Reps from Autism and Veteran-K9 Support Groups Speak at Inaugural Membership Event

Greater Newington Charitable Society (GNCS) held its first Membership Invitational Meeting on June 13th at Indian Hill Country Club. Prospective and current members were treated to informative presentations about two causes supported by and closely aligned to the Society’s mission — children at risk and military veterans.
 
Greater Newington Charitable Society President Melanie Tregoning welcomed guests and began the evening with a brief presentation about the history of GNCS, who it serves, and the causes it supports. “We were very pleased to have two of the wonderful organizations we support here with us that night to explain the work they do. Their presentations demonstrated why we back them,” said Tregoning.
 
Since its inception in 2016, GNCS has grown its membership by 150% and has given close to $10,000 to charitable causes.

Guest speaker Lauren Herlihy, Ph.D.

Guest speaker Sherrie King from TADSAW

Lauren Herlihy, Ph. D., from The Autism Center at the Hospital for Special Care (HSC) in New Britain, was the event’s first guest speaker. Herlihy explained, “The Autism Center is one of only 11 specialized inpatient units for ASD in the U.S. at its opening in late 2015.”
 
The Autism Center offers inpatient and outpatient treatment, serving individuals with Autism ages 2-21 and their families. As a clinic, it has seen 1,776 individual patients since opening in 2012. The Autism Center will be one of the beneficiaries from the Greater Newington Charitable Society’s leading fundraiser — The Indian Summer BBQ Bash — which will be held this fall on November 3rd.
 
The second presenter was from the national nonprofit organization Train A Dog Save A Warrior (TADSAW). Lead Trainer Sherrie King, explained how — at no charge to the veteran  — TADSAW rescues kill-shelter dogs, pairs them with veterans surviving with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Military Induced Anxiety Depression Syndrome (MIADS), or Traumatic Brain Injury, and trains them as a team. “We save two lives at the same time — the dog’s and the veterans,” King said.
 
After the speech, TADSAW was presented with a donation of $1,150 from GNCS. The money will be used to help a Veteran-K9 Rescue Team in the Greater Hartford area.

Greater Newington Charitable Society President Melanie Tregoning hands TADSAW representative Sherri King a donation, which will be used to support a veteran in the Greater Hartford region.