An Autism Service Dog for Kymber Linn
UPDATE! October 21st, 2021*** After months of research Kymber Linn's family has found a California organization named Superdog Service Dog's just outside the Bay Area that they are confident is the right fit to train Kymber's future companion! The initial deposit has been made and they are on their way to meeting their goal! The spaghetti fundraiser was a huge success and thanks to many generous GoFundMe donations from friends, family, local businesses and kind individuals we know that our dream can become a reality. Please continue to share our fundraiser on social media and donate when you can, we can't do it without you! OCTOBER 30th we will also be hosting an incredible BAKE SALE at L's Kitchen in Fortuna, so come pick out some goodies for a good cause!***
Kymber Lynn is a bright and curious 2 and a half year old little girl who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Kymber was born at UCSF at 34 weeks with a rare genetic disorder that has delayed her development. She has delayed motor skills, low muscle tone and is non verbal. Immediately after recieving her diagnosis Kymber's family set their minds towards doing everything they could to learn about autism and what she might need to help her live her most full and happy life. Less than a year later she is excelling in speech, occupational and physical therapy and is growing and learning every day!
Kymber has a natural inquisitiveness about the world and most enjoys herself out of doors interacting with nature. She has an inherent love for animals and loves to feed her little flock of chickens, play with her pet bunny and shares a special bond with her dogs Bego and Ellie. When Kymber's mom Shaya was introduced to the concept of an autism service dog she knew right away that this was the perfect way to improve Kymber's quality of life and her interactions with the outside world.
Service companions assist individuals on the spectrum in a multitude of ways. They can be trained to provide pressure and recieve pressure which calms and comforts. They are trained to interrupt potentially harmful behavior or outbursts and redirect focus. They provide a social and communicative bridge and can accompany the individual at all times to help them feel comfortable interacting with the world around them and are a source of stress reduction and unconditonal love. We want Kymber to grow up in her community feeling supported and at ease and an autism service dog will help give her that sense of place when they are engaging with the public.
The decision to bring a service dog into the family has been easy but finding the funds to invest in one is incredibly challenging. There is a California non profit in the Bay Area that we would like to work with in training and matching Kymber with her service companion. They breed and train service dogs and are one of the best non-profits in the nation to do so. The cost of an autism service dog is roughly $17,000 and we are hoping our community can help us fundraise as much of the cost as possible so that Kymber can enroll in the program and be bonded with her companion before she enters Kindergarten.
We will be doing a variety of fundraisers over the next year and are hoping to have our deposit in to the organization before the start of 2022. Please contribute if you can, and if you cannot, please considering sharing our fundraiser with other community members. Ultimately, our goal is for Kymber to enter elementary school in Fortuna equipped with everything she needs to be the happiest little girl she can be and to give her all the tools she needs to thrive here in Humboldt County.
Thank you to all! We appreciate your support!
