Local legal eagles come to the aid of child-abuse victims
To the uninitiated, Axel and Webster are your garden-variety yellow labs, the two sweet and docile canines looking like they’re about to nod off at any moment as they relax next to their handlers.
These two, though, are working dogs, their jobs not only highly specific but extremely important.
“I wish I could show you the difference in the kids from when it was just me and then later when Axel was in the room,” Sarah MacDonald says. “Children get into the groove of holding Axel. He is a really calming presence for them.”
MacDonald, a forensic psychologist at the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre (sheldonkennedycac.ca), has a new arsenal in her daily efforts thanks to Axel and his buddy Webster, both graduates of the Edmontonbased Dogs with Wings Assistance Dog Society.
“There is a lot of scientific literature that supports the calming presence of dogs,” says MacDonald, who brings Axel with her when she interviews children and youths who have been victims of physical and sexual abuse. “It’s a great new addition to our services.”
While Axel and Webster briefly steal the show on Tuesday morning, there is still some attention being paid to the main reason we’ve been called to the centre on this day — one that has a direct connection to these newest animal members helping kids and youth.
Sara Austin, the centre’s relatively new CEO, is joined by supporters, staff and board members of the centre to announce a new donation and partnership. Over the next three years, Calgary law firm Borden Ladner Gervais will provide $150,000 in financial contribution to the centre, along with volunteer support by its lawyers, support staff and students.
While it’s not in the milliondollar category of donations that prompt news outlets to usually attend a press conference of this nature, Austin says in these times of economic uncertainty and the corresponding dip in corporate donations, this couldn’t have come at a better time.
“What’s important is that it’s not just a financial contribution,” Austin says. “They are also going to partner with us, providing pro bono legal support along with volunteers.”
Austin and her team have Melinda Park to thank for making the connection between the centre located near the Alberta Children’s Hospital and the downtown offices of one of the country’s leading full-service law firms.
Park, who has long sat on the board of the centre, is also a partner at the law firm.
“When my boys were young, I volunteered with soccer and hockey associations,” she says. “When they moved on from sports, I decided this lines up with what is very important to me.”
Alan Ross, Borden Ladner Gervais’s regional managing partner, credits Park with putting the Sheldon Kennedy centre on their radar.
“This is a growing organization, so we look forward to helping it in its ascendancy,” Ross says of the now five-year-old centre that provides wraparound services for children, youth and families who are victims of abuse. “We’re looking forward to a strong partnership.”
One of the growth areas is its Child Life program, a wonderful addition to the programs which help victims at every stage of the process, from physical exams to attending court, as well as trauma-focused mental health support and community education for nearly 7,000 children and youth over the past five years.
The Child Life program includes a specialist, a team of child space volunteers — and the stars of its new Best Furry Friends program, those two wonderful dogs, Webster and Axel.
Not that these ordinary-yetextraordinary canines need to do all that much to make a victimized child feel just a little better.
“Axel usually goes to sleep in an interview and quite often he will snore,” says MacDonald with a laugh. “But what that does for the kids is really something beautiful to see.”