Dell Deaton

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Category: de minimis Volunteer Reporting

Alliance of Therapy Dogs certification

Formal certification of our dog Jasper and me as a “Pet Therapy Team” was signed today.

Alliance of Therapy Dogs (“ATD”) provides “testing, certification, registration, support, and insurance” for canine handlers such as me “who volunteer with their dogs in animal-assisted activities.” Although my wife has paired with a number of our animals over the years, this is my first — officially.

Although I am fully prepared for and will begin immediately going out on visits with Jasper, this certification importantly serves to fulfill requirements of application to serve through Canines for Christ.

Community presentation on “Volunteers in Public Safety” program

Following are some photographs that I captured during the “community discussion” on public safety just held at First United Methodist Church in Saline, Michigan.

My wife, Ms Johnston, and I were part of the (slightly larger) “Volunteers in Public Safety” (aka “VIPS”) formation team led by Chief Jerrod Hart last fall.

Radio promotion for high school robotics team

In support of FIRST Robotics Competition Team 5066, my wife and I donated an interview spot on AM 1290 WLBY with The Lucy Ann Lance Show.

The promotion was one of the perquisites of our business membership in the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce. Rather than leverage it to promote our downtown print gallery, however, we used it to facilitate interviews with and promotion of this worthy high school endeavor.

Saline Police Department “VIPS” launch

A few months back (certainly before the leaves turned), the Saline Police Chief overviewed a program with which he’d been involved through his prior association in Novi, Michigan.

Dubbed “Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS),” the initiative is described by the National Crime Prevention Council as follows.

A citizen volunteer in police service is a member of the community who provides support services to a law enforcement agency without monetary benefit. Services typically include community outreach, telephone work, research, and other administrative tasks.

Based on the presentation by Chief Jarrod Hart, my wife and I met with him one-on-one to express interest in stepping-up to lend our support at least insofar as getting thing started. With that, we became part of the first half-dozen residents on his new-launch team.

The first step was fingerprinting and criminal background checks, which we completed on July 8. Structured training led by the designated police force liaison took us through the end of the month. A series of “ride-alongs” came after that, in August.

Preparation alone is a serious commitment, and I’m glad that it was. We officially became a part of Saline VIPS on September 1, and are on the streets (as a team, in a freshly-marked cruiser) once a week routinely, plus special events.

Here are a couple of write-ups we’ve shared with the community through Saline Journal.

VIPS introduction to Saline Area Chamber of Commerce

Saline Michigan Police Chief Jerrod Hart made an extended presentation on newly-formed “Volunteers in Public Safety” (“VIPS”) initiative to monthly breakfast meeting of Saline Area Chamber of Commerce.

My wife and I accompanied him as representative volunteers with the program.

Seminars for Catholic conference on divorce

Earlier this year, I gave two talks a couple-hundred attendees at the North American Conference of Separated and Divorced Catholics in an auditorium at the University of Notre Dame.

The title was “How Can You Trust After Divorce?”

This offering was previewed in the May 20, 2004 issue of The Saline Reporter in an expansive feature titled, “Facing ‘Reality’ — Divorce mediator places value on elements of trust,” page 9-A. Following is a key excerpt.

The ‘Trust’ seminars … are based on a presentation first given by Divorce Reality Group audiences in Saline last April. The subject is covered through a combination of the latest academic research and heartfelt anecdotes connecting to the struggles of audience members.

Basic definitions are explored, as well as core challenges such, ‘Are you sure you want the whole truth, all the time?’ Game playing, fallout from extramarital affairs, and ‘truth serum’ are also discussed.’

Although this coverage ran sans byline, I believe it was written by Renee Collins, based on her attendance locally the April prior and a discussion that I had with her immediately after.