Honoring President George H.W. Bush

NAPE Expo Charities Fund donation will help provide service dogs and lifetime support to veterans free of charge

On Feb. 14, Freedom Service Dogs of America (FSD) received a $100,000 donation from the NAPE Expo Charities Fund, which was created to honor and empower wounded veterans in their adjustment back to civilian life. The donation was part of a $1 million gift made by oil and gas professionals to the NAPE Expo Charities Fund in honor of late President George H.W. Bush, with donations in his name to be distributed over the next 10 years to veteran-related charities.

FSD was announced as a recipient of the funds at the NAPE Charities Luncheon in Houston, where President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura W. Bush, longtime supporters of both veterans and rescue dogs, were the keynote speakers. The luncheon is held annually as part of the NAPE Summit, which draws more than 15,000 attendees to the world’s largest global upstream oil and gas exploration and production expo. Representing FSD at the event were President and CEO Michele Ostrander, Board Chair Tom Scanlan, Events and Community Partnerships Manager Nadine Pace, and U.S. Army veteran and FSD client Tony with his service dog, Promise.

The $100,000 donation will be used by FSD—an Englewood, Colo.-based nonprofit that transforms dogs into custom-trained, life-changing service dogs for veterans, children, and other adults with disabilities—to ensure that the organization can continue to offer unique programming, service dogs, and lifetime support to veterans free of charge, and to increase the number of shelter and rescue dogs in its training program.

FSD CEO Michele Ostrander, former first Lady Laura Bush, former President George W. Bush, and Tony, a veteran with his FSD service dog, Promise

Contact Erin Conley at econley@freedomservicedogs.org for all media inquiries.