A few years ago, I got acquainted with Military wife, Britnee Kinard and was intrigued and more inspired by the work she has been doing. A Lincoln Award Winner and one of the trailblazing women dedicated to caring and advocating for wounded veterans with service dogs, her contribution as President and Founder of SD Gunner Fund has been beyond words. The SD Gunner Fund was created to assist veterans, children with disabilities and first responders while inspiring disability awareness through public education and advocacy.
Often, families of those who are injured and families of those with disabilities struggle to afford the care and support their loved one’s needs.
Eager to know about the programs and her journey, I sat down with Kinard to understand everything about her experience with SD Gunner Fund and her philanthropy.
Q1) Can you tell me about SG Gunner Fund and when did it start?
Our organization was started in June 2014 after I saw a dire need of support for veterans and their service animals. My husband is a Purple Heart recipient and injured veteran. I understand the struggles that families have to go through because I went through the same pain and frustration when I was trying to find support for my own family and husband.
Q2) With SG Gunner Fund, what was something so challenging yet so blissful that made you so committed towards it?
My husband was told by his medical team at the VA that he needed a service animal in 2013. He received zero support when it came to having access to the channels that were already in place for him to receive a service animal. It took us 18 months of fighting the Department of Veterans Affairs to get them to acknowledge and provide us with those resources. It was at that moment that I realized that no one should have to go through the struggles that we were going through. So I sat down and came up with a plan to help as many families as possible moving forward. That is how our organization was born.
Q3) I love that you have been assisting communities extensively. So how does the funding work in this process?
We’re considered a small nonprofit. 100% of our funding comes from individuals and small businesses. We don’t receive any government funding. We are super grateful because our families that have benefitted from our support often times will pitch in and help fundraise as well for our organization.
Q4) What is the one most important piece of information you want to share with people about service dogs?
Service dogs are a very important medical device. They can be trained to do some very amazing things. However, the true definition of a service dog is oftentimes abused by those who do not truly need a service animal. Fake service dogs are an ongoing and growing problem. I understand that people want to take their dogs everywhere with them, but I don’t think that those individuals understand the harm that they are doing to individuals who truly need service animals. A lot of business owners have been taken advantage of by fake service animals and it puts a bad taste in their mouths. So when a legitimate service animal comes through their business, they unintentionally discriminate against that person because of their prior experience. That’s where our education and advocacy program comes in handy. We are here to support businesses and individuals. We can provide ongoing resources and education to help empower others to get involved, combat the imposter service dog industry, as well as support and protect the rights of those who legitimately need service animals for their safety and quality of life.
