Philippa decided to become a Therapy Team after her husband was being treated for cancer at UAB. One day in the waiting room, two volunteers from Hand in Paw came in and visited with their dogs. Her husband, Frank, thought it was so wonderful and really enjoyed the time they spent together. Frank enjoyed the visit so much, he wondered if their 1.5 year old Cavalier would be a good fit for the program. With some training and hard work, the dream came true and Philippa and Pippa began to visit different facilities, bringing people comfort and joy just as others had for her husband!
During their almost 10 years as a Therapy Team, Philippa and Pippa have visited many different places including nursing homes, schools, churches, colleges, elementary schools and hospitals. While they have loved each and every visit opportunity, Philippa says she enjoys visiting Children's of Alabama and the Bruno Cancer Center the most.
When asked what makes a visit from Pippa so special, Philippa responded,
"There is really no way to express how wonderful it is to take Pippa on a visit. We always hear 'Oh look, here comes Pippa !!!!' No one even knows we are around which is what a visit is all about. "
Volunteers like Philippa and Pippa are the backbone of Hand in Paw. We simply could not go on without them.
"Without question we believe that Hand in Paw is one of the best volunteer, service organizations in Birmingham. It has been almost 10 years since we began...and what a happy ten years they have been!!" - Philippa Bainbridge
If you would like to volunteer with your animal and help improve the lives of people in need, please visit our Volunteer With an Animal page on our site!
VOLUNTEER WITH AN ANIMAL
