This summer, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation awarded a sizable grant to Warrior Canine Connection (WCC), an organization that helps thousands of combat veterans engage in the healing process through canine therapy. With the grant, WCC plans to develop the Bob & Renee Parsons Healing Quarters in Germantown, Maryland.

2.  This summer, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation
awarded a sizable grant to Warrior Canine
Connection (WCC), an organization that helps
thousands of combat veterans engage in the healing
process through canine therapy. With the grant,
WCC plans to develop the Bob & Renee Parsons
Healing Quarters in Germantown, Maryland.
WCC has engineered a unique alternative therapy
for treating combat trauma. Instead of using
pharmaceuticals, the program addresses
psychological wounds, including traumatic brain
injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, with healthy
canine interactions.

3.  In addition, WCC trains service dogs for
veterans who could benefit from their
assistance. An apprentice-in-residence
approach allows WCC to enlist service
members dealing with combat stress
aftereffects in the training of service dogs
for other fellow veterans. A single dog may
affect the lives of more than 60 service
members over its requisite two-year training
period. While interacting with the dogs,
veterans experience some relief from their
psychological trauma.

4.  The new Healing Quarters facility will
encompass 80 acres of land and provide
space for veterans and their families, as
well as the medical caregivers, who
remain actively involved with the healing
process.