deformity. The world gradually went dark, and by age 17 Jessica had lost all of her sight. At 19, after using a cane for 12 years, she decided that a guide dog would give her independence and confidence. Her first guided walk 15 years ago was instantly life changing. Her third guide dog, Cookie, was medically retired nine months ago.

Now Rubi, a sweet, calm, and gentle Lab, is Jessica’s fourth guide dog—and her first girl. They connected from the moment they met, and Jessica can’t wait to get back to the life she had with her previous guide dogs. “Before Rubi, I was lost,” she says. “I didn’t have the freedom to go out in the world by myself. I had to wait on others to guide me. Now with Rubi by my side I can do it on my own.”

Rubi will keep Jessica from falling when she’s walking, but she’ll also sit quietly by her side when she’s quilting or reading. Jessica reflects that her biggest challenge has been how society views people with visual impairments. “They think that we can’t do anything for ourselves, even though we can,” she states. Her new partner, Rubi will make all the difference.

Rubi is sponsored by the Tampa Jeep Krewe and named for the iconic Rubicon off-road trail in California which also inspired the name for the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Rubicons are more capable off road and always ready for adventure, just like guide dogs!

18 19 Puppy Raisers Class Supporters Thank you for your contribution in developing Thank you for your thoughtful and compassionate gifts. We recognize these amazing dogs. We recognize the hard work, your desire to make a difference and your ability to create a lasting dedication, commitment, and patience that helped impact through meaningful giving. This commencement represents to create the incredible dogs now graduating. a welcome return on your investment!

Carla Anderson & Jennifer Taylor Puppy Naming Sponsors Tim Carney Martie & Dean Anderson Jim Ebling Jim Ebling Karen Haubenstock & Artie Jacobowitz Sherry & Michael Guthrie Colleen & Ralph Heagy Doris LaFlam Lauren Thibert Tampa Jeep Krewe Tampa Area Puppy Raisers

Scholarship Supporters thank Garth Family Foundation you Mike & Suzanne Monte Lora Murphy Raymond George and Ruth Bitner Fisher Foundation

20 21 Leave a Legacy That Lasts

The Heritage Society is a No will? There’s a way... group of caring individuals committed to Remembering Southeastern Guide Dogs in your ensuring the long-term stability of our school will creates a legacy of kindness, and gifts of through wills and bequests. To join, simply any size impact our extraordinary dogs. Don’t notify us that you have included Southeastern have a will? We’ve partnered with Freewill to Guide Dogs in your will by emailing give you a simple, convenient way to write a [email protected], legally valid will, at no cost. Get started on your and find out more atGuidedogs.org/HS . will today by visiting Guidedogs.org/will.

Consult your tax professional for advice, and thanks for giving! 22 23 I was born for a purpose. Trained to help you. You hold me when you’re afraid, Whisper that I saved you, That I’m your brightest star. I am your guide, your support, Your friend. A dog, I’m not. With me, you see the world again.

1.800.944.3647 | GuideDogs.org

We provide all dogs and services free of charge. 24 25 Enrollment form

ustaining dollars are the bedrock of our Name(s):______Sfinancial strength, and our Cornerstone I/We would like to commit: $______per year. Society is an important program for like-minded members of our community who believe in our Enclosed is my/our first gift of: $______mission. Your commitment to make a lasting OR difference ensures that we can provide our I/We will make our first gift on:______extraordinary dogs to the people we serve.

We invite you to join the Cornerstone Society, I/We would like to be recognized in the donor honor roll as: an exceptional group of donors who pledge a ______recurring gift. With your multi-year commitment, I/We would like to remain anonymous you will receive the following benefits: I/We would like my/our name(s) to be displayed please • Exclusive invitation to our annual as follows on my/our nametag(s): Cornerstone Society events Nametag 1:______jointoday •  An engraved nametag identifying you as a member Nametag 2:______• S pecial listing on our donor recognition wall and in our donor honor roll Signature:______MEMBERSHIP LEVELS Date:______Partner _| $1,200 – $4,999 per year Mail this form to: Benefactor _| $5,000 – $9,999 per year Southeastern Guide Dogs Visionary_ | $10,000 – $49,999 per year 4210 77th Street E, Palmetto, FL 34221 Guardian_ | $50,000 – $99,999 per year You can also join by filling out our easy, online commitment Founder _| $100,000+ per year form at guidedogs.org/cs, or call 941.729.5665.

26 27 AND THEIR PUPS Count, Corona and Dixie congratulate Class #298