ICAN has received some great press coverage this year. Click these links to see ICAN at work in the community.
Fox 59
- Bonnie the facility dog pays it forward at Wishard Health Services.
Pet Pals TV
- Profile of "Smoke's Pup Crew" puppies and offender handlers at the Plainfield Correctional facility.
Ivanhoe Broadcast News
- Profile of ICAN and offender handlers at Indiana Women's Prison
Channel 13
- Client Syndey and her service dog Keifer.
In September, Ameriprise Financial contributed $10,000 to fund Indiana Canine Assistant Network's mission in the community.
The grant furthers the Ameriprise Financial giving priority, Volunteer-Driven Causes, which aims to support programs and services that have inspired a number of Ameriprise Financial advisors, employees and retirees to get involved in serving our community.
"ICAN is a cornerstone of our community," said Laura McMahon, Ameriprise financial advisor in Indianapolis. "I am proud that Ameriprise Financial can play a role in its continued success."
Laura McMahon and her colleagues (David & Linda Rodebaugh and Michael & Heather Lloyd) have been actively involved as ICAN supporters and volunteers since the organization began in 2001.
Ameriprise Financial is dedicated to using the firm's resources and talents to improve the lives of individuals and build strong communities. Through grantmaking, volunteerism and employee and advisor gift matching programs, the company supports a diverse group of over 5,000 nonprofits across the country. Additional information on the company and its Community Relations initiatives can be found at ameriprise.com.
The Ameriprise Financial office is located at 9200 Keystone Crossing, Suite 200, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240. To contact Laura McMahon, please call 317-853-1100 ext. 310 or email laura.m.mcmahon@ampf.com. Be sure to mention ICAN when you call.
Laura is also giving you an opportunity to continue to show your support for ICAN. She will contribute $20 to ICAN when you attend a complimentary initial meeting. Whether you're new to financial planning or are an experienced investor, taking the opportunity to meet with Laura may help you feel more confident about your financial decisions, goals and plans. Just for attending the complimentary meeting, ICAN will receive a $20 donation.
The online puppy naming contest conducted by the Tony Stewart Foundation was a tremendous success with thousands of names submitted.
To see what puppy got matched to what name, visit their
blog where you can also follow their training progress and see more photos.
On July 23, the puppies - identified to that date only by the color of the collar they wore and as Smoke's Pup Crew - each received their official names from Tony Stewart at the J.D. Byrider employee party at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.
Tony personally named two of the pups, choosing Dora for one of the female puppies (after the track he owns called Eldora) and Dega for a male puppy (after the Talladega Superspeedway).
The winning names for the five remaining female pups are: Bristol, Lilly, Charlotte, Riley, and Bella. The two remaining boy pups are named Hunter and Racer. The pup's photos are scattered throughout this e-newsletter for you to enjoy.
In early August, the nine puppies will begin their official service training at the Plainfield Correctional Facility, the newest prison to host an ICAN training program.
Check the ICAN and Tony Stewart Foundation website for updates on each pup's progress.
After two weeks of training with their new owners, eleven ICAN assistance dogs graduated on June 25th and are now in the community serving people with disabilities. Meet the newest canine graduates and the people they will serve by Three of the dogs are in a facilitated placement where they serve a child client, but the parents/guardians of the child are part of the working team. One dog is serving an individual as a full-fledged assistance dog, and another dog is fulfilling the role as an in-home skilled companion. Six of the dogs who graduated are working in an area that continues to grow for ICAN - facility placement. The facilities these six graduated dogs will serve include schools, a healthcare/rehabilitation facility, and a nursing home.
Congratulations to the clients receiving the dogs, the canine graduates, and the offenders who trained the dogs for a career in service.
We all know Tony Stewart to be a talented race car driver and team owner. But what you might not know - and what ICAN staff and clients recently learned - is that he's an all-around great guy who loves kids and animals and who supports a variety of community causes, too!
Tony invited ICAN staff and clients to visit him at his home in Columbus, IN, in mid-April. In addition to ICAN staffers, two child clients attended - Caleb of Columbus, IN and his ICAN dog Declan, and Sydney of Plainfield, IN who is scheduled to receive her ICAN dog this June.
Tony chatted and joked with the kids, played remote control cars with them, and thoroughly enjoyed watching the ICAN dogs in action. While we visited, the cameras were rolling as Caleb got to be an "extra" in a Coca-Cola commercial being filmed. And other camera footage will be used by the Tony Stewart Foundation to create a video about ICAN and why Tony supports ICAN's work. This video will run on the Tony Stewart Foundation website in June.
Perhaps the most poignant moment of the day was when Tony revealed to Sydney the identity of the ICAN dog she will be matched with! Which dog? Keifer, a beautiful 2 year-old rescue dog with a gentleness that Sydney's health requires and a willingness to work. Sydney was thrilled with the news and admitted she had secretly been hoping her match would be with Keifer. How appropriate it was that Tony tell Sydney this wonderful news since he and his foundation are helping to defray the expenses associated with 2-weeks of teaching ICAN child clients how to work effectively with their dogs.
Check back to the website as Tony's foundation also is supporting a litter of ICAN puppies due to be born in mid to late June! Thanks to Tony Stewart and his foundation's staff for a wonderful day and for their support of ICAN's mission.
And don't miss Tony Stewart talking about ICAN on May 16th during the NASCAR Foundation radioathon. To a nationwide audience, Tony will share why he's behind the ICAN mission! Tune into your local Motorsports Racing Network (MRN) for more details!
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Dates/Times
Indiana Achievement Award
2009 Graduates
