Lachelle Smith Elected to Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs Board of Directors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Smithtown, N.Y. (February 3, 2022) – The Guide Dog Foundation and its sister organization America’s VetDogs, are pleased to announce the election of Lachelle Smith, CVRT, of Erial, New Jersey, to serve on their boards of directors. The boards provide
counsel and oversight to advance the organizations’ mission to provide guide and service dogs and training – free of charge – to people who are blind or have low vision, and to those who have served our country honorably.
Smith is the Program Director and Assistant Professor of the Personnel Preparation Program in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) at Salus University in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania while also serving as an Adjunct Professor for North Carolina Central University.
A member of the low vision and blind community, Smith has more than 17 years of professional experience as an educator, rehabilitation practitioner, and advocate for the disability community. Lachelle is dedicated to educating and training consumers who have disabilities, as well as for individuals pursuing careers in working with consumers who are blind, visually impaired, and those with additional disabilities.
“Lachelle’s extensive career, expertise in advocating for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, and firsthand experience working with a trained guide dog, will be a tremendous asset,” said John Miller, president and CEO of the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs. “We are thrilled to welcome Lachelle to our boards of directors and utilize her skillset to further our organizations’ missions.”
The Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs boards of directors comprise volunteer leaders from the medical, business, academic, and military and veteran communities. Members of the board of directors set strategic direction and policy, and help raise awareness of the organizations’ services.
About the Guide Dog Foundation
For more than 75 years, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. (www.GuideDog.org), has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to people who are blind, have low vision, or have other special needs. The Guide Dog Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization serving clients from across the United States and Canada. The Foundation relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to serve people with disabilities. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but the Guide Dog Foundation provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. Its sister organization, America’s VetDogs, trains and provides guide, service, and hearing dogs for disabled veterans and first responders. The Guide Dog Foundation was the first assistance dog school in the United States to be accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.
About America’s VetDogs
Since 2003, America’s VetDogs (www.VetDogs.org) has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to veterans with disabilities from all eras. In 2015, VetDogs opened its programs to first responders, including fire, police, and emergency medical personnel. America's VetDogs is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by the Guide Dog Foundation and serves clients from across the United States. VetDogs relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to help those who have served our country live with dignity and independence. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but America’s VetDogs provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. America’s VetDogs has been accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.