SUFFOLK, Va. - For years, veterans and others struggling with trauma and disabilities have found help through service dogs trained by the Virginia Beach nonprofit, Mutts With A Mission.
Friday, the organization officially expanded into schools.
It was Nansemond-Suffolk Academy's first in-person Veterans Day program since before the pandemic began.
At the end of the ceremony, the school's Head, Debbie Russell, introduced Brooke Corson, Founder of Mutts With A Mission, and Jett, a two-year-old golden retriever-labrador retriever mix.
Founded in 2008, Mutts With A Mission trains and places service dogs with veterans, first responders and others who might be struggling with trauma or living with disabilities.
Russell announced Jett will be Nansemond-Suffolk Academy's facility dog to be placed with school counselors who say they're seeing an increased number of students and staff struggling with mental health.
“More than anything, knowing that dog is there will be an invitation to see the counselor when maybe they’ve been reluctant to do so," said Kate Gover, counselor for NSA's Upper School.
"These kids have suffered, just as the adults have, through COVID and stuff like that, sometimes maybe even more because not only are they having to go through COVID, but they have parents who are deployed," added Corson, a U.S. Army veteran.
Friday's ceremony at NSA also included a salute to each branch of the United States military and keynote speaker, Air Force veteran Dr. Adrienne Hartgerink, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist who's received numerous awards for her military and civilian work.
