'It's Going to the Dogs'

NORWALK — "This is life changing," said the founder of Riley's Angels, a therapy dog program chosen as the latest recipient of thousands of dollars from 100 Women Making A Difference. "We've been struggling for so long," said Lesley Sinwald. Riley's Angels has trained about 60 teams of handlers and dogs to provide therapy services at no charge to hospitals, schools, nursing homes, churches and the community. In 100 Women, area women gather four times a year to hear presentations from three nominated non-profits. Each woman then writes a $100 check for the program that gets the most votes. Riley's Angels, Lifewise Academy and Huron County Area Veterans Council (HCAVC) were the non-profits nominated in this round. The exact amount of the total donation will be known after donations come in from members who were unable to attend the meeting. Sinwald's first interest in therapy dogs occurred in 1996 when she was visiting a nursing home with her daughter and brought along her pet dog, Riley. She said Riley kept returning to a resident who was slumped silently in his wheelchair and not responding to anything around him. Eventually he started to pet Riley and even lifted his head and started speaking to the dog. It brought tears to Sinwald's eyes at the 100 Women meeting when she recalled what a staff member later told her — the resident hadn't spoken to anyone for more than a year. That incident showed the power of the human-dog connection to Sinwald and she started to learn about dog therapy. Riley's Angels offers training classes for puppies and dogs and specialized courses for dog therapy teams. Basic training classes are open to all dogs, Sinwald said, but therapy training is invitation only because some animals make great pets, but are not suited for therapy dog work. Sinwald formally registered Riley's Angels as a non-profit four years ago and serves as co-director with her niece, Stacey Sinwald. Stacy, now a clinical mental health professional, is earning her PhD from Cleveland State University with a focus on the benefits of animal therapy and the human-canine bond. "The wish list is long," Sinwald said about uses for the funding from 100 Women. "It will be used for more training and equipment." She said one big item is the possibility to fund an entire class of therapy teams for Critical Incident Stress Management Training (CISMT), which will cost $9,200. Sinwald is also looking for a Huron County base for Riley's Angels. Training is now conducted at the Sandusky Salvation Army because it offers the space at no cost. Sinwald stores all of the equipment at her home. Since most of their therapy sessions are in Huron County, she would love to have a base here that includes room for training, some outside space for dogs and storage space for equipment. Riley's Angels routinely visits area hospitals to see not only patients, but also staff. They visit several area schools on a routine basis and also in crisis situations such as a student suicide. Nursing homes and CLI are also on the list of regular visits from Riley's Angels teams. Riley's Angels is now training a dog that the Max Soviak Foundation will give to a veteran as a therapy pet. U.S. Navy Corpsman Max Soviak, of Berlin Heights, was killed in 2021 as he helped evacuate Americans and Afghans in danger of being killed by the Taliban from Afghanistan. "We would love to get dogs in the court system in Huron County," Sinwald said, citing research that shows child abuse victims are more likely to truthfully reveal details about their abuse when therapy dogs are included in interviews. "We're not going to take the place of a counselor, but are in addition to that. The dogs just make such a difference." Riley's Angels has no paid staff and therapy teams do not charge for their services. The non-profit works with a budget of about $20,000 a year. Mary Tester told the 100 Women about LifeWise Academy, a program that provides Bible education to public school students during school hours. Started in three Ohio schools in 2018, LifeWise is now available in 130 schools in five states with 300 more planning to start across the nation next year. LifeWise is available at some level in every Huron County district except Monroeville. "I look at LifeWise as a local mission," said Tester, a volunteer with Norwalk's program. "This is our community. These are our future leaders and we need to raise leaders with strong moral character." LifeWise curriculum teaches Biblical concepts from Genesis to Revelations for each grade level. "All the character lessons are based on the truth that is found in God's word, the Bible," Tester said. Each district with LifeWise in Huron County runs the program to fit their district, she said. Norwalk started this year with second- and third- graders at Pleasant Elementary. That will expand to include fourth-graders next year, she said, and hopefully more beyond that. At the beginning of the year 50 students attended LifeWise in Norwalk and that has risen to 70, she said. New London is the only district with LifeWise available from elementary through high school, Tester said. She added that more than 800 students are taking part in LifeWise classes this year across the county and organizers plan to expand that to 1,200 for the next school year. This year's budget for 29 part-time teachers and drivers, insurance, curriculum and office expenses is more than $109,000. Almost two dozen churches contribute with donated space and monetary donations. Generous donors contribute to the cost, which breaks down to about $136 per student, Tester said. Mindy Soisso-Calhoun spoke for Huron County Area Veterans Council, an independent non-profit that coordinates efforts of area veteran organizations to benefit all 4,000 veterans in Huron County and fill the gaps in care for veterans. American Legions of Norwalk, Milan, New London, Attica and Monroeville; Amvets; DAV Huron County; Firelands Team RWB; Marine Corp League; Blue Star Mothers; and VFWs of Norwalk, Bellevue and Willard all have delegates on HCAVC. "Our goal is to work with the community," said Mindy Soisson-Calhoun. "Our organizations don't give money to us, but we help with their programs. "The Veterans Council is working on refurbishing and upgrading the Veterans Pavilion at the Huron County Fairgrounds," she said. Built by veterans in 1998, the pavilion needs work after 25 years, Soisson-Calhoun said. HCAVC also holds a Veteran of the Year dinner each December with a free steak dinner for each veteran. The council provides Easter and Thanksgiving baskets for area veterans when funds are available. Soisson-Calhoun said they didn't have funding for Thanksgiving baskets last November. She said HCAVC operates with an annual budget of about $8,000 each year and has one major fundraiser, a golf outing each summer. AOS, Artists Open Studio, gave a presentation on how they are using the $16,800 from January's 100 Women meeting. Director Jackie Hug brought several pieces of art and showed a video highlighting some of the art and the artists of AOS. "This is a really beautiful thing for our community," Hug said to thank the women at the meeting. The next 100 Women meeting will be Wednesday, July 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Fisher-Titus room at Norwalk High School. "I am so grateful for these women that gather together, learn of the needs in our communities and offer their $100 donation," said Patti Wilde, co-founder of 100 Women. "Put that together and we can truly make a difference in this area of the world."