Paws to Heal Program and Paws to Heal Coordinator, Lisa Gupton, honored as a 2023 Health Care Hero

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Your contribution to Paws & Think provides life-changing programs to people and dogs in need! Our donors ensure we can evaluate & register even more therapy teams and help at-risk youth learn life skills while finding shelter dogs their forever homes.

Paws and Think volunteers and staff receiving the 2023 Health Care Hero by Indianapolis Business Journal!

This morning, our Paws to Heal program and Paws to Heal Coordinator, Lisa Gupton, was honored as a 2023 Health Care Hero by Indianapolis Business Journal!

Nominated by Ascension St. Vincent the IBJ honored 16 individuals and organizations who are committed to improving health care in Central Indiana at a ceremony this morning. Paws & Think’s Executive Director, Ashleigh Coster, Volunteer and Development Coordinator, Whitney Stevens – McBride, Board President, Shafali Pillay, and many ASV staff were there to help celebrate this achievement!

As part of her thanks, Lisa Gupton wrote: “First and foremost, I am a volunteer in this program with my dog, Lulu, and it is my honor to now lead it as the Program Coordinator for Paws & Think. I want to thank our Paws to Heal Therapy Teams and Escorts first, because without all of those volunteers, this program would not run. To our Therapy Teams, we thank you for all of the hard work, money and love you invest in your dogs.

Thank you also to Dot Hitchins, Kaitlin Knapp and Heather Wiselogle at Ascension St. Vincent. You guys are invaluable to us and you can never leave! To Ashleigh Coster, Whitney Stevens-McBride and the rest of the Paws & Think staff, you guys truly keep this ship upright. I am so thankful for this team of fierce, passionate women.

Last but certainly not least, we would like to thank Ascension St. Vincent for their continued partnership. Your encouragement and belief in what we do is amazing. We would not be able to bring smiles to over 10,000 patients, staff and visitors per year without your support, your donations, and your fierce belief that what we do makes a difference in the physiological and emotional health of everyone we meet. We look forward to many more years of paws tippy-tapping and tails wagging in the halls of St. Vincent Hospitals. Thank you for seeing our value and for nominating Paws to Heal for this award.”