BLOGS AWEIGH!

Featuring: Carolyn Hindes and Guide Dogs for the Blind

I love the idea that Ballou Plum Wealth Advisors’ first blog is running on George Washington’s REAL birthday! How appropriate - a day to celebrate those who bring about change and new beginnings.

Which brings me to the point of our blog -- we want this to be an opportunity to celebrate YOU, our wonderful clients and colleagues. You humble us each and every day. The work you do, the amazing ways you are using your life to make the lives of others better, the cool trips you take, the amazing ideas you have --- so many great stories. We’ll certainly use this space as a way to communicate items of interest about the financial planning world, but most of all, we want our blog to feature you!

So many of our clients talk to us about their interest in making this world a better place to live in, and we want to support you however possible in that quest. Towards that goal, next month we are honored to feature Margie Zywicz, J.D., Director of Planned Giving for the American Heart Association, as our conference call guest speaker. She will discuss Planned Giving and how we can all make a difference in others’ lives. Please set aside Wednesday, March 17th at 12:00 p.m. PST for a chance to hear her. Her passion on this topic is infectious and her knowledge on a topic that can sometimes be quite complex is amazingly accessible to us all. We will send invitations to join us or listen to the replay later this month.

Speaking of independence, you need to know all about Carolyn Hindes!

Carolyn has been a valued and very much appreciated client of our firm for about ten years. When we first met Carolyn she was transitioning her life from corporate America to something she found more meaningful. Using her incredible organizational skills and love and appreciation for dogs, she moved her business life to Guide Dogs. Her commitment can only be described by the fact that she and her two dogs commute daily from Pleasant Hill to San Rafael!

So how appropriate that we would start with a woman who dedicates her life to helping people achieve independence in their lives. Here’s a little bit about Carolyn’s story and the story of Guide Dogs.

Carolyn, please tell us a little bit about your background and what made you decide to move away from the more traditional career path of corporate America to Guide Dogs?

I grew up in Orinda but was lucky enough to go to school in Colorado and Virginia so I had a taste of the rest of the country. I lived and worked in Seattle for several years, but there is something special about the Bay Area that kept me coming home. After graduating with my MBA from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, I dove into corporate life at Gap, Inc. I worked in the Real Estate division and was thrilled to be part of a multi-national organization with Bay Area roots.

A few years into my tenure at Gap, my new beau began raising a puppy for Guide Dogs for the Blind. How could I resist a cute boy and an 8 week old yellow lab / golden retriever cross puppy named Gresham?! Talk about a chick magnet! Soon enough I was co-raising Gresham and he often made the trek on BART to work with me, resplendent in his green training jacket. He was a huge hit at work and often co-workers would sit down next to my cube and pet "Gresham" to decompress. The therapy of an animal in action.

Sadly layoffs began at Gap, and I started to formulate what the next steps would be if I received a dreaded "pink slip". As fate would have it I came across a job posting at Guide Dogs in the Development Department (aka Fundraising). The day I received the job offer from Guide Dogs was the day I found out my job at the Gap was safe. It was one of those crossroads in life we all face at some point. Did I follow my heart and go to work for Guide Dogs or stay with Gap? Did I care if Gap sold another pair of jeans? Was I ready to enter the world of non-profit? I, of course, consulted with Ballou Plum to make sure if I made this shift I wouldn’t be eating canned beans and franks for life. They gave me the thumbs up, and I took the leap to Guide Dogs. Each day I feel lucky to drive through the gates of campus and am humbled to see our blind students striding confidently around campus with their Guide Dogs. A few nights of frank and beans is totally worth it!

Where did you get your love of dogs?

When I was little we had a Beagle for a few years, but then there was a long drought with no family pet. We finally got another dog when I was 12 and "Trouble", a miniature black Schnauzer, became the center of our family. A true delight.

Tell us about Guide Dogs.

Guide Dogs opened in May of 1942. It was the first guide dog training school on the West Coast. The goal was to help wounded servicemen who would return from World War II without their sight. Today Guide Dogs is the largest guide dog school in the country. Over 350 teams graduate each year from its two campuses (San Rafael, California and Boring, Oregon). The students come from all over the U.S. and Canada. All Guide Dog for the Blind services are free to the blind and visually impaired men and women it serves. There is a commitment to the students that they can return for successor dogs, free of charge, for their lifetime.

Guide Dogs also has approximately 1,000 volunteer puppy raisers in eight western states (as far east as Colorado) who raise puppies beginning at 8 weeks old until the dogs are about 1 ½ years old. The raisers are responsible for teaching the dog good house behavior and socializing the dog to all the things people do in everyday life including the grocery store, the bus, work, soccer games, birthday parties, and much, much more.

The dog then comes back to one of the Guide Dog campuses for formal training with licensed instructors. About 50 percent of the dogs are dropped at some point during the puppy raising and training process. It can be for health issues (i.e. allergies) or personality issues (i.e. tennis ball obsessed). It takes a special dog to be a Guide Dog. While some of the dogs who are dropped might not be right for guide work, they can continue on in other services. Guide Dogs works closely with Dogs for Diabetes, the California Highway Patrol, and the SFSPCA Hearing Dog Program. Dozens of former Guide Dog puppies went on to careers with these organizations.

What is a Guide Dog campus? How do those who have a need apply for a Guide Dog?

I encourage people to come visit our campus. There are tours twice a day Monday – Saturday. The campus is beautiful and includes a dormitory which can house up to 24 students, the kennel complex and the administration offices. The kennel complex is home to over 300 dogs. The kennel complex also includes the vet clinic, breeding department, and whelping kennel.

