In 1996, Hand-in-Paw was founded to assure that therapy animals and their handlers were carefully trained to comfort, encourage and motivate children and youth who were facing terminal and chronic illness, rehabilitation and residential treatment. Today, HIP serves patients and clients in 39 facilities and HIP receives calls daily to serve new facilities.
Hand-In-Paw is Alabama's first nonprofit organization to provide nationally-registered Delta Society® Pet Partner® teams as therapeutic tools in medical, social service and educational settings. The mission is to help children, youth and senior citizens heal and maximize their potential through interaction with specially-trained therapy animals.
The PICASSO PETS Debut and Auction is a night of fun with a serious purpose. This year's event will be held Saturday, August 18th, 2007 from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. Last year, the over $200,000 raised at this event enabled Hand-in-Paw to provide nearly 40,000 patient/client contacts and serve more children than ever before through our innovative animal-assisted therapy programs.
The paintings sold at the live auction are composed entirely of paintings by Birmingham pets under the supervision and creative wisdom of a local artist. In addition to the live art auction, Picasso Pets Debut and Auction features a silent auction of fabulous items. Last year's items included a trip to France, designer jewelry and a Porsche driving package. Our Pet Partner® teams will be on hand too!
Please make your plans to be there for Picasso Pets Debut and Auction, where artistic animals lend a paw, and sometimes a tail, to help Hand-in-Paw help kids in our community.
If you'd like to help with the Picasso Pets event, please email [email protected] or visit www.handinpaw.org for more information.