Grant Proposal - Final.docx

.pdf
GPM Inc. 608 S Wright Street Urbana, IL 61820 [email protected] April 26, 2017 Lee McGuire L. McGuire Foundation Champaign, IL 61820 Dear Mr. McGuire, GPM Inc. is thrilled to present this grant proposal to The L. McGuire Foundation for review and consideration. This proposal examines the funding for The Illini Service Dogs organization, which is dedicated to providing support and service to individuals with special needs, by offering and training service dogs. In the United States, service dogs play an important role for people with disabilities. They aid in many tasks other than just navigation, ranging from helping those experiencing a seizure, helping calm individuals with PTSD, to dialing 911 in emergency situations. We are optimistic that, through an organization like Illini Service Dogs, it is possible to raise awareness of service needs, and also expand to help more individuals with such needs. The Illini Service Dogs are a student run, registered student organization operating on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. They operate completely on donation based charity, and aim to raise roughly $14,500 dollars a year. The issues that they tackle are numerous, and they constantly need to train their dogs in a variety of ways in order to help those in need. On top of this, they also provide their dogs to those in need completely free. Unfortunately, the organization has not been able to achieve its financial goals to facilitate expansion even though it has made a considerable impact on the Champaign-Urbana area. We believe that, with the help of the L. McGuire Foundation, their goals of expanding, reaching their monetary objectives, and training more dogs can all be achieved. The attached proposal outlines a yearly donation $9000 a year for four consecutive years to help Illini Service Dogs achieve these goals. This donation will help cover costs for training, shelter, food and protection and will go a long way towards achieving their financial goals. GPM Inc is very excited to present this opportunity to you and is always appreciative of the generosity shown by the L. McGuire Foundation. We believe that every dollar of the donation will make a considerable difference for the organization and the community itself. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through my cell at (217) 432-2344. Thank you, Pranav Ganesh, GPM Inc.
Illini Service Dogs. A Dedicated Service Organization Submitted to: L. McGuire Foundation Date: April 26, 2017 Pranav Ganesh GPM Inc. 608 S Wright Street Urbana, IL 61820 (217) 432-2344
INTRODUCTION The Illini Service Dogs are a student run, registered student organization operating on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. They operate completely on donation based charity, and aim to raise roughly $14,500 dollars a year. Currently, the goal of Illini Service Dogs is to provide students with the opportunity to train a service dog for an individual with a disability and educate the community about disability culture. Our findings show that it takes between $10,000 to $15,000 dollars to train a dog from puppy to full-fledged service dog, and is one of the reasons the organization is struggling to raise funds. The staff is committed and excited about their work with the animals and other volunteers, but can sometimes become frustrated as they are constantly dealing with the lack of financial support. The issues that they tackle are numerous, and they constantly need to train their dogs in a variety of ways in order to help those in need. They are well liked by the students of the University of Illinois, and have done nothing to suggest anything else than a positive and stellar image. This is why GPM Inc, is recommending an annual donation for $9,000 for a span of 4 years, through which Illini Service Dogs can expand have a better outreach. Illini Service Dogs will keep The L. McGuire Foundation very well informed about its progress, and will also provide a detailed plan for the use of the donation. STATEMENT OF NEED While many people think of service dogs and only think of guide dogs, there are actually numerous disabilities in which dogs can be trained aid people with disabilities. In 1990, Congress took a survey and found that there were approximately 387,000 service dogs, while only roughly 10,000 of those were guide dogs for the blind. Service dogs can be trained to perform a specific task for individuals, ranging from navigation, help someone during a seizure, and calm an individual with PTSD, to dialing 911 in an emergency situation. Service dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and are becoming popular solutions to many disabilities that many people face. Overall, service dogs are an incredibly important part of all the lives they affect for the better, and many people who could benefit greatly from having a service dog do not have access. Illini Service Dogs is one organization that uses service dogs to provide dedicated and genuine help to individuals for free. Students work 1-on-1 with the dogs at a time in order to give them the best learning environment, and once the dogs are ready they are provided to those with disabilities free of charge. On top of this, Illini Service Dogs also does not ask for donations from those that benefit from their dogs. However, due to such service obligations and improper sponsorship, Illini Service Dogs has failed to reach its financial goal of $14,500 yearly. It is in need of donations and sponsors for it to continue its dedicated service without obstacles and unnecessary budget cuts. This is an organization which has already made a significant positive impact in its society, and is desperately waiting for the financial help that it needs to continue making such an impact. Therefore, the requested donation of just $9000 per year would greatly help Illini Service Dogs do what it does best, provide dedicated service through trained dogs to individuals who need it.
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