From ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR, GREENWOOD CHAPTER #159
Greenwood Chapter #159, Order of the Eastern Star (OES), will be donating $5,000 to sponsor the training of a local assistance dog. OES is working with the Ability Center of Greater Toledo, which regularly teams with local dog breeders to acquire the puppy candidate. Every dog has a unique personality, so not all of them are able to be fully trained and certified, but the breeder that has been selected this time has provided many pups that have grown into successful assistance dogs.
This donation was spearheaded by Greenwood Chapter’s Worthy Matron, Denise Zephier; she requested it in lieu of holding honor receptions for her positions in the regional and state-wide Eastern Star organization. Zephier was a 2024 deputy grand matron of the State of Ohio, and the president of the district association of chapters for 2024-25, both of which would usually entitle her to having receptions held in her honor – but Zephier wanted to see those funds do something that would change someone’s life forever.
Assistance dogs can be trained to be a service dog, a skilled companion dog, or a school facility dog. Service dogs are trained to assist people with disabilities in living more independently. Skilled companion dogs (formerly known as therapy dogs) provide support and companionship to children and adults with developmental disabilities. School facility dogs comfort students in counseling settings and help improve student motivation and social skills.
The Ability Center believes each dog chooses its own career path, and not all dogs will choose the path to be an assistance dog. Dogs may be selected to become part of the breeding stock, others are released and enter alternate service dog careers, such as scent detection dogs, or find homes with adoptive families.
For more information about donations for the assistance dogs, contact Denise Zephier at d.zephier@gmail.com.
