03-06-2025
What's Right With Schools: Bristol students raise money to help Man with ALS get new service dog
BRISTOL, Conn. (WTNH) — A classroom is coming together to make a difference in someone's life. They're getting creative and raising money for a cause.
Step into the hallway of St. Matthew School in Bristol. Students are on a mission, pushing a cart full of items they've made.
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'My friends and I we made bracelets…And we crocheted some headbands and cute little animals and we just made some slime and liked selling it to the kids,' Fifth grader Emily Mullins said.
It's a real business they came up with.
Meet Swanson, the loyal service dog who dedicated his life to Stuart Sherman, who lives with ALS.
'He was diagnosed with ALS 12 years ago. And honestly, I thought he wouldn't be here. As the diagnosis said, 3-5 years, we'd lose him,' Celeste Valenti Sherman, Stuart's wife, said.
She credits prayer and perhaps this partner with paws, who has him outliving that dark diagnosis.
'I take care of her… She takes care of me,' Sherman said.
He was once self-conscious about going out in public with his physical changes, but the dog first gave him confidence.
'He hand cycles marathons, he goes to the gym every day. He's done what, 7 marathons, he's training for a half in June,' she said. 'I always say he's in love with another woman, and I don't care, that's fine.'
But sadly, Swanson is tired. Now they need to raise money for another service animal so she can retire.
To give you some perspective, service dogs like this typically retire at the age of 10 or 11, because of a shortage. Swanson is 12, so it's time for her to live out her golden years.
That's where Jessica Martineau's fifth-grade class comes in. They met the pair and wanted to help.
'They wanted to help Swanson retire and still have Stuart have another puppy,' Jessica Martineau, a fifth-grade teacher, said. 'On rainy days, cold days, instead of choosing Legos or free draw. These kids were making bracelets, crocheting animals for the store.'
'I made some slime like I would help with the prices and all the other stuff,' Michael Marino said.
The goal was $500, and the result was double that.
'We would like to give Stuart and Celeste a check of $1,000 from the fifth-grade class,' Martineau said.
Hard work, crafting, and selling. A gift from the heart to a lovable pair.
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