Proceeds from the March 29 basketball game will benefit Puppies Behind Bars
Goshen, N.Y. (March 29, 2019) – On Friday, March 29, 2019, students from Burke Catholic’s National Honor Society and Key Club hosted a charity basketball game benefiting Puppies Behind Bars. The game took place at the John S. Burke Catholic High School, located at 80 Fletcher Street, Goshen, N.Y. at 6:00 p.m.
“Puppies Behind Bars has such a powerful mission. It’s rewarding to see our students recognize the importance of the organization’s work and organize a successful event to help benefit it,” said John Douthit, Principal-Operations at John S. Burke Catholic High School. “It’s also a great opportunity for members of our BC community to come together for a fun Friday night and support a larger cause.”
Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders, as well as explosive-detection canines for law enforcement. Puppies enter prison at the age of eight weeks and live with inmates for approximately 24 months. As the puppies mature into well-loved, well-behaved dogs, their respective inmates learn what it means to contribute to society rather than take from it.
“Puppies Behind Bars a great foundation and donating the money from tonight’s game is a great service opportunity that help our veterans too,” said Matthew Guarneri, a senior and member of both the National Honor Society and Key Club. “The puppies help so many underserved veterans, especially with post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is not recognized as much as we should recognize it, and too many veterans have lost their lives to the disorder unfortunately to suicide, but these puppies have helped so many people.”
Students from Burke Catholic organized, promoted, and participated in the charity basketball game, donating the proceeds from its $5 ticket sales and concession to the organization. Approximately $500 was raised for Puppies Behind Bars through the event.
Scout, a 15-month-old yellow Labrador Retriever, was on-site at the school’s basketball game.
“My husband and I have been volunteering with Puppies Behind Bars for about 10 years and because I’m a nurse here, I have permission to bring the puppies to football games, to basketball games, to Open Houses, to graduation; I’ve brought a puppy every year to graduation and he walks with the students,” said Kathleen Kish, a nurse at John S. Burke Catholic High School. “The students are amazing because they realize how these puppies help veterans go back into the community, help them sleep better, and allow them to be able to go back to things that made them happy before.”
To learn more about John S. Burke Catholic High School, visit www.BurkeCatholic.com.
