Graduation Program March 2019

A Message From the Executive Director

Welcome to Graduation!

Saint Francis Graduation is a graduation unlike any other you are likely to attend. Yes, there is ceremony. Yes, there are diplomas. Beyond that, our graduation is different. In order to arrive at this point, each of these graduates proved that they are not a victim of any disease, disability, or circumstance. They are the authors of their own fate. They chose to share their lives with unbelievably special dogs, and then they did the work and made the sacrifices required so that they could. Today you will not hear a commencement speech designed to inspire the graduates to face the world ahead of them. There is no need. Our graduates have been living with bravery and integrity for years. They know exactly how to grab life and wring out every drop of love and joy it holds. Unlike a typical graduation ceremony, we will let the graduates speak to us. We are celebrating the beginning of new chapters in their lives. With a Saint Francis Service Dog by their side, we send them into a friendlier world, a world with more opportunities, more joy, and a lot more laughter. We send them into a world that holds a little more love and grace than it did before. Thank you for being here to share in this celebration of all the possibilities that can grow from the love of a talented Saint Francis Service Dog. I hope you will be as inspired by our graduates as I am.

Cabell Youell