Chelsea Ruchlin, LSW, and her dog, Nellie, are a unique among the AIR Dogs: Paws for Minds therapy teams because they work together. Chelsea, a social worker and case manager at the Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, works with special education students and since becoming certified with Nellie last fall, her canine partner has become…
Today our little Miki turns 12. This little dog has been a part of our journey for all of his life. I remember Kenny saying, we don’t need another dog (Miki was dog 4)…but soon changed to, “Miki is a cool little dog.” After Kenny died, Miki was in tune with my grief and knew…
Linda Hobson has owned five therapy dogs over the years and has been an AIR Dogs: Paws for Minds Therapy volunteer for Attitudes in Reverse since 2011. “I just enjoy seeing the young people let their guard down,” said Linda. “ You can watch their whole body language change. They just melt.” Linda first met…
The Learning Journey: A Message to This Year’s Graduates Graduation is the end to a phase of learning. Some of you are moving onto high school, college, trade schools, perhaps the military. Some may be beginning a new job. Graduation IS the end of a phase of learning. However, for each and every graduate, ALWAYS be…
The death of musical genius Chester Bennington, Linkin Park lead man, in July of 2017, rocked the world. Our son, Kenny had been a fan. Chester’s messages from pain of depression and addiction disorder resounded with Kenny and so many young people who struggle with similar illnesses. Shortly after losing Chester, Talinda Bennington discovered Attitudes…
AIR volunteers and AIR Dogs: Paws for Minds therapy dog teams are bringing In Their Shoes and AIR’s message around the Garden State for National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. As part of National Suicide Prevention Week (September 8-14), AIR brought In Their Shoes and therapy dog teams to Ocean County College and to the Suicide…
Yvonne Quinn had raised Packer from 7 weeks old to become a Seeing Eye dog. However, when he was sent back for his final training at 17 months old, Packer experienced gastrointestinal issues and could not complete his Seeing Eye education. After Yvonne took Packer back home, she decided pet therapy would be a great “career change,”…
Barbara Eget has been a volunteer with Attitudes in Reverse (AIR) nearly since the beginning. Barbara, whose older son has bi-polar disorder, first met Tricia Baker in a support group for mothers of children with mental health concerns. In 2010, Tricia founded AIR to raise awareness about mental health. “I knew I wanted to be…
Local Dignitaries Applaud Attitudes In Reverse® and its Life-Saving Mission at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Annual Family (including Dogs) Event to Be Held Saturday, May 18, 2019 Attitudes In Reverse® (AIR™), a Princeton-based nonprofit whose mission is to save lives through mental-health and suicide-prevention education, commemorated the opening of its office in West Windsor, NJ, yesterday.…
6th through 8th grade students from Community Middle School in West Windsor are supporting AIR and the Miki & Friends Open AIR event on May 18 through their student-led organization called HEAL. Through their fundraising page, they hope to raise enough money to fund an AIR program at another district school. “They’re trying to raise money for AIR so…