Kites was grateful to be selected as a beneficiary of this year’s Telethon.
The grant will support Kites to expand its successful Dog Assisted Therapy program, enabling the service to offer the benefits of Dog Assisted Therapy to more Western Australian children in need.
Included in the funding of the grant is the purchase and training of two Therapy Dogs as well as the equipment and resources required for the delivery of the program.
Featured in the Telethon Beneficiaries feature in The West in early April was Max who regularly accesses our Dog Assisted Therapy program, which is delivered by a qualified Occupational Therapist and a specially trained Therapy Dog.
Mum Shannon describes Max as a beautiful, intelligent, funny and caring soul who loves animals and a good chat.
“Kites and Bazza have helped Max in so many ways and truly brought joy to our family. Max works with Nat an Occupational Therapist at Kites and there could not be a better match. She is absolutely amazing with Max and Bazza. We have a photo of Bazza on our fridge and Max looks forward to his sessions – as soon as I mention we are going to see Bazza his mood totally changes. It is hard to put into words how thankful we are,” Shannon says.
Our Dog Assisted Therapy program is one of very few offered in Western Australia. It has been designed to help children achieve their therapy goals across a number of areas including:
- social skills development
- emotional regulation
- gross and fine motor tasks
- communications skills
- pretend play
- self-care and the care of others
“When Max came to Kites to take part in our Dog Assisted Therapy program he was experiencing low mood and self-confidence. Max had an instant connection with Bazza one of the Kites Therapy Dog and was given responsibilities such as caring for Bazza, teaching him new tricks, giving him treats and speaking openly in his presence. Max was bright, confident and motivated in therapy,” says Occupational Therapist, Nat.
Thanks to the generosity of Western Australians, Telethon supported 97 beneficiaries in 2022. Each year, Telethon provides funding for life-changing programs, the procurement of state-of-the-art equipment and medical research into childhood diseases that change the lives of young WA children.
Thank you to Telethon (link opens in new window) and the Western Australian community for helping to deliver therapy services to so many children.
Please complete the form below to enquire about how Kites can support your child to achieve their therapy goals.