Robyn Staebler became a Michigan Ambassador in 2021 after she attended a Celebrate Michigan’s Military event and heard recipient stories. “I knew immediately that Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs was an organization that I would be proud to represent. I also knew the first responder community needed to know this was an option for those that were disabled,” said Robyn. (more…)
Mary Jo Brandt joined Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs as a volunteer in 2011, a Board Member in 2012, and accepted a position as Chief Operating Officer full-time in 2016. She has been instrumental in implementing and overseeing many policies and initiatives throughout her time with Guardian Angels. (more…)
Dr. Rogers joined the Guardian Angels’ team in May of 2022 as their veterinarian, and she is excited to be part of the many upcoming ideas and projects that Guardian Angels is developing. (more…)
Nancy Dakin started working with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs in the fall of 2020. First as a volunteer, then as a full-time employee in December 2021. She most recently joined the Development Team in 2022 and splits her time as a dog trainer and development project administrator for Guardian Angels. (more…)
Mary Lamparter serves as the Advisory Council Co-Chair- Michigan for Guardian Angels. She has worked with Guardian Angels as a volunteer for nine years. She began her journey at Guardian Angels with the event Celebrate Michigan’s Military that she still holds.
She has now also become the Regional Coordinator in Michigan, the chair of the Advisory Council, developed a group called Ambassadors, and is also the liaison between Michigan recipients and various events that she holds and attends on behalf of Guardian Angels.
Mary’s Motivation for Working with Guardian Angels
Mary said her “why” for being involved with Guardian Angels is because she knows that fundraising enables Guardian Angles to pair more Veterans and First Responders who desperately need help. She said she is here because she is a networker and has been successful in fundraising for and educating about Guardian Angels. She said she never served in the military, so working with Guardian Angels is her way of serving those who have served our country.
She said she is constantly touched by the stories our recipients share. Personally, Mary said she has been responsible for introducing at least two recipients to Guardian Angels when they had never considered a service dog before. She said after learning their story, she was able to suggest they might like to look into applying; both have been paired. Each of these individuals were friends and/or personal acquaintances of Mary’s, and she said she was thrilled that she could play a role in giving them a New Normal.
What Mary Wants You to Know About Guardian Angels
Mary said she constantly meets people who don’t know anything about Guardian Angels, and the first thing she tells them is that “We Save Lives.” With almost 400 dogs paired in 11 years, we’ve never experienced a suicide among our recipients.
Since March of 2021, Kensi Nicholson has served the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs’ team as an apprentice. (more…)
At Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, our volunteers and fosters play a crucial role in helping us prepare our dogs for our recipients to help them lead a more independent and accessible life. Jim Granoff is one of the volunteers who goes above and beyond for our organization, to help us in our mission to unleash the power to heal. (more…)
Chris Weber, who has been with GAMSD for about 3 ½ years as a Development Project Administrator, joined the organization after recovering from a Traumatic Brain Injury. (more…)
