Prior to attending The Calais School, Heather McGuire experienced the devastating and untimely passing of her father and her Chocolate Lab Claire a week later. It was an exceedingly difficult period in her life — she needed support.  

 

In 2016, she came to The Calais School as a 9th grader and began receiving counseling and guidance to work through her grief and manage her anxiety. Over the next four transformative years at Calais, Heather built up her confidence while learning essential coping skills to succeed at school and everyday life.

During her time at Calais, Heather also took a special interest in the school’s therapy dog program. When Heather was given a Golden Retriever named Bella, suddenly all the pieces came together: “In 2017 Bella became a therapy dog and we began our journey.” The pair volunteered at nursing homes, the Livingston Rec Center and an elementary school.

In 2022, two years after graduating, Heather was asked if she would like to return to Calais as a therapy dog handler on the school’s Animal Assisted Interventions team – she accepted. 

“Calais helped me be successful throughout high school and especially gave me the confidence and skills I need to thrive in the world. I knew I wanted to give back.”

Heather says Bella loves coming to work at Calais and they both love seeing all the different ways the students benefit from their interactions with the therapy dogs.

At The Calais School, many essential programs like Animal Assisted Interventions, are not covered by tuition alone. Your gift can help bridge the financial gap between the cost of tuition and the actual cost of the programs that so many Calais students depend on.

Please make a tax deductible year-end donation and give more students like Heather a chance to reclaim their self-esteem, build their confidence & thrive. THANK YOU!