Hand in Paw nears fundraising goal for renovations at 38th Street site

Hand in Paw, a Birmingham nonprofit founded in 1996, has been quite successful in using pets as therapeutic tools with both children and adults.

The group’s volunteer handler and animal therapy teams serve more than 100 hospitals, non-profits and public agencies in North Alabama, such as St. Vincent’s Hospital, The Bell Center and Birmingham VA Medical Center.

And the demand for Hand in Paw’s services continues to grow, according to the organization. But Hand in Paw’s current facility lacks the space and capacity to train and manage enough therapy teams to meet that demand.

So the group recently carried out a capital campaign to fund some ambitious renovations and additions at its facility on 38th Street South in Avondale. At Iron City Ink’s press time, Hand in Paw’s fundraising was near its goal of $2 million.

“We’re a whisker away from completing Phase 1” of the campaign, Paige Staylor, Hand in Paw director of marketing and community relations, told Iron City Ink.

And the Hand in Paw staff is excited about the changes coming to the building. 

“We will be building a very special place for our volunteers and the community,” Hand in Paw founder Beth Franklin said in a news release.

“We’re transforming our 0.75-acre property, from what is now only an administrative building to what we know will be a bustling campus featuring a brand-new volunteer training center,” Staylor said.

The present administration building will be renovated, and the training center will be new construction, according to Staylor. The facility will also get updated landscaping, new signage and fencing.

The training center will include a simulation of a Children’s of Alabama hospital room. “It will take the role-playing portions of our training to a whole new level,” Staylor said.

The expansion will increase training opportunities, provide space for evaluations and enable Hand in Paw to increase its number of volunteers, according to the organization’s website. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2018, according to Staylor, who said they’re not yet sure how long the work will take. 

Hand in Paw has chosen to make the bustling neighborhood of Avondale its “permanent home,” according to Staylor.

“It is not only convenient to the medical district — our most-served partners are Children’s of Alabama and UAB Health System — but it also offers an opportunity to contribute to neighborhood rebirth,” she said.

The expansion will allow Hand in Paw to better engage the surrounding communities by hosting camps, speakers, educational programs and other events and also “simply sharing the space,” Staylor said.

The campaign was boosted by two $500,000 gifts, one from local philanthropist Ken Jackson and one from an anonymous donor. Hand in Paw hopes to raise another $250,000 in a Phase 2 to build and sustain programs Staylor said.