46 SARASOTA SCENE | MARCH 2018
philanthropy
TOP DOGS
BY STEVEN J. SMITH | PHOTO BY JOHN REVISKY
Michael and Jann Nohe are proud to say
they’ve “gone to the dogs” — volunteering for
and donating to Southeastern Guide Dogs, an
organization that transforms lives by training
dogs to aid veterans and the blind.
“Marge and Itzik Barpal, who donated quite
a bit of money to their veterinary and student
centers, invited us to come to a graduation
ceremony,” Jann said. “Eight or nine visually
impaired people were formally receiving their
guide dogs and talking about what it meant
to them.”
“It was a real tearjerker, when you realize
how these dogs are going to change their
lives,” Michael added. “In some cases the
dogs actually give these people their lives
back, because they regain mobility and
Those interested in partnering with
Southeastern Guide Dogs, they learned, may
do so by donating to its Cornerstone Society,
a program in which benefactors contribute to
it annually for three years — in increments of
$1,200-$4,999, $5,000-$9,999 or $10,000
and above — to build the organization’s
The Nohes enthusiastically joined the
Cornerstone Society but wanted to do more,
so they became “puppy raisers,” which is the
process of fostering a puppy and preparing it
for the training it will need to assist a future
visually impaired master. Breeds include
Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers or a
blend of the two, called goldadors. Puppy
raisers incur no costs other than food and
dog toys. The organization picks up all
veterinary costs. Volunteers receive their pups
at about nine weeks of age, teach them basic