Paws for presents: Team Barksdale, community, join forces to help local family

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Victoria Lalich
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  During the Christmas season, many families spend weeks in anticipation, dreaming of the presents they wish Santa to place under their ornament-laden tree. However, for one Barksdale family, the best present they could receive won't be delivered by a sleigh of reindeer; instead it will come from the generous connection Barksdale Airmen have with each other and the local community.

The family of Maj. Joseph Babboni, assistant director of operations at the Air Force Global Strike Command's 11th Bomb Squadron, includes three young boys and his wife, Julie. His oldest son, Benjamin, 4, is developmentally delayed. But, thanks to the support by Barksdale AFB and the local community, and future support, he will soon be receiving a service dog from a non-profit organization called 4 Paws for Ability.

The organization's sole mission is to enrich the lives of people with disabilities by the training and placement of service dogs. Service dogs can be trained for a multitude of tasks to help people with a variety of disabilities.

"Benjamin didn't start to walk until he was three and is still not talking." said Major Babboni. "He understands less than 50 words. This makes it nearly impossible to communicate with him and to understand what he wants or how he is feeling."

Benjamin also has several medical conditions, which hinder his balance and coordination. Though their eldest son's conditions do not keep the family from enjoying normal activities together, Benjamin's deficiencies are often the cause for alarm to his parents.

"He has no awareness to the danger of traffic, deep water, or the ill intentions of a stranger," explained Mrs. Babboni. "He also has a huge fascination with water and will go play in it whether it is the faucet or a pool. We cannot 'Benjamin proof' every place we go. When he does escape from us, he thinks it's a game, so he runs faster with no regard to his surroundings."

Fortunately, a friend referred the family to the 4 Paws organization, which could provide not only relief to their fears for Benjamin's safety, but also an opportunity for Benjamin to become more independent.

The Babboni's dog will be trained specifically for them and will know how to find Benjamin if he loses track of his family. The dog will walk with a tether, which is a type of lead and harness Benjamin wears so he can walk freely out of his parents' reach. The dog will also know how to disrupt certain behaviors. This means the dog is cued to keep Benjamin from dangerous situations, such as standing between the child and a hot stove.

The organization provides dogs at no charge to the families, however, the families do commit to raising a certain amount of money for the continuation of the 4 Paws mission and goals. The Babboni's goal is to raise $13,000 for the organization--the overall cost for a trained multipurpose service dog exceeds $20,000.

"Through educating people about 4 Paws, spreading the word about Benjamin's specific needs, and the generosity of local businesses we have raised about two-thirds of our goal," Major Babboni said. "The response from the local community and Team Barksdale has been so amazing. They have made our cause, their cause."

Once the Babbonis achieve their fundraising goal of $13,000, 4 Paws will begin training their dog--a process that will take around six months, with an additional 10-day course with the entire family. "We are raising this money and promoting the 4 Paws mission because we truly believe that when families in need and service dogs team together, amazing things happen and the entire family's quality of life is vastly improved," said the Babbonis.

The Babbonis have several more fundraisers planned during the holiday months, including one Dec 6th. For more information as to which local businesses are participating in the fundraising effort, or how you can help, visit the Babboni's web site, www.babboni.com, or join the Facebook group "Paws 4 Benjamin."