Order your T-Shirts now! The t-shirts will be $10.00 with the proceeds goign to benefit Annabelle and our goal.

The sizes are Youth Medium, Youth Large & Youth X-Large and Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large, Adult X-Large, Adult 2XL & Adult 3XL. The shirts will be heather grey with darg grey and red ink.

If you are interested in purchasing a shirt please contact Heather using our Contact page on this website. Please make sure in the comment section that you stipulate you are interested in a tshirt and what size. Below you will find the image that will appear on the shirts.

Thank you

 

Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction

May 17, 2008
5-8pm Auction
6-8pm Dinner
First Baptist Church
1135 Watson Blvd
Warner Robins, GA  31093

All proceeds go to 4 Paws for Ability a 501c3 agency to help Annabelle Whitaker receive an Autism Service Dog

Ticket prices
$7.50 age 12 and up
$4.00 age 5 – 11
Age 4 and under Free

Spaghetti, Bread, Salad, Drink and Dessert

For advance tickets call 478-447-6673
Tickets also available at the door.

 

 

Perry Family Seeks Four-Legged Solution

No offense to cat lovers out there, but this Perry family has a need only a furry canine can fulfill, and they need your help!  Heather and Neil Whitaker of Perry are raising funds on behalf of 4 Paws For Ability, a non-profit organization specializing in training and placement of service dogs for children with special needs. Ten-year-old Annabelle Whitaker has faced more challenges in her short life than others might face in a lifetime.  Annabelle has Smith-Magenis Syndrome, which is the deletion of the 17th chromosome.  Less than 600 children worldwide have been diagnosed with this.  She is speech delayed and at age six she had surgery to repair a sub mucus cleft palate. Annabelle is developmentally delayed and attends the special education program at Matt Arthur Elementary School.  Children with SMS tend to wander away and are unaware of environmental dangers such as traffic, bodies of water, or the ill intentions of a stranger.  Annabelle needs a strong companion at her side trained to provide the special assistance she needs.  In addition to providing constant companionship and unwavering friendship, these four-legged wonders are specially trained in search and rescue skills, calming behavior disruption and tethering in public places. Based in Xenia, Ohio, 4 Paws For Ability strives to provide service dogs to families and children that struggle with life’s daily challenges and who would otherwise be turned away by many other agencies.  4 Paws trains a variety of assistance dogs, including but not limited to seizure assistance, mobility assistance, hearing ear dogs, autism assistance dogs and multipurpose assistant dogs which is what Annabelle has been approved for. As with most of 4 Paw’s animals, Annabelle’s dog will probably be rescued from a shelter.  Over 75 percent of their dogs come from shelters.  Some of them have been saved only days before they were scheduled to be put down, and have gone on to transform the lives of the children with whom they have been placed.  4 Paws uses any dog that can pass the medical, physical, obedience and training requirements, regardless of breed.  This creates a mutually beneficial relationship -- 4 Paws will be bringing freedom and independence to a precious dog, and the dog will be bringing freedom and independence to Annabelle.  Many of their dogs begin their training serving a little time in the “Rover Prison Rehab Program”.  This program helps the dogs, as they are given constant 24-hour care and training, and helps the inmates who experience unconditional love and a chance to do something positive and uplifting.

“We have discovered a magic that exists between children and dogs, a magic that can become a life-saving miracle for a child paired with one of our Autism Assistance Dogs”, states the 4Paws website www.4pawsforability.org.  You can help bring some magic to Annabelle’s life by making a tax-deductible donation to 4 Paws For Ability in Annabelle’s name.  For additional information contact Heather and Neil Whitaker at (478) 447-6673 or (478) 338-3852 or by email hnwhitaker@comsouth.net. Annabelle’s website will be up and running soon so check it out as well www.4pawsforannabelle.com. To contact 4 Paws directly call (937) 374-0385 or check out their website at www.4pawsforability.org.

Dear Business Owners, Community Leaders and Organizations,

Ten years ago we were blessed with our first child, Annabelle.  Since her birth, she has grown into a tall, beautiful girl with a sparkle in her eye and a great love for life.  She enjoys attending Matt Arthur Elementary with her “typical” peers, family outings to her sister Megan’s ball games, playing outside, and watching any Disney movie.  She is full of energy and life and loves to explore the world around her.

