PHOENIX — Matt Gromek and his 8-year-old pup, Ollie, lumbered their way into Open Hearts Family Wellness Summer Camp on Monday. For the past five years, the two have volunteered for an organization called Gabriel’s Angels.
“Barriers break down immediately when they see him,” said Gromek.
The American Bulldog mix makes it look easy. He helps at-risk children open up to improve social and emotional development. The natural bond kids have with animals is the key.
“These are kids that a little bit of help can go a long way for them,” said Gromek.
On Monday, Gromek and Ollie were there to help kids understand why words matter. Through demonstration, they hoped to inspire empathy and positivity. The attention during the activity is easily held because the reward is getting a chance to hang with the gentle giant.
“We are teaching them our core values which are affiliation, empathy, self-awareness, confidence, self-regulation,” said Gromek. “When you have a dog like Ollie with you, their guards go down and they get excited to be there.”
“The dog really can make a big difference in how that child can heal, can grow, can learn,” said Gabriel’s Angels CEO Melissa Steimer.
Twenty-five years ago, Gabriel's Angels initially began focusing on foster children. Its founder recognized the power a dog had to help children cope during the difficult transition.
“We have different programs depending on what that challenge is,” said Steimer.
Maybe they’re not confident readers and need a non-judgmental ear, or it could be a school navigating a suicide or some other unthinkable tragedy in need of the comfort only an animal can provide.
“They can just give this warm furry animal a big hug and, for a minute, all that goes away,” said Gromek.
Of course, Ollie may be the star of the show with his own baseball card being handed out and excited children gathering for a photo opp, but for Gromek and other volunteers, watching the pets go to work is a treat.
“To come out here and change a kid's perspective or their outlook or maybe their attitude towards life, it’s huge,” he said.
Gabriel’s Angels has grown over the years and at one point in 2019 had about 185 teams, Steimer said, but it lost about two-thirds of them during COVID. If you’d like to get involved just visit their website.