PAWS for People training set Sept. 16, 30

To meet the growing demand for pet therapy teams throughout Delaware, PAWS for People is expanding its paw prints into Sussex County. As part of this process, training sessions for potential pet therapy teams will be held at the Tunnell Cancer Center at Beebe Healthcare, 18947 John J. Williams Highway, Rehoboth Beach.

Orientation will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16, and training will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30. Both sessions are required for certification.

PAWS has had a presence at Beebe Healthcare for some time, providing visitation services at the main campus in Lewes, and recently at both the Tunnell Cancer Center and the Bookhammer Outpatient Surgery Center.

"We are thrilled that Beebe Healthcare has made this great new space available to us for training purposes," said Lynne Robinson, executive director, PAWS for People. "It will help make it easier for PAWS to train and certify even more therapy teams that can subsequently give back to patients and the community at large."

Lee Halloran, Beebe Healthcare Volunteer Services manager, said, "Our Beebe pet therapy teams have all been trained and certified through PAWS. They bring such comfort and joy to so many of our patients. Beebe is delighted to be able to assist PAWS to train more teams. It's a win/win proposition. The more teams they can certify, the more teams that can visit our patients, visitors and staff."

In addition to adding more pet therapy teams in Sussex County, PAWS also will be expanding its number of volunteer trainers. These trainers go through rigorous training themselves to become qualified to conduct orientation, training and standards of excellence evaluations for handlers and their pets.

For more information or to sign up, call 302-351-5622 or go to www.pawsforpeople.org.