Blog: City Blog

A Visit from PAWS

Rarely does a Knoxville resident like Annabelle visit Mayor Rogero's office.

Annabelle works with children adopted from foster care to help them build a sense of security, trust and patience.

Joining Annabelle on her visit were her colleagues at Harmony Family Center: Rachael Ellis, Director of Development & Community Outreach, and Pam Wolf, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Harmony Family Center.

Annabelle is an Emotional Support Dog in Harmony’s PAWS for Kids program.

Research has shown that animal companions like Annabelle provide safe, nonjudgmental support for children and adults who have experienced trauma. Additionally, children who are emotionally attached to their pets are more likely to learn trust and build healthy relationships with people.

Harmony Family Center serves children and families across Tennessee, providing therapeutic care and educational services.

From harmonyfamilycenter.org: “The trust, patience, and unconditional love of a dog can help a child begin healing from the trauma of abuse and neglect, buffer the effects of stress and promote emotional attachment.”

We appreciate Annabelle and her colleagues visiting the Mayor’s office to share info about Harmony Family Center and the therapeutic work they do for children and families (and, on occasion, City employees).

Posted by ptravis On 20 July, 2018 at 4:03 PM