She wasn’t thinking better as in needing or wanting more inanimate things. Giving something back had always been instilled in her by family and mentors. Guided by an inter- nal voice, she followed her heart’s very specific message to become involved with families of children with Down syndrome. She contacted a Tampa Bay area Down syn- drome support group and arranged for a meeting with some members. “Natalie expressed a heartfelt interest in wanting to be
part of the group,” said Susan Swartz. “She wanted to get to know the kids and offered ways to help the families in our group,” added Susan, whose son Jesse was born with Down syndrome. Natalie even offered the families use of Love My Dog Resort for private get togethers. Everyone thanked Natalie for her generous offer, and that’s as far as it went. Understandably, parents of these children have trust
issues and are always on high alert. Having people offer assistance and then not following through is common. They’ve learned to be cautious with accepting kindness and offers. Like any parent, they don’t want to make a promise that ends up not being fulfilled, resulting in having a disap- pointed child. So, Susan sort of dropped the notion. But that didn’t
deter Natalie, who would politely check in on the group through Susan and continue to extend the invitation to visit Love My Dog. In the meantime, Natalie supplied the group with groceries, clothing, car seats, restaurant gift cards, school supplies and more. As the liaison, Susan would collect the items from Natalie and deliver them to the families. Eventually, the families accepted Natalie’s invita- tion to a private party at Love My Dog Resort.
“Since 2015, every year Natalie has hosted several
parties for us. She has spent countless hours with our kids playing, swimming, fishing, boating, and dancing with them,” said Susan. “She even dressed up like Santa one year.” What transpired, four years later, is a wonderful
summer camp program at Love My Dog for the children, developed by Natalie and her staff. It’s been a godsend for their families. Over an eight-week period, three to four children from the group visited Love My Dog for four hours a day, two times a week.
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