Heartfelt Volunteering

Young IDF disabled veterans from the Tel Aviv Warrior's Home volunteered for one day in the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel

The SPCA’s Department of Humanistic Education was delighted to host a special group of young IDF disabled veterans and terrorist victims from the Warriors Home in Tel Aviv.

After a short tour in the adjacent Zoological Gardens, the group reached the Society, toured around, met the various animals and took the dogs that are designated for adoption for walks in the yard. It didn’t take long for them to realize that the love of animals is shared by all and made it clear that the acts of volunteering and giving were a most fulfilling experience.

The Tel Aviv Warriors Home opened in 1974 after the Yom Kippur War, serving as a sports, rehabilitation and social center for disabled war veterans and their families. Today there are approximately 5,500 members participating in the activities. The purpose of the center is to offer a fitting solution to those disabled veterans who, as a result of their disabilities, don’t have a regular framework where they can participate in activities that are essential to their physical and emotional well-being. The center, that emphasizes sports activities adapted for the disabled, includes a sports hall, special rooms for activities, treatments and rest, a swimming pool, cultural hall, and so on. These activities contribute to the participants’ health, help them to maintain physical fitness over long periods of time and constitute an important factor in their rehabilitation. In addition to the physical activities, the center organizes various social activities that help the members to break through the cycle of loneliness that their injuries and the resulting severance from their normal routine causes.