What a night! Our 2025 Get Dressed Give Back fundraiser was a fun and fantastic evening, successfully kicking off our 50th-anniversary year. You could feel the energy and warmth in the room as people came together in support of NEADS.
A truly fitting theme—Then, Now, Always—emerged from the powerful remarks delivered by our speaker, MA State Representative Kimberly Ferguson, who invited us to reflect on our past, appreciate our present, and look toward the future.
We extend our deepest gratitude to our generous sponsors, speakers, donors, guests, volunteers, pups, vendors, and everyone else who played a part in making it such a success. You are all NEADS!
Our Story: Then, Now, Always
Representative Ferguson’s speech invited us to reflect on the core of our mission through three key lenses:
Then: A Revolutionary Vision
Fifty years ago, NEADS began with a vision that was both simple and revolutionary: to harness the intelligence, the loyalty, the love of dogs to change human lives.
It took pioneers, dreamers, and a community of supporters to believe that pairing a highly trained dog with a person facing specific challenges could unlock independence, access, increased socialization and possibly confidence. As Rep. Ferguson noted, those early days were filled with determination and volunteers, with clients taking first steps into a world where doors both literally and figuratively could finally open.
Now: A Model of Excellence & Impact
Today we stand in awe of what NEADS has become over half a century. The organization has matched thousands of highly-skilled Service Dogs with individuals whose lives are forever transformed. NEADS has grown into a model for excellence and compassion that is recognized nationwide.
Our client speaker, retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Brendan Ferreira with his Service Dog for Hearing, Lexus, perfectly illustrated this impact. After enduring multiple combat injuries, including severe hearing loss, Brendan shared the profound and sometimes subtle ways Lexus has transformed his life: “I didn’t realize how many places I was avoiding going, I didn’t realize how many situations… I didn’t know I was struggling as much as I was until I got her. [People] see a Service Dog, they ask some questions, and right away [it] makes conversations a heck of a lot easier.”
Both Ferreira and Rep. Ferguson also recognized the dedication of our community, including the vital Prison PUP Program partners, who help NEADS maintain this high standard of training and service.
Always: A Lasting Legacy of Hope
Always is a promise, and it challenges us to dream bigger, to innovate in training to expand access.
“NEADS will always stand for hope,” says Rep. Ferguson, as it remains a place where people turn when they are searching not just for assistance, but for a true partner in life. She concludes, “the ripple effect of each placement will carry forward changing not just one life but families, communities, and generations to come.”
The story of NEADS is a story of how vision becomes reality, how reality inspires hope, and how hope will become a lasting legacy. Thank you for being a part of it.
Enjoy some photos from the evening. Many thanks to our volunteer photographers: Lucia Hackett, David Marshak, and Anthony Mistretta from the Stony Brook Camera Club.
