Manatee Children’s Services Awarded $108,000 Impact100 SRQ Grant to Launch “Healing Paws, Helping Hands” Therapy Dog Initiative
Manatee Children’s Services (MCS) has been selected as a 2026 grant recipient of Impact100 SRQ, receiving $108,000 to establish a Volunteer Coordinator position that will expand community engagement and introduce therapy dogs to support child victims of abuse.
The funding will allow MCS to build a structured volunteer program that enhances services for children and families while strengthening the agency’s connection with the community. A key component of the initiative will be coordinating trained therapy dog teams to work alongside staff when children are receiving care after allegations of abuse.
Therapy dogs are known to help reduce anxiety and emotional stress for children navigating traumatic experiences. By providing comfort and companionship during interviews, counseling sessions, and other supportive services, therapy dogs can help children feel safer and more at ease as they begin the healing process.
In addition to coordinating therapy dog visits, the new Volunteer Coordinator will recruit and manage community volunteers who can assist with meaningful projects across the MCS campus. These efforts will include beautification initiatives, facility improvements, and other hands-on activities that help create a welcoming, safe, and child-friendly environment.
Impact100 SRQ is a philanthropic organization of women who gather their resources to fund transformational grants for nonprofit organizations serving Sarasota and Manatee counties. The grant reflects the group’s commitment to supporting innovative projects that create meaningful, lasting impact in the community.
The new Volunteer Coordinator position will be implemented in 2026 and is expected to significantly expand volunteer participation while enhancing the support available to children receiving services.
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About Manatee Children’s Services: Manatee Children’s Services, a Child Advocacy Center dedicated to preventing child abuse, provides a full spectrum of programs serving over 12,000 children and families annually. Our mission is “preventing child abuse, restoring healing, and strengthening all children and their families through advocacy, treatment, and shelter.” Since our start in 1977 as the community’s first and only emergency shelter for abused children in foster care, Manatee Children’s Services now offers programs in treatment, prevention, intervention, and residential services.