Annabelle has accomplished so much in her life, yet there are developmental milestones she is struggling to reach.  While she is expected to eventually meet them, we do not know when. Annabelle was diagnosed with Smith-Magenis Syndrome which is the deletion of the 17th chromosome. Less than 600 children worldwide have been diagnosed with this.  Annabelle still has no concept of environmental dangers, such as traffic, drowning, or the ill intentions of a stranger.  In addition, Annabelle can have a difficult time communicating with the world around her.  She actually has a very large vocabulary, but with her speech delay and apraxia she is difficult to understand. It can be difficult for her to communicate her needs, wants, and desires and this is frustrating for Annabelle and she will often have “melt-downs” as a result.

One of the things Annabelle is famous for is her wandering.  She has escaped the backyard, our home – the list could go on and on.  When this happens, Annabelle is subject to potentially dangerous situations if she is not found quickly.  Most children respond to their parent’s calls when they can’t find them, but Annabelle does not.  As a result, very close tabs are kept on Annabelle and the stress level of mom and dad are extremely high when in public places and while it decreases at home, it is always present.

We want nothing more than to keep Annabelle safe and help her be able to communicate with the world around her.  After doing a great deal of research, we believe an assistance dog for children with special needs will help Annabelle grow and develop in ways we may never be able to. 

That’s where 4 Paws for Ability, Inc. comes in.  They have accepted Annabelle into their program and will be training a Multi-Purpose Disability Assistance Dog specifically trained for her needs.  It will cost 4 Paws $13,000 to train Annabelle’s dog and we are responsible for raising these funds.  By supporting 4 Paws for Ability, you will be giving Annabelle a constant, trusted companion that will be able to help her re-focus, to calm her and prevent meltdowns, and to keep her from darting into a busy street.  Furthermore, if Annabelle were to wander off, her dog will be trained in search and rescue and will be able to help us find her and bring her back. 

Support comes in many different ways, so please follow your heart.  We welcome your financial gifts or your assistance in fundraisers we will be hosting.  If you would like to assist with a fundraiser, we need donations of goods and/or services for our raffle and silent auction, volunteers for our spaghetti dinner and baked goods for our bake sale.  Anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.  If you would like to help by making a monetary donation, please send your tax-deductible donation payable directly to 4 Paws for Ability and write “Annabelle Whitaker” in the memo portion of your check (an addressed envelope is included).

We greatly appreciate your support!  If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at (478) 447-6673 email us at hnwhitaker@comsouth.net.  If you have questions about 4 Paws, please visit www.4pawsforability.org or e-mail the Director, Karen Shirk, at karen4paws@aol.com.

Sincerely,
The Whitaker Family- Neil, Heather, Annabelle, Megan & Aubrey

A syndrome is a recognizable pattern of physical, behavioral, and developmental features that occur together in the same person due to a single, underlying cause. Smith-Magenis syndrome (or SMS) is a chromosomal disorder characterized by a recognizable pattern of physical, behavioral, and developmental features. It is caused by a missing piece of genetic material from chromosome 17, referred to as deletion 17p11.2.

Common features include: characteristic, yet subtle, facial appearance, infant feeding problems, low muscle tone, developmental delay, variable levels of mental retardation, early speech/language delay, middle ear problems, skeletal anomalies and decreased sensitivity to pain. The syndrome also includes a distinct pattern of neurobehavioral features characterized by chronic sleep disturbances, arm hugging/hand squeezing, hyperactivity and attention problems, prolonged tantrums, sudden mood changes and/or explosive outbursts and self-injurious behaviors. For a more complete list of physical, developmental and behavioral characteristics, please click here .

Ann C.M. Smith, M.A., D.Sc. (hon) a genetic counselor, and Dr. R. Ellen Magenis, a physician and chromosome expert, described the first group of children with this deletion in the 1980's. Most people with the diagnosis have been identified since 1995 as a result of improved laboratory techniques that allow the accurate detection of this chromosomal deletion. Although the exact incidence is not known, it is estimated that SMS occurs in 1 out of 25,000 births. SMS is under-diagnosed, but as awareness of it increases, the number of people identified grows every year.

If you would like more information concerning Smith-Magenis Syndrome please take a look at their website www.prisms.org