Anyone who is legally blind is eligible for a Guide Dog. Applicants go through an in depth application process. The Guide Dog lifestyle is not for everyone, as any owner of a pet understands. It is a big commitment. Once an applicant is accepted, Guide Dogs flies the student to one of our campuses for either a 21 or 14 day class. It is a rigorous curriculum. The students learn the commands to use with the dog as well as dog care classes and field trips to train with the dog in various environments. The culmination of class is graduation day. The student gets to meet the dog’s puppy raiser and in turn the puppy raiser gets to see what was once a sassy 8 week old fur ball now all grown up and responsible for the safety of the blind person. Graduations are open to the public and I highly recommend bringing a box of tissues! The bond between person and dog is inspiring.

Do you have professional Dog Trainers?

Yes! The trainers here are amazing. They are dedicated and talented. Guide Dogs has a three year apprenticeship program which includes curriculum to help prepare apprentices for their state Guide Dog Board exam so that they can become licensed instructors. Guide Dogs for the Blind also works in conjunction with San Francisco State University (SFSU) to offer a Master’s degree in Guide Dog mobility.

Not only are the instructors remarkable with the dogs, they also are great with our students. In order to help make the team successful they need to train the students as well as they train the dogs. Good people skills are a must.

Guide Dogs also prides itself on its follow up services. If a graduates goes home and is having some problem, Guide Dogs has trainers that are on-call to assist them over the phone or can even fly to the graduate’s home to help them work on the issue. With over $75,000 invested in the team by the time it graduates, Guide Dogs wants to do what it can to ensure the success of the team.

What do you do for Guide Dogs?

I am the administrative coordinator in the Development Department (aka Fundraising). It is a diverse job that allows me to interact with a broad range of donors, volunteers and staff from all departments within the organization. One of the perks of being here at Guide Dogs is going down to the kennel and watching the 6 – 8 week old puppies in the puppy kennel. No matter what my mood is when I walk down there, I always leave with a smile on my face.

I also was a volunteer puppy raiser. I raised three dogs for Guide Dogs (a lab/golden cross and two black labs). All of my dogs were dropped from the program, so, of course, I adopted them. I am lucky enough to have them at work with me every day.

What are the biggest challenges your organization faces in this environment?

Education. The vast majority of people don’t realize that guide dogs (all guide dogs, regardless of the school that trains them) exist. If they do know about guide dogs, many don’t realize that Guide Dogs for the Blind provides dogs at no cost. Others think that they have to be totally blind in order to qualify for a guide dog. With the population aging, the number of eye issues (macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosis) and diabetes is on the rise. Guide Dog’s services are needed more than ever, so educating people about who Guide Dogs for the Blind is and how it can help is critical.

Funding. Obviously this is a topic that is front of mind for all charities. Guide Dogs is fortunate that its money is managed well, but it needs to be because we promise a lifetime of successor dogs to our graduates. The last couple of years have definitely affected Guide Dogs and there is belt tightening in all facets of the organization. In the last eight years we have forged some terrific corporate sponsorships, which unfortunately have diminished or disappeared as corporate America also tightened its belt. Thankfully we have more donors than ever before, but donors are giving less than they have in the past. As with all difficult environments, Guide Dogs is keeping focused on it mission and looking for the opportunities that are the silver lining of the storm.

How do you raise funds and what current fund raising opportunities do you have?

Guide Dogs for the Blind is funded through private donors as well as corporations and foundations. A large percentage of gifts are through planned gifts (trusts and bequests). We also hold several special events to raise funds (the Napa Valley Wine Auction in the Bay Area and the annual Holiday Luncheon in San Francisco). The organization receives no government funding.

In today’s environment, people are very thoughtful about charitable giving. It is Development’s job to educate donors about Guide Dogs, why it is worthy of their funds, and how funds are used. As I mentioned earlier, there is a silver lining in even the darkest cloud. A good example of that is Michael Hingson. Michael is a long time Guide Dog user and he and his Guide Dog "Roselle" were able to get down from the 78th floor of one of the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001. Michael and "Roselle" were on national news and talk shows for several years following. It provided exposure for guide dogs in general, but also made people aware of Guide Dogs for the Blind specifically.

What other things would you like to add?

There are a couple of questions that I am asked frequently.

1) As a puppy raiser, how can I give up the dog? Aren’t I attached?

Yes, I definitely was attached to my dogs, but I knew going in that our time together was temporary. I equate it to a child going off to college. I showed them everything I could show them, loved them fully, and trained them to the best of my ability. I cried my heart out as I said good-bye, but was thrilled that they would go on to learn and achieve more. I was devastated to find out that they had been cut from the program. Like any parent, we think our children are the best. How could they cut my perfect dog?! ;-)

2) Is the waiting list for "Career Change" dogs years long?

Guide Dogs strives to find a really compatible match for the dogs it adopts out. The first person on the waiting list, does not get the first dog that becomes available. On average an applicant will wait a year. The more open the applicant is to the type of dog and the more flexible they are with "issues" a dog might have, then the more likely that they will be matched. If an applicant wants only a golden retriever, then odds are very slim they will get a dog because we have a small number of Goldens that come up for adoption. If an applicant is open to a black or yellow lab and is o.k. with toy obsession, then it is likely a match will be made more quickly.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind website is a terrific resource for information about blindness and includes an application for a guide dog, applications for career change dogs, as well as great video footage of our puppies and much more. Check it out at www.guidedogs.com

Carolyn, thank you SO much for sharing your vision and insights and a peek into your life. If you would like to contact Carolyn about Guide Dogs, she can be reached at: chindes@guidedogs.com I say we all go over for a field trip!!!