Community Impact
CareSource Employees Choose Veteran Organization to Receive $10,000 Award
October 14th, 2020 | 3 min read
The CareSource Foundation is proud to present the People's Choice Award winners for the third quarter of 2020. While traditional CareSource Foundation grants focus on innovation in the health and human services space, People’s Choice Awards are different. The People’s Choice program is an opportunity for our more than 4,300 CareSource employees—to let us know what nonprofit organization are important to them. Each quarter, employees are encouraged to nominate their favorite nonprofit organization that fits a quarterly theme.
Our third quarter theme for 2020 was “Lions and Tigers and Bears and ...Puppies” and our three finalists included:
The CareSource Foundation is excited to offer its congratulations to the organization that won the most the most votes from CareSource employees, Sophie's Companions for Veterans in Dayton, Ohio. They will receive a $10,000 People’s Choice Award to enable them to train, board and feed two more service dogs for disabled veterans.
“Sophie’s Companions for Veterans was devastated when six of our primary summer events were canceled due to the virus. Veterans who come to us that may not show physical disabilities but deal with issues like PTSD,” said Janet Carpenter, Executive Director of Sophie’s Companions for Veterans. “I have seen a 100% turnaround in the Veterans that receive a service dog from Sophie’s. Thank you to the wonderful employees from the CareSource locations that voted for our nonprofit.”
Specifically, these funds would help to train a rescue dog named Junie to assist a veteran that has lost a leg, is wheelchair-bound and suffers from extreme PTSD. The second is a rescue dog named Moon who is being trained for a veteran who faints without warning due to head trauma received while serving.
As runners up, Broadbent Wildlife Sanctuary and Ellie's Rainy Day Fund will each receive $2,500 awards.
Broadbent Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvington, Kentucky will use the People’s Choice Award funds to obtain bedding, formulas and food, feeding supplies and cleaning supplies for the animals. Many of these items have become very expensive due to COVID-19. These necessities enable Broadbent to provide wildlife education to schools, camps and wildlife organizations as well as rescue, rehabilitate and safely release the animals that they serve.
Ellie's Rainy Day Fund in Beavercreek, Ohio will use their award to help prevent economic euthanasia for pets of elderly persons who are dependent upon them for sole companionship. In addition to saving these pets, Ellie's Rainy Day Fund will also use a portion of the funds to create educational resource materials showing the positive effect that companion pets can have on elderly individuals.