I work fulltime for Anne Arundel County Fire Department.  Scott is a volunteer at the fire station that I am currently assigned to and needs our help.  Please read his letter and is you can help that would be great.  Also pass the letter on to anyone else who maybe able to assist the Kimble Family.  Thank you.

Frank Watkins

01/13/09

Scott Kimble

301 Braddock Ct. #303

Odenton, MD 21113

Dear Odenton Volunteer Fire Company and Fellow Members,

My daughter, Anika, has autism (Asperger’s Syndrome), a disorder involving a spectrum of symptoms causing impaired and delayed learning, and difficulties with impulse control and social skills. I am seeking a service dog for Anika. The service dog agency, Autism Service Dogs of America, is a nonprofit organization located just outside Portland, Oregon. The donation level required for the dog is $13,500. Our family kindly asks that you help us in raising funds to provide Anika with an ASDA service dog specifically trained to assist children with autism.

An ASDA service dog will assist Anika by helping us assure she is safe when we leave our home. It is difficult to have Anika in public; she has no sense of danger and often darts into streets, parking lots and has been known to walk away from me in stores and busy areas. Having a service dog with Anika will help keep her safe while we are out in public. Also the dog will serve as an emotional anchor calming Anika in public. Other families who have received these dogs report an increase in speech because the child talks to the dog as if he were a friend.  Families that have received these types of dogs also report their child’s classroom learning and on task behavior improves with the presence of the service dog. While the benefits of service dogs for children with autism vary from child to child, early results indicate that children served by a trained service dog demonstrate marked improvement in mood, socialization, learning and general psychological and sociological development.

To learn more about autism service dogs and Autism Service Dogs of America, please visit the website, www.autismservicedogsofamerica.com.    We appreciate your generosity and support in our fundraising efforts. Please write Anika Kimble’s name in the memo section of your check or money order so your donation will be credited to the account of my daughter, Anika. Your donation is greatly appreciated. Please make your check payable to ASDA and mail it to our address or ASDA directly as listed below.

Thank you,

Scott

 AUTISM SERVICE DOGS OF AMERICA

“Special Dogs Serving Special Kids”

4248 Galewood Street

Lake Oswego, OR 97035

PH: 503 675-4340    FAX: 503 675-4341

www.autismservicedogsofamerica.com

ASDA’s Federal tax identification number is 71-0888906