Joyce Weber works tirelessly to help the handicapped in Phoenix and throughout Arizona. Her main thrust is to train the handicapped (folks with Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Stroke victims, Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, ALS, the Deaf and Severely Hard of Hearing, Spinal Cord Injury, etc.)to train their own dogs to become Certified Service Dogs through The Happy Tails Service Dog Organization. Besides her teaching duties, she spends many hours driving to schools, churches, deaf organizations, etc., to put on demonstrations to get the word out that these services are available--free of charge to the handicapped. Joyce contacts organizations for financial support and these funds help purchase equipment for the students (braces for the dogs to assist the individual in walking, sound equipment for teaching the severely hard of hearing, professional interpreters for the deaf, even dog food for the student's dog.) Joyce travels to seminars to glean information on the newest techniques in dog training and techniques for training the handicapped. These seminars require a lot of time away from her family, but she willingly goes to them in order to keep the Happy Tails Service Dog Organization up to date on the newest methods for training. When the funds are available, Joyce and her assistants receive partial reimbursement for the gas for their cars. Their main "pay" comes from the happy faces of the students when they complete the course (12 to 15 months)and they become the owner of a Certified Service Dog! To see the help these folks receive from their newly trained dogs is thrilling. I really cannot think of anyone more deserving of The Beth McDonald Woman of the Year Award than Joyce Weber.

Signed,
Elly Hanson