Dawn Hanson

Hanson’s innovative teaching idea, “Therapy Dog Program,” involves establishing and supporting the Paws of GC therapy dog program in Greenfield-Central Schools. The school system currently has one dog, Aggie Mae, who is trained to be a therapy dog in the program. The therapy dog program is ongoing and is supported by volunteer staff members who train their dogs to meet therapy dog requirements and bring them to work as part of the program. Paws of GC reaches across the district, as any of the dogs can be present in any of the buildings upon request. The Voya grant will go towards the expense of training and keeping the dogs current in their state of well-being, including vaccinations, checkups, grooming, feeding and other care, as it currently falls upon the staff members who choose to volunteer to participate. Additionally, the grant will help pay for certifications and insurance to cover the dogs while present in the buildings.