Officer needs help

Detective II Edward Wilson of Northeast Detective Division, and his wife Rebekah along with their eight children are in desperate need of our help.

Please Help Us!

Luke is an eight year old, adorable little boy who has autism. Autism is a non-curable, neuro-developmental disorder that affects 1 in 90 boys born in the United States. Autism affects a person’s ability to engage in normal social interaction and communication and can interfere with a person’s quality of life, even endangering their life. Luke is no exception.

Luke is the seventh of eight children. Four of the children have autism; Luke is more severely affected. Luke is a vibrant part of the family and is loved dearly. The family wants to see him safe and happy. This is why we are raising funds, so Luke can gain an autism service dog. Unlike dogs trained for the visual or hearing impaired where each dog is identically trained and can go to any visual or hearing impaired person, Luke’s service dog would be trained specifically for his individual needs. Autism service dogs are very unique.

Luke’s service dog would be trained in search and rescue techniques so the dog could quickly find Luke if he wandered away, hiding or was lost—these are large concerns for the family and he does these continually which endanger his life. Luke’s dog would also be trained in tethering techniques, where the dog and Luke would be tethered together when outside or in public and the dog would lay down (providing an anchor) if Luke tried to bolt into a dangerous situation or wander away—thereby preventing him from being hit by a car, drowning, becoming lost or walking away with a stranger. Luke’s dog would also be trained to interrupt Luke’s severe meltdowns by licking, nuzzling and even climbing into his lap to redirect his attention to the dog instead of the emotional upset he is going through. Luke has never slept in his own bed, he is too fearful—a service dog can sleep with him and provides the security he needs to stay in his bed and sleep through the night.

Additionally, a service dog humanizes a disabled person in the eyes of their community. Instead of the community staring at an autistic child and wondering what is wrong with the child, the service dog at first sight tells people this child is unique and special. People accept the child’s peculiarities—if the dog accepts the child, then the child must be “okay.” This allows the child to socially interact in their community at their own level of ability, and the community can engage in conversation with the autistic child on a subject that is safe ground for both of them: the service dog. Social interaction is crucial for children with autism to practice and gain confidence in. For Luke, an autism service dog will open many doors in multiple areas that have reduced his quality of life and made him fearful to leave his home. There are many additional benefits for a child with autism to gain from an autism service dog; these are simply the main ones.

Autism service dogs are not new, but very few people have heard of them. The training required to produce an autism service dog is extensive. The training is much more in-depth than the training required for a Seeing Eye dog or a hearing assistance dog. The cost involved is high, at $13,000 per dog. Traditional service dogs are generally given to their owners for free—this is based on the organization’s ability to raise funds to pay for all training and costs involved. These organizations have staff whose job is to raise funds. This limits the number of dogs which can be trained and creates long waiting lists of up to 5 or 6 years. 4 Paws for Ability does not raise funds, they require the family to raise the funds. However, 4 Paws for Ability has the highest success rate in placing service dogs with children and they are the only training company to train the dog for the child’s specific needs. This is why we have chosen 4 Paws.

Once the $13,000 fundraising requirement has been met, Luke is placed on a list to await a dog. The current waiting list is 6-9 months. When the dog has been chosen and trained specifically for Luke’s needs, our family will need to travel to Ohio and stay in hotels for 12 days to train with the dog. The parents must pass strict testing to prove they can handle the dog in public situations or the dog can not receive certification for service. So this is actually a lengthy training period and highly regulated process ensuring the dog, handler and child are safe. The estimated, lowest cost for our family (2 parents and 7 children) to travel roundtrip to Ohio by train, stay for 12 days, and travel back to CA is approximately $14,000.00. We are attempting to raise funds for travel expenses as well.

In addition to helping Luke, the autism service dog would be able to help Luke’s three autistic siblings to reduce anxiety and meltdowns too. The dog is considered a tool or medical aid for a disabled person, not a pet. In school situations, autism service dogs have shown to reduce the level of anxiety and the number of meltdowns other special needs children in the classroom experience, so these dogs can help all children, not just their special child. Please take a few minutes to visit the website shown below to read about these awesome dogs and how they have cared for their special children. You will leave in amazement and with new respect for our canine friends.

• Mail a check or money order directly to 4 Paws for Ability, Inc. This is tax deductible. Please place c/o Luke Wilson somewhere on the check or money order so Luke will be credited for your donation. Your check or money order can be sent to the following address:

4 Paws for Ability, Inc
253 Dayton Avenue
Xenia, OH. 45385

• Please visit 4 Paws for Abilities website and read about these fantastic dogs, the impact they have on children’s lives and how prison inmates help to train these dogs. Be prepared to cry as you read through the stories—these dogs are so incredible and what they do for their child is nothing short of heroic! http://www.4pawsforability.org/

The Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union would like to extend its support to Detective Edward Wilson who recently suffered a personal health incident and supports eight children, four of which have autism. A fundraiser is being conducted to raise funds for a service dog to help out the family.

LAPFCU members may donate to this account online through PATROL, or by telephone using our CODE 3 phone system at 877-MY-LAPFCU (877-695-2732). Please enter account number 2030077 S4.36 and BLU (first three letters of the account name).

If you would like to mail in a donation, please make it payable to “Blue Ribbon Trust for Edward Wilson” and send it to:

Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union
Attn: Blue Ribbon Trust for Edward Wilson
P.O. Box 10188
Van Nuys, CA 91410