Paws for Youth

08/31/2026

Thank you to The Phoenix Turkey Trot for choosing us to be this year's charity partner! We're grateful for the chance to get out there and enjoy the cool fall weather with all of you. 😊💜

We are excited to announce our partner charity for this year's race, Paws for Youth! Helping children and teens navigate challenges, discover strength after trauma, and feel safety and comfort in a stressful world. Rather than operating a single facility, Paws for Youth brings pet therapy programs to Title I schools, shelters, behavioral treatment centers, and other youth-serving partners – all entirely free of charge. With the unconditional love of therapy pets to guide the way, youth build confidence and enjoy learning the nuances of forming healthy relationships, treating others with respect and kindness, regulating their emotions, and more. It’s pet therapy that goes beyond comfort – it’s transformative, intentional, and driven by data for maximum impact.

08/25/2026

Can you donate 30 seconds of your time?

We've been nominated for a grant from Arizona Financial Credit Union, but we need your help to make it to the finish line! Please visit https://qr.pawsforyouth.org/6a33a174 - all it takes is a moment to vote for us and make a difference for our local kids and teens!

08/10/2026

Thank you to Tempe Diablos Charities for your generous support of our work with local youth! It was such a pleasure to meet with you and discuss exactly what this investment in our community looks like for the kids and teens we serve.

08/06/2026

🌼 An exciting new era is blossoming at Paws for Youth, and we are delighted to announce Suzanne Pearl as our new Chief Executive Officer! 🌷🎉

Suzanne has been serving as our Interim CEO while a hiring committee of current and former Board Members searched to fill the role, and they ultimately voted to select her for the permanent position. She has extensive experience with communications, human resources, and nonprofit work - but we'll get into all that soon in another post. 😊

For now, our staff all gathered for a day of team-building that included learning how to arrange flowers and meeting all FIVE of Suzanne's adorable dogs! 🐾

07/30/2026

Valley nonprofit Paws for Youth is encouraging families to include pets in their at home learning routines after seeing firsthand how therapy dogs can help children become more confident readers through the organization's Animals, Books & Children program. Details at gilbertsunnews.com/community/four-legged-helpers-can-assist-kids-with-reading/article_55b279a7-ed9f-4e56-92bd-d45954db39ba.html.

07/30/2026

We're excited to introduce you to our new YouTube channel, ! 😍

We already have a few videos up and can't wait to show you more of our work (including some peeks behind the scenes like this one with Therapy Dog Ann: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JL_WLTENRq8 ).

Please remember to subscribe to our channel while you're there to add a little PAWSitivity to your video feed and help our work reach more community members! 💜

07/27/2026

We never charge for our pet therapy programs, so our Arizona youth receive these comforting and resilience-building programs entirely thanks to community support like the generous grant we received from The Rosendin Foundation. 💜

07/23/2026

What a difference a PAWSitive, encouraging environment can make! 😍

Thank you to Friends of the Children - Phoenix for being such a great partner and supporting our community's youth. 💜

07/14/2026

12News invited us to the studio to share how pets can help kids practice reading! Watch the story now:

Paws for Youth has therapy dogs trained to help children feel more confident about reading.

07/02/2026

Did you know that from Title 1 schools to behavioral health centers, from central Phoenix to the outskirts of Tucson, you helped us connect with youth at 101 partner locations this past fiscal year?

THANK YOU for all you do to support our pet therapy programs for kids and teens in our community! 💜