More Than a Donation: How Businesses Help Change Lives Through ICAN
Team members from Stoops Freightliner-Western Star pose at ICAN's Salute to Service 5K.
Every service dog partnership begins with a community of support, and businesses play a vital role in making ICAN's mission possible.
From sponsoring service dogs in training and supporting major fundraising events to engaging employees through puppy visits, corporate partners help create life-changing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. These partnerships not only provide critical financial support for ICAN’s mission but also allow companies to experience the incredible journey of an ICAN service dog firsthand.
Sponsoring a Service Dog's Journey
One of the most meaningful ways a business can support ICAN is through a Corporate Sponsorship. A corporate sponsorship of $30,000 helps cover the cost of training a service dog, supporting everything from veterinary care and food to specialized training and placement with a client.
Currently, it costs ICAN around $32,000 to train and place a single service dog, but clients are only asked to pay a fraction of this cost. And for qualifying military Veterans, the placement fee is waived.
Companies that sponsor service dogs don't just make a financial investment. They get a front-row seat to the dog's journey. Throughout the year, sponsors receive updates, photos, and letters from the incarcerated handlers who are training the dogs through ICAN's prison-based program. Sponsors also have opportunities to meet the dogs as they progress through training and witness firsthand the impact their support is making.
ICAN Marshall, sponsored by Harwell Gray Criminal Defense.
A longtime ICAN supporter, DOZ, an accounting and advisory firm, has supported ICAN in multiple ways. In addition to sponsoring Wine & Wags, ICAN's signature fundraising event, DOZ also sponsors Indy, an ICAN service dog in training.
Beck's Hybrids, a family-owned retail seed company, is also helping transform lives through its sponsorship of Cayman, an ICAN service dog in training.
Through their support, both DOZ and Beck's are helping ensure Indy and Cayman receive the specialized training needed to one day partner with a person with a disability.
ICAN Cayman, sponsored by Beck’s Hybrids.
Supporting Events That Fuel the Mission
Businesses can also support ICAN by sponsoring fundraising events and community initiatives that raise awareness and generate critical funding for our programs.
For years, First Bank Midwest has partnered with ICAN through sponsorships of special events and campaigns. Their support has helped make opportunities like the Festival of Trees possible. This beloved holiday tradition brings thousands of visitors to the Indiana Historical Society each year, giving ICAN the opportunity to showcase a decorated tree, connect with new audiences, and introduce more people to the life-changing impact of service dogs.
Another business, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, has also supported components of Puppy Love Valentines, one of ICAN's most popular annual fundraisers. During Puppy Love Valentines, service dogs in training deliver Valentine's gifts to homes and workplaces throughout Central Indiana. Each gift package typically includes a collection of treats, gifts, and surprises, all delivered by an ICAN dog. The fundraiser raises vital support for ICAN's programs while creating unforgettable experiences for recipients.
ICAN’s Christmas tree at Indiana Historical Society’s Festival of Trees, sponsored by First Bank Midwest.
Sweetening the Mission
Another longtime partner, DeBrand Fine Chocolates of Indianapolis, demonstrates how businesses can support ICAN in multiple ways.
In addition to sponsoring Toffee, a graduate ICAN service dog, DeBrand helps make several fundraising events extra special. Their chocolates have been featured at events such as Wine & Wags and Puppy Love Valentines, helping enhance the experience for supporters while contributing to the success of these important fundraisers.
Bill and Lori Sonner of Debrand Fine Chocolates of Indianapolis with ICAN Toffee.
Bringing Puppies Into the Workplace
Some organizations choose to engage employees directly through workplace experiences with ICAN dogs.
Recently, advisory, tax, and audit firm Katz, Sapper & Miller welcomed members of ICAN's Puppy Love team to its office. These visits provide employees with a chance to meet ICAN ambassador dogs, learn more about the organization's mission, and experience the joy that service dogs bring.
While workplace puppy visits do involve a financial contribution that supports ICAN's programs, they also create a unique opportunity for team building, employee engagement, and philanthropy. It's a meaningful way for businesses to support ICAN while bringing a little extra joy to the workday.
Puppy Love visit at Katz, Sapper & Miller.
There Are Many Ways to Get Involved
No two corporate partnerships look exactly alike, and that's what makes them so powerful. Whether a company sponsors a service dog, supports a fundraising event, hosts a Puppy Love visit, provides in-kind donations, or creates a custom partnership, every contribution helps ICAN continue raising, training, and placing highly skilled service dogs.
Together, these partnerships help change lives for people with disabilities, create opportunities within Indiana correctional facilities, and strengthen communities across the state.
Interested in partnering with ICAN? There are countless ways your business can make a difference and help unleash possibilities, one service dog at a time.
Ways Businesses Support ICAN:
Create a customized corporate partnership
Every partnership helps move ICAN's mission forward and brings us one step closer to changing another life.
