11/07/2025
š The Hardest Post Iāve Ever Had to Write
For the past 5½ years, I have poured every piece of my heart, soul, and being into Service Dogs for Kids. What started as a simple idea, to help children like my daughter heal through the unconditional love of a service dog, became something far bigger than I ever imagined.
Together, we built something beautiful.
We trained dogs who changed lives.
We watched families find hope again.
We created a space for healing, laughter, and strength in the middle of heartbreak.
This nonprofit has been my purpose, my prayer, and my promise, to turn pain into purpose and make sure no child ever felt alone in their trauma.
But itās with deep, heavy sorrow that I have to share that Service Dogs for Kids will be closing its doors.
This decision did not come easily, I have wrestled with it, cried over it, prayed over it. I wanted to keep going. I wanted to keep fighting for this mission. But the truth is⦠my body, my heart, and my spirit canāt keep carrying this alone.
Running a nonprofit takes more than heart, it takes community, consistency, and people who are willing to walk beside you through the trenches. Over time, the weight became heavier, and the hands to help grew fewer. Donations slowed to a trickle. Support faded. Families began to expect more than we could possibly give. And what once brought me joy slowly became something that broke me.
I have poured into this organization, into every family, every event, every fundraiser, until there was nothing left of me. And somewhere along the way, I stopped taking care of my own health, my own family, and my own peace.
So now, with both sadness and clarity, I have to listen to what God has been whispering for a while now: itās time to rest.
Itās time to focus on my health, on my family, and on the next chapter of our lives.
To everyone who stood beside me, those who donated, volunteered, shared our mission, showed up, and believed in what we were doing, thank you. You gave this dream life. You helped us serve children who needed a chance to heal. And you reminded me, time and again, that love is still louder than silence.
Iām incredibly grateful to the New Braunfels Jaycees for allowing us to end on a note of hope, helping us fund two final families whose journeys will complete the circle we started all those years ago.
This isnāt how I wanted this story to end. But maybe itās not an ending at all. Maybe itās simply a pause before something new is born from the ashes of what was.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for every prayer, every share, every ounce of faith youāve given. Service Dogs for Kids was built on love, and that love doesnāt end here.
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With love and gratitude,
Angelina Loeza
Founder, Service Dogs for Kids