Sierra Delta Returns To Nantucket On Mission To Connect Military Veterans And Dogs

Sierra Delta returns to the island for its 8th annual Pledges for Pups fundraiser this Sunday, July 28th, at the Westmoor Club. Founded in 2017, Sierra Delta aims to create a network that connects military veterans with dog therapy programs customized to their individual needs. A veteran himself, BJ Ganem, CEO and founder of Sierra Delta, established the nonprofit organization driven by a passion for dogs and a commitment to serving others.

As an organization, Sierra Delta provides three key programs to support veterans. The “Life Buddy” program offers customized training for veterans and their dogs, covering areas from emotional support to puppy classes, with the goal of fostering community and teamwork. The “Life Force” program focuses on community service, utilizing veterans’ skills for local projects and activities, like dog walks, golf outings, and social media campaigns. The newest initiative, “Life Blood,” partners with organizations and businesses to enhance community outreach and engagement.

“We’re a service-based program – if you served your country willingly we think for that service, [veterans] should at least get some help in developing a life buddy of their own,” Ganem explains. “We're trying to do this at a reasonable and scalable and sustainable way.”

Over the past year, Sierra Delta has been reorganizing and restructuring to best meet the demands of the veteran community. By putting the majority of its focus onto the dog branch of Sierra Delta, the organization has been able to continually seek ways to maximize the amount of dog training grants, enhance connectivity to veterans and utilization of resources, and find local professional dog trainers for veterans.

“We've got veterans that have been a part of the program for a few years now that are taking more leadership roles as they can,” Ganem elaborates. “We're still working with the VFW and American Legion, a lot of legacy groups, and trying to find that ability to bring people together around, essentially, the love of dogs.”

With its new structure, Sierra Delta delivers grants to veterans on a quarterly basis, and then directly connects veterans with dog trainers and helps them find the best animal and level of training for their individual needs. This helps streamline the training process so that veterans can make the most of the grants and their service dogs in a timely and accurate manner.

“It becomes more of a relationship between the dog and the trainer and the veteran,” says Lee Otto, a veteran who has gone through the training process with his own service dog, Sayge. “So they become this working team, and they're able to try to take the time to sit back, breathe a little bit: what truly do you want out of your dog?”

To support Sierra Delta in its mission to provide service dogs for veterans and its goals to create a community of support, Ganem and Otto said the events on the island are the perfect time to give back. They along with other Sierra Delta representatives will be at The Chicken Box Friday night, July 26th, and at Cisco Brewery Saturday, July 27th for those who want to say hi and learn more about the organization.

On Sunday, July 28th, the official Pledges for Pups will be held at the Westmoor Club from 5-7 p.m. A cocktail party and paddle-raise, Pledges for Pups is open to the public, with donations of any amount appreciated. With complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, Pat Tully auctioning items, and veterans and their service dogs present to demonstrate the tangible success of the organization and share their stories, Pledges for Pups is lined up to be a worthwhile event to support the cause of Sierra Delta. For more information and to RSVP for the event, visit Sierra Delta’s website here.