Soldier’s Wish is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that was founded in 2013 by Jim Moore. He saw that there was a need for a veteran organization to stand in the gap and support our nation’s heroes. It is the mission of Soldier’s Wish to identify and provide for the needs of veterans, service members, and their families, regardless of branch or rank. We provide direct resources that honor, support, and leave a sustainable impact on their lives. Additionally, Soldier’s Wish educates the public about the needs of the military community and strives to close the military-civilian divide. Now, in our 12th year of operations we are led by our Executive Director and Broken Arrow Mayor Debra Wimpee. I am the Programs Coordinator and an Army veteran. Our Office Manager Natasha Rohr is an Air Force veteran. We also have two recent additions to our team. Caney Long is our Process Coordinator and Desiree Nightingale is our Volunteer Coordinator. Our team is small but strives to make a huge impact.

 

Paws for Patriots was born from a conversation I had in 2024 with our trainer Nicole Ingraham of Nicole's K9 Solutions. At that time we had received several wishes for service dogs and we didn't have a financially feasible solution to grant them. Nicole had just finished granting a wish for obedience training to a veteran who wanted to bring their dog to more of the events they attend with their organization. She also helped us raise the funds to cover the cost of service dog training for another veteran. We like to think of that wish being the very first Paws for Patriots wish. While the conversation was just intended to secure commitment for the next year, it became the catalyst for the organization we know today. Working with breeders and rescues we source each of our golden retrievers focusing on a breed that was versatile in the services it could provide. Most veterans suffer from more than one issue and thus we needed a dog that could handle all of their needs. As we added more dogs, our program gained attention, and more people reached out wanting to help.Soon we had six dogs in our program before we had even paired anyone up.

 

This section below will be for Part II - December

 

As the dogs were paired with their veterans and we dove further into their training, we watched the veterans become a support group of their own. In the military we are all bonded by the experiences we share regardless of branch or rank. That bond stays with us even after our days of service to this country are over. Gather any veterans, no matter when they served, and have them discuss Basic Training, deployments or a certain duty station and they will become like old friends. So it was no surprise they looked to each other for that same comradery. Just like in the military they encourage each other and are there for one another while training side by side.

 

As time went on the veterans themselves started giving greater insight to their individual needs and the activities they participate in. Outside of the normal trips to stores and restaurants, we started taking the group to the shooting range to get the dogs used to the sound of gunfire and the smell of gunpowder. We went on boat rides to get the dogs used to the sound of the motor and the feeling of being on the water. The list goes on. Now we are working on funding the flights for the veterans and their service dogs. So that they may get the experience and training needed to navigate the difficulties they may face when traveling by plane. Something that can be stressful for even a person without any disabilities.

 

Today we are proud to announce that we reached our funding goal for the Paws for Patriots program this year. This is greatly due to everyone in the community that donated directly or attended one of our events. We were even selected by Cox Communications for a grant in August. Our mission is not yet over though, we already have two more veterans and dogs lined up for next year that we need help funding. We ask everyone that can go to our website www.soldierswish.org and make a donation directly to Paws for Patriots. With your help we can change the lives of more veterans through the granting of a wish for a service dog.