Two Dino’s Restaurant To Host Fundraiser To Get Service Dog For Autistic Girl

April 19, 2011 - PRLog -- The community and local businesses have joined together to raise funds to provide a service dog to a local girl.

Two Dino’s Pizza Company & Italian Restaurant will host a fundraiser to raise funds for a service dog for 12-year-old Christina Keltz-Jones, who has ADHD and was recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The fundraiser will be held on April 28 from 5 to 8 pm at Two Dino’s Pizza Company & Italian Restaurant, located at 2145 N University Drive, Coral Springs. There will be a raffle, silent auction and door prizes, a DJ and $5 homemade desserts, including brownies and pumpkin cake. All proceeds from the desserts go directly to Christina’s Service Dog. On that night, the restaurant will also be offering its Beat the Clock special. On Wednesdays, they have a Beat The Clock pizza special, where you can come in and buy a pizza with two beverages anytime between 4 and 9 and the price equals the same amount as the time of your order. On Thursday nights, the same principle applies for their dinner specials.

“We’ve been trying to give back to the community with our Beat the Clock specials, and we wanted to help out this family and raise as much money as we can for a service dog for Christina,” said Two Dino’s owner Dino Liebro.

Christina’s mother Mary Jones hopes to raise $15,000 for the service dog to help ease her daughter’s sleepless nights.

“My daughter has difficultly sleeping by herself and has to sleep with an 11 pound weighted blanket on top of her because she tends to move all night. She is also anxious in social and new situations,” said her mother Mary, “The things service dogs can do with autistic children are amazing. They are able to help them sleep better, and soothe them in new situations and during transition times.”

Service dogs can also increase confidence, a child’s ability to socially interact, and provide a calming affect, among other benefits, according to Siobhan Mullally, Founder and owner of All Star Dogs Inc and All Star Paws for Autism, with the mission of rescuing dogs from shelters and training them to be service dogs for children with autism spectrum.

Mullally, who co-owns All Star Dogs with Christa Rodriguez, says Christina would greatly benefit from a service dog.

“She loves animals and we think a service dog would be an amazing addition to her life. It would increase her independence, provide confidence to sleep in her own bed, and ultimately to live independently on her own as an adult,” she said.

The family hopes to raise enough money for a service dog and says the community has already jumped in to help out. Jones is especially thankful to the staff at Two Dino’s. The Melting Pot and other local restaurants have also offered their locations. Meyer’s Latin Flair will also host a fundraiser on May 12.

“I’m grateful beyond belief that Two Dino’s and the community has come together to help us,” she said.

Christina is even saving up her pennies for the service dog.

“My daughter is very excited about it. She is saving her pennies and every change that she gets, she says mommy, this is for my dog,” said Mary, “The sooner we raise money, the sooner the dog gets to assist her.”
After she raises enough money for the service dog for her daughter, Jones plans to fundraise for other families in need of service dogs.

“I’m not stopping. My goal is to still continue fundraising efforts for other children who need service dogs,” said Jones.

The family is seeking donations and business sponsorships for raffle prizes.
 
For more information about upcoming fundraising events or to donate to the family, visit http://www.servicedogforchristina.moonfruit.com/ or contact Mary Jones at 954-296-1576.

This article first appeared in Our Town News' April 21, 2011 issue.  Post comments on this article at www.theourtownnews.com or www.facebook.com/ourtownnews.

OUR TOWN NEWS is the local area's most popular community news magazine with a history of over fifteen years of serving South Florida readers and businesses.  The weekly, full color magazine and the OTN "Great Deals" coupon book are distributed via U.S. Mail to over 50,000 homes and businesses in Parkland and Coral Springs.  Several thousand additional copies are hand delivered weekly to numerous businesses and offices throughout Coral Springs, Parkland, Coconut Creek, Tamarac, Pompano Beach, Boca Raton and Margate, Florida.  OTN’s continuing commitment is to be an ever growing force in supporting the local community and contributing to the success of our advertising partners.  

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OUR TOWN NEWS is the local area's most popular weekly community news magazine with a history of over fifteen years of serving South Florida readers and businesses. The magazine is distributed via U.S. Mail to over 50,000 homes and businesses each month.