“Our success as both a law enforcement and an intelligence agency hinges on our ability to foster and maintain genuine partnerships with people in all communities,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “People like this year’s Leadership Award recipients… are building bridges and relationships while putting in the work to have hard conversations and find common purpose. They do it out of kindness and compassion with a sincere belief that justice — in its many forms — requires all of us to do the right thing in the right way.”

“An assistance dog can do so much more than a person can do, never getting bored or angry with their person—they love them no matter what. ADW dogs are highly skilled, which takes a lot of work and money. So, what better way to spend your money than to give a dog and a person a chance to live a better life?”

“As an advocate for nine years, I have never seen a miracle happen in court like what happened with Ellie and those girls. Where once I would have seen a girl storm back down the stairs and never testify, with Ellie she found the strength and reassurance she needed to do what no child should ever have to do. “

“If you want to make a difference while volunteering with animals, find an organization like ADW that values its volunteers, that invests in training them and then makes volunteers feel challenged and welcomed.”