SPHS Students Partner With Hero Dogs To Help Improve Veterans’ Lives

Severna Park High School Leadership Institute participants Paige and Kaitlyn Miller partnered with Hero Dogs to spread awareness and support for veterans and their service dogs in the Severna Park community. Hero Dogs is a foundation that provides support to veterans in the Washington, D.C., area through improving the quality of life of our nation’s heroes by raising, training and placing service dogs and other highly skilled canines free of charge with lifetime support of the partnerships.

To accomplish their goal of supporting veterans, Paige and Kaitlyn planned and executed a Hero Dogs donation table event. Employing the help of six junior leadership students, as well as other friends, they were able to decorate the table, design posters and flyers, and spread awareness about Hero Dogs, contributing to an overall donation of $458 to Hero Dogs. In addition to this contribution, the pair collected 11 dog supplies including bones, frisbees, dog toys, paper towel rolls and plastic bags for the organization.

The Leadership Institute, led by teachers Heather Barnstead and Elizabeth Colon, guides students through the process of choosing and leading their own senior year service project to give back to the community. Through learning about how to be effective leaders, Paige and Kaitlyn were able to lead their project to success.

“Our time in the Leadership Institute at Severna Park High School was such a great opportunity to take initiative and lead our own project,” Paige said. “Our time partnered with Hero Dogs has led us both to understand the importance of service dogs.”