Woman's Club members Marcia Volner, Jacki Allison and Leslie Jo Gatti present an $800 check and a "comfort kit" to GRPD Juvenile Detective Martha Holzgrafe and Buddy the therapy dog.
The Green River Police Department and the Woman's Club of Rock Springs have something in common - they both work to help the community.
"We just do it in different ways," Jacki Allison from the Woman's Club said.
The desire to help the community, and to support those who help the community, is what motivates the Woman's Club's in their fundraisers and projects, including the donation of $800 and "comfort kits" given to the GRPD this week.
Allison explained the Woman's Club has previously helped the Rock Springs Police Department by providing bulletproof vests for their dogs and wanted to find a similar way to support the GRPD. After speaking with people from the department, Allison decided starting a general fund for police dogs would be a good option. Since Buddy the therapy dog is currently the only dog at the GRPD, Allison decided to name it the "Buddy Fund."
Allison and other club members presented a check to the GRPD Monday morning as their first donation to the fund.
"It is our privilege and our blessing to help the Green River Police Department by helping Buddy," Allison said, adding a hello to Buddy as she handed the check over. "We have raised $800 to give to the dog fund."
Buddy, a one-year-old Black Lab, is the first dog in the Canine Therapy Program the GRPD started at the beginning of the year.
"Buddy is now a certified therapy dog," Juvenile Detective Martha Holzgrafe said. "He just came back from Ohio about two weeks ago carrying four certifications. And what he does is provides therapy to kids and members of our communities."
Along with the donation to the "Buddy fund," the Woman's Club put together and donated "comfort kits" to be given to children the department works with. Holzgrafe explained she conducts forensic interviews with children, which involve talking with kids in a setting where they can play with toys so they feel comfortable while they answer questions. Unfortunately, the children usually can't keep the toys they play with.
The "comfort kits" the Woman's Club donated consist of a bag to be given to children during forensic interviews containing toys they can play with and also take home with them. The bags include things like coloring books, crayons, fidget spinners, small lego sets, stuffed animals, play-doh, puzzles and more.
The Woman's Club of Rock Springs does fundraisers throughout the year to donate to various causes in the community. Although the club is named for Rock Springs, several Green River residents, including Allison, are involved. Club members are looking to eventually change the club's name to reflect the expanded community of Sweetwater County they come from and work to help.
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