Patriot PAWS and Snowball Express are Heroes to Those They Help

DALLAS - Aug. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- DALLAS, TEXAS (July 31, 2013)…The public isn’t always aware of the needs of many of our returning veterans or the families of veterans who will not be coming home. DFW GMC Dealers (http://www.gmcsierrahashtagchallenge.com/) want to help change that. In honor of the 2014 GMC Sierra, they are partnering with Cumulous Radio for the “GMC Sierra Hashtag Challenge” to benefit two military charities – Patriot PAWS and Snowball Express. Terry Dorsey with New Country 96.3 KSCS is leading the challenge.

“What these two organizations do is amazing, and we are proud to recognize their work and help people learn more about them,” says John Bustetter, zone manager, South Central Region GMC. “Patriot PAWS and Snowball Express fill a void for returning veterans and the families of those who didn’t return. What they do matters a lot to the people they touch.”

Patriot PAWS Service Dogs trains service dogs mainly for veterans with mobility disabilities. The non-profit acquires 6- to 12-week-old puppies to train. Training of each takes 18-24 months, at an average cost of $27,000 per dog. The service dogs are provided at no charge to veterans nationwide; there is currently a 2-year waiting list for veteran applicants to receive a service dog. Patriot PAWS addresses a number of needs in the community: disabled veterans regain lost independence and emotional stability; prison inmates, who have an active part in training service dogs, have the opportunity to learn a new vocation and give back to society; and rescue dogs are given a new lease on life.

“One veteran told us he wouldn’t be alive today without his dog – the companionship and peace of mind while reintroducing this veteran into society has made all the difference in the world,” says Lori Stevens, Executive Director for Patriot PAWS. “Another veteran was able to reduce his medications dramatically after receiving his service dog. The dog helped reduce anxiety and finally allowed him uninterrupted sleep and rest.

“Additionally, we have two trainers employed at Patriot PAWS who are from the prison training program. Once upon a time they made a mistake but now are dedicated to helping veterans by giving all their time – even free time – to train the best dog possible and then let it go, because they know the difference the dog will make in someone else’s life and are grateful they had the opportunity.”

The charity is located at 254 Ranch Trail, Rockwall, TX 75032. For more information, visit www.patriotpaws.org, call 972-772-3282, email patriotpaws@aol.com or follow on Twitter – www.twitter.com/PatriotPAWS .

Snowball Express honors America’s fallen military service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice since 9/11 by serving the families they left behind. The non-profit brings these families together to build hope and new memories after the tragic loss of a military parent. Since 2006, each year’s efforts culminate in the signature event in December. The five day/four night event is the single largest gathering of military children and brings together nearly 2,000 children and their surviving parent from all over the United States and as far away as Guam, Germany and Puerto Rico. They come to Dallas-Fort Worth for an all expenses paid holiday event that changes lives – one packed with joyful experiences that help the families heal, allow them to create positive new memories, and learn they are not alone and that their family’s sacrifice is not forgotten. Since 9/11, more than 8500 children under the age of 18 have lost their hero while serving our country.


Located at 1333 Corporate Drive, Suite 105, Irving, TX 75038, Snowball Express may be reached at 214-665-9567 or info@snowballexpress.org. For more information, visit www.snowballexpress.org. Follow on Facebook www.facebook.com/SnowballExpressUSA, Twitter www.twitter.com/snowballexpress, Pinterest http://pinterest.com/tklo/snowball-express/, Instagram http://instagram.com/snowballexpressorg, YouTube www.youtube.com/user/SnowballExpressOrg, or Linked In www.linkedin/company/snowball-express.

To show your support and help Patriot PAWS and Snowball Express, DFW GMC Dealers have two 2014 GMC Sierra trucks in the Metroplex – #TeamStripes@DFWGMC for Patriot PAWS and #TeamStars@DFWGMC for Snowball Express. One or both trucks will be at radio remote events done by stations KSCS, The Wolf and The Ticket. The public can see the new truck and have their photograph taken with it. Participants vote for a charity by uploading their photograph to Twitter and/or Instagram with their charity’s hashtag – #TeamStripes@DFWGMC for Patriot PAWS or #TeamStars@DFWGMC for Snowball Express. For upcoming events and locations, go to www.facebook.com/GMCDFW.

The charity with the most hashtags at 11:59 PM on August 18, 2013, will win $8,000. The other charity will receive $2,000.

The DFW GMC Dealers want everyone to have an opportunity to support the charities. Supporters who can’t come out for a photo can share and repost photos with their charity’s hashtag. To make retweeting easy, DFW GMC Dealers, New Country 96.3 KSCS, 995 The Wolf and the charities will tweet a weekly image of the truck with their hashtag and ask followers to retweet it. Votes must be posted with the correct hashtag to count.

For every photo taken at an event and posted with a hashtag, the submitter will be entered to win a 2013 Country Fair VIP ticket package and the opportunity to help present the check to their chosen charity on stage during the Country Fair Concert presented by GMC Sierra.

Country Fair is the biggest two-day country music event of the year and will be held September 6 and 7 at Gexa Energy Pavilion. Montgomery Gentry, Pat Green, the Randy Rogers Band, Gary Allan, Kix Brooks and many more will perform. Ticket details are available at www.KSXS.com.

2014 GMC Sierra
An all-new 2014 Sierra 1500 Denali full-size pickup is available with a 6.2L EcoTec3 V-8 that will produce an estimated 420 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque, the most power and torque of any light duty truck engine. A 5.3L EcoTec3 V-8 is standard for the 2014 Sierra Denali. It produces 355 horsepower and offers better EPA-estimated fuel economy (23 mpg highway on 2WD models) than any V-8 or turbocharged V-6 pickup on the market.

The Stars Sierra is a 1500 2WD Crew Cab  SLE Texas Edition.  It includes popular options like power driver's seat, remote vehicle start, trailering package and has an MSRP of 40,810.

The Stripes Sierra is a 1500 4WD Crew Cab SLT Texas Edition.  It features all new options like front and rear park assist, heated and cooled seats and has an MSRP of 50,495.

For more information on DFW GMC, visit www.facebook.com/GMCDFW.  


Contact: Jo Trizila, TrizCom Inc., jo@TrizCom.com, Office: 972-247-1369, Cell: 214-232-0078