Photo property of WTOP/Kristi King
A charity that trains service dogs for veterans is celebrating a donation prompted by the theft of its all-terrain vehicle from Germantown, Maryland last October.
“This is an amazing lemonade from lemon story,” said Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) Executive Editor Rick Yount. “It’s going to be even more useful than the vehicle that was stolen.”
The old ATV was a simple-functioning single-seater. The new utility task vehicle (UTV) donated by the Bob Woodruff Foundation is more like a rugged golf cart with two seats, cargo space in the back and a powered winch in the front.
“It can be used for plowing snow and pulling trailers,” Yount said. And, it can transport visiting veterans around the property who may have mobility issues.
The WCC “Healing Quarters” on the grounds of Seneca State Park near the Germantown Soccer Complex is a work in progress. The facility is on an old dairy farm being transformed for use as a training facility for puppies and their companion trainers.
“Thank you for everything you do for veterans,” said Bob Woodruff Foundation Senior Charitable Investments Advisor Meredith Beck, while handing over the UTV keys to Yount. “We love what you’re doing.”
A WTOP story on the ATV theft prompted the donation that Yount characterizes as the foundation jumping in and “saving the day.”
“I originally found out that the original vehicle had been stolen when reading an article on WTOP,” Beck said. “We realized the significant need for it.”
Article source: http://wtop.com/maryland/2016/01/donation-saves-the-day-for-md-service-dogs-charity/slide/1/
