The conference was SOLD OUT. I’m told that 1200 women were in attendance. Certainly an impressive event. My talk took place in the Health and Wellness Area – one of the large conference rooms off the main lobby of the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Picture numerous Health and Wellness Organizations and businesses with their booths lining three sides of the hall, and the stage with podium at the far end. The room was packed with conference attendees as the Health and Wellness talks commenced at 10:00 a.m. I had the pleasure of listening to three excellent and informative talks before it was my turn to deliver my talk on The Healing Power of the Human-Canine Bond.
Judging by the silence that fell over the room as I spoke about the meaningful work our therapy dogs do and the roaring round of applause at the end, my message, clearly, was well-received. After I was finished, several people came up to me saying they were moved to tears by the stories I told of my therapy dog James visiting folks on hospice care and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. People told me that they, too, had had a family member in hospice care, or family member with Alzheimer’s disease, and so on. They could understand firsthand how the human-canine bond could be immensely healing.
Florence Savings Bank in Florence, MA, generously donated booth space to Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. which was staffed by several Bright Spot Board members throughout the day. Many conference attendees expressed interest in becoming involved with our organization. This was a business women’s conference… but dogs are the great equalizer. They touch people from all walks of life.
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