Neighbor News
Guiding Eyes Celebrates the Grand Opening of the Canine Development Center
The renovated 30,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility was made possible, in part, by the generous support of the PepsiCo Foundation
Saturday, September 19, marked the grand opening of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Canine Development Center with a celebration for its staff, volunteers and supporters. The renovated 30,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, located in Patterson, NY, was made possible, in part, by the generous support of the PepsiCo Foundation. In total, Guiding Eyes raised $11 million to fund the renovation project.
In 2012, a PepsiCo Foundation grant to Guiding Eyes helped make possible the expansion and renovation of the original Canine Development Center. This facility, known throughout the international guide dog field for its groundbreaking advances in canine breeding and puppy training, required a major transformation in order to support the Guiding Eyes’ proprietary initiative entitled STEP - Successive Training and Enrichment Program. With STEP, puppies socialize at earlier ages than ever before, better preparing them for formal guide dog training.
“The human-canine bond is powerful; nowhere is that more evident than in a Guiding Eyes team,” said Guiding Eyes President and CEO Thomas Panek. “The Canine Development Center is the first step in the journey of our guide dogs; it is where they are born and receive early and vital training for their important futures.”
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Built using green construction initiatives, the Canine Development Center’s 30-acre campus includes a puppy training pavilion, expanded kennels, open living areas, outdoor areas for off-leash exercise and an expanded veterinary hospital. The renovation nearly doubled the size of the original facilities, providing more teaching space for staff and volunteers to work together and have additional opportunities for orientation and training sessions.
“It is important to acknowledge Guiding Eyes’ volunteers, staff, graduates, ambassadors and friends, who assist us every day with our mission to transform lives, as well as the many contributors to the Canine Development Center renovation project,” said Panek. “Our friends at PepsiCo are members of the Guiding Eyes community and embrace our work in a number of meaningful ways. We are incredibly grateful for their continued support and our ongoing partnership.”
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The integrated relationship between Guiding Eyes and PepsiCo, which began in 2009, exceeds that of the typical business-nonprofit model. In addition to the PepsiCo Foundation’s support of the Canine Development Center, PepsiCo employees are Guiding Eyes volunteers through PepsiCo’s P-3 Program, which enables employees to bring puppies-in-training to work and home to support the socialization process future guide dogs must undertake.
“We’re pleased to support the opening of the renovated Guiding Eyes Canine Development Center,” said John Stevenson of PepsiCo. “Beyond the grant we provided through the PepsiCo Foundation, we encourage volunteerism in the communities in which we operate, and more than 100 of our employees train and socialize puppies through Guiding Eyes in the tri-state area alone. This state-of-the-art facility will enhance the early training of guide and service dogs in ways that will enrich the lives of both the visually impaired as well as children with autism.”
Guiding Eyes makes a profound and immediate difference in peoples’ lives, creating and supporting life-changing connections between people and exceptional dogs. The non-profit provides guide dogs, professional training, and lifetime support services to people with vision loss at no cost to them, depending solely on contributions to fulfill its mission. Additionally, Guiding Eyes places specially trained service dogs with children on the autism spectrum.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s Canine Development Center is located at 361 Route 164 in Patterson, NY. They can be reached at 845.878.3330 or by visiting www.guidingeyes.org. For the latest news, please visit Guiding Eyes on Facebook (www.facebook.com/guidingeyes) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guidingeyes).
About Guiding Eyes for the Blind
Guiding Eyes (www.guidingeyes.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss as well as service dogs to children with autism. The organization is passionate about connecting exceptional dogs with individuals and families for greater independence. Since its inception in 1954, Guiding Eyes has grown to be one of the foremost guide dog schools in the world, known for its accredited training programs and lifetime commitment to its graduating teams. Guiding Eyes is dependent upon contributions to fulfill its mission and provides all services free of charge.
About PepsiCo Foundation
Established in 1962, the PepsiCo Foundation is the philanthropic anchor of PepsiCo, collaborating with non-profit organizations to develop innovative solutions to challenges facing underserved communities around the world. In support of PepsiCo’s commitment to Performance with Purpose, the PepsiCo Foundation provides grants to eligible non-profit organizations to advance progress in the fields of Human, Environmental, and Talent Sustainability. For more information, visit: http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Global-Citizenship.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2014, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
