Kaelie De Heer has cerebral palsy, which has limited her mobility. But life is about to get a lot better for the teen because thanks to some fundraising by her high school, she’s going to be getting a service dog that will be able to help her a lot.
Service dogs like the one Kaelie will be getting are highly trained and come at a steep price - $28,000. But the teen received a scholarship that cut the cost in half, so her family was still trying to raise $14,000 for the dog. So Pella High School’s student council started raising money for their classmate’s cause last fall, hosting fundraisers like concession stands and they recently gave Kaelie $3,000 they raised for her.
The service dog will be able to help Kaelie by opening doors and picking things up for her. “I think it will just give me more independence and more confidence not having to rely on my family for things,” she says.
Source: WBAL