Team Scibelli joins Team Paws for a Cause to enthusiastically welcome you to our official Walk and Play Los Angeles 2026 site!   As we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Amerman Family Dog Therapy Program, we invite you, your family and friends to join us in making a significant difference at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).  This unique event serves as our annual SOLE fundraiser and its success is vital consisting of 50% of our annual budget. Our amazing program is completely donor funded and we are literally dependent on this event.   In addition to the day to day operations of our program, we are striving to create an endowment to keep the program financially secure for decades to come. 

At CHLA, our dedicated dog therapy teams and staff have been providing invaluable support to patients and staff since 2001. In calendar year 2025 our teams provided over 100,000 client interactions.  These interactions bring joy, comfort and unconditional love to those in need during their time at our hospital. 

As a dog therapy volunteer since 2015, mother of 4 therapy dogs, two human children and a CHLA employee, I am passionate and focused about the human animal connection that provides life changing therapies across 41 (and counting) departments here at CHLA.    

Participating in the 10th year of Walk and Play Los Angeles I am excited to support the mission of CHLA.  Our mission extends beyond our numbers.  With your generosity we aim to expand our program and services, reaching even more individuals in need of canine comfort.   By securing additional funding, we can assist CHLA in implementing dog therapy in more locations throughout the hospital and enterprise system.  

More children receive care at CHLA than at any other hospital in the region and often CHLA comes to the rescue for children when other hospitals run out of medical options.  In addition, our dog therapy teams are here for everyone - regardless of their economic situation. 

COME JOIN THE FUN:

1) DONATE: Your generous financial contributions enable us to expand our program and reach more individuals in need.  Every donation goes DIRECTLY TO CHLA DOG THERAPY and is our only fundraiser of the year.

2) PARTICIPATE; Come spend the day at the beach with us. You can walk alongside our therapy dogs and their handlers, celebrating the power of canine companionship while raising vital funds for our program.

3) SPREAD THE GOOD WORD: Share our unique and simple mission with your friends, family and colleagues.   By raising awareness about our cause, you can help garner support and make a lasting impact.  We are always looking for new volunteer teams and your help is critical. 

Please check out our website:  http://connect.chla.org/goto/Paws26 

You are pawsitively the BEST!

Thank you!

Anne Marie, Frank, Freddy and Team Scibelli worldwide