Black & White Gala 2024,

About the event

Thank you for your interest in Canine Therapy Corps and our 12^th Annual Black & White Gala.  This event funds our therapy dog programs throughout the year. 

Canine Therapy Corps collaborates with professionals at highly respected Chicago area hospitals, schools, and rehabilitation facilities to develop program curricula that help people recover and reclaim their lives.  The populations we serve include those with substance abuse disorder, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, adolescents with histories of trauma, abuse and neglect, children who have chronic illnesses like cerebral palsy and those with chronic conditions like autism, Down syndrome, and mood and behavior disorders.

Our volunteer therapy dog teams not only help people feel better, they help people get better.  Going beyond visitation (which we also do) our dogs are a part of the therapeutic process.  When working with patients in physical or occupational therapy, participants might walk a dog on a leash down the hall or work on their arm and hand muscles by playing fetch.  Our mental health and psychosocial programs are based on introducing patients to the dogs and have them teach the dogs tricks.  This program helps patients build self-confidence, improves communication skills, helps with anger management and gives patients a sense of control over their lives.

Since our formation in 1991, Canine Therapy Corps has provided therapy dog services to our program partners at no charge.

Canine Therapy Corps Program Partners

• Advocate Children’s Hospital – Park Ridge
• Chicago Children's Advocacy Center
• Easterseals Academy
• Haymarket Center
• Heartland Alliance
• Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
• Lawrence Hall
• Lydia Home
• Northwestern Memorial Hospital
• RUSH University Medical Center
• Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
• Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School
• Swedish Hospital
• UCAN

Our volunteer corps consists of approximately 45 dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes have passed our rigorous therapy dog certification test and promote healing, health, and hope. Over 100 people working in our programs; developing new and innovative applications for animal-assisted therapy; staffing outreach events and our program evaluation efforts; educating the community about animal-assisted therapy and humane issues; publishing our newsletter; and planning fundraising events. In 2022, Canine Therapy Corps volunteer teams donated over 450 hours of service to approximately 5,150 individuals and our goal is to serve more people than ever before.

Why should you sponsor?

Would the work we do at Canine Therapy Corps resonate with your clients?

Let them know you support the services we provide to those who need therapeutic help to heal and reclaim their lives through the use of goal-directed, interactive dog-assisted therapy. We provide therapy dog teams to our program partners at no cost. If your products and services cater to anyone who has empathy for those suffering from physical, emotional or psychological trauma, then let them know you support our efforts.  Your employees can also take pride in working for a company that supports our worthy cause. 

Sheila Gidley

Since 1991, Canine Therapy Corps’ volunteers and certified therapy dogs have been serving the Chicago metropolitan area, working with health care, education, and social services professionals and helping people recover from physical and emotional trauma. Canine Therapy Corps customizes and tailors its programs to meet the therapeutic objectives of the special needs population served. Programs are goal-directed and interactive, so working with a Canine Therapy Corps dog is an important part of recovery.

The foundation of Canine Therapy Corps' successful animal-assisted therapy (AAT) programs is the strength of the human-animal bond, which encourages and empowers individuals facing and overcoming personal challenges. The therapy dogs provide immediate and continuous positive feedback in animal-assisted therapy sessions, which catalyzes the motivation participants need to persevere during difficult or painful therapy. Working as a team with their dog also benefits the volunteers. Sharing their love and compassion, working together, and serving the community deepens the bond between the handler and his or her dog.

Mission Statement: Canine Therapy Corps, Inc. empowers and motivates individuals to improve their physical and psychological health and well being by harnessing the human-animal bond; provides goal-directed, interactive animal-assisted therapy services free of charge using volunteers and certified therapy dogs; and advances animal-assisted interventions through research and collaboration.

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