TBF Grantee Assistance Dogs of the West Wins FBI Award
Kudos to Assistance Dogs of the West, one of The Bolger Foundation’s Spring 2023 grant recipients! In recognition of their service to the people of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Federal Bureau of Investigation honored ADW with a 2023 Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA).
According to their website, the FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge “dedicated individuals and organizations from across the country for their extraordinary contributions to strengthening communities and reducing crime and violence.” Every year, on behalf of the FBI Director, each of the FBI’s 56 field offices selects a person or group to receive this award in recognition of their outstanding support.
Washington, DC: Jill Felice, founder of Assistance Dogs of the West, accepted the Director’s Community Leadership Award from FBI Director Christopher Wray.
ADW trains service dogs of all kinds, including courthouse facility dogs that provide cuddly comfort to children and adult victims as well as victim advocates, special investigators, prosecutors, and defense attorneys in criminal justice settings. The empathetic company of these very special animal companions makes court proceedings less stressful for all parties involved, which often helps prosecutors to win their cases.
ADW’s dogs also serve as furry stress relievers in emotionally fraught situations such as mass casualty incidents and special victim units. The nationally renowned nonprofit organization provides Crisis Response Canines for the FBI’s Victim Assistance Rapid Deployment Team (VARDT). ADW dogs and handlers have been dispatched to mass shootings in San Bernardino, Las Vegas, Dallas, Parkland, and elsewhere, helping to ease the anguish of first responders, victims and family members, and others caught up in these highly charged situations.
On April 19, 2024, FBI Director Christopher Wray honored the 2023 DCLA recipients at a ceremony held at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. ADW founder Jill Felice accepted the prestigious award from Wray on behalf of Assistance Dogs of the West.
Said ADW’s CEO and President Linda Milanesi, “It was truly thrilling to be at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, to witness Director Christopher Wray honor Assistance Dogs of the West nationally in recognition of working as community partners with the Bureau.”
The Bolger Foundation is proud to support ADW, whose 4:1 challenge grant from The Bolger Foundation is going towards the renovation and expansion of ADW’s campus and training facility in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Congratulations to Jill Felice, Linda Milanesi, and the rest of the awesome team at Assistance Dogs of the West!