“My friend had mentioned the crisis in Kentucky.

My quest would lead me to an organization that knows that crisis well.

And the multiple crises associated with mass shootings.

A collapsed condominium.

A mud slide.

Raging fires in California.

[…]

Hope Is

Serving others in a time of need.

A quote by one of the HOPE AACR board of directors.

A quote embodied by every extraordinary response team I had the sacred privilege of meeting and talking with on my quest.

I first learned of HOPE AACR through a special friend who is a team with Sunny and with Oreo, two therapy canines certified to bring smiles and comfort to children, senior citizens, college students, and those who are healing from past traumas.   Along the journey of my friend, Sunny, and I co-presenting the healing power of canines to audiences (before Sunny’s little brother Oreo was part of the family), my friend and Sunny began working on their certification to become a crisis response team part of the HOPE AACR organization.   Fast forward to a few months ago and I had the privilege of being one of the sponsors for HOPE AACR to hold their annual member education event.

Like the quote by Elizabeth Gilbert reads in her book Eat, Pray, Love, “I thought about one of my favorite Sufi poems…long ago…a circle in the sand, exactly around the spot…standing right now. I was never not coming here.  This was never not going to happen”.  That I would find HOPE AACR on my quest for what Hope Is was calling to me before I met the wonderful teams.”

(Read full article by Christine Hassing here)