Craig Zinn Automotive Group’s (CZAG) president and CEO, Craig Zinn, has established an endowment for animal-assisted therapy at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital to continue supporting the South Florida community. This program aims to provide comfort and companionship to young patients while improving their overall mood and reducing stress and anxiety. CZAG will be financing the initial requirements for the program and building an endowment of $500,000 to ensure its perpetual funding. Additionally, the endowment will cover necessary expenses associated with having an additional therapy dog and handler at the hospital.
“We are so grateful to Craig Zinn and the entire team at CZAG for their unwavering support of our children, families and our team,” Caitlin Stella says, CEO of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. “This is simply a pawfect gift! Our therapy dogs are an integral part of our care team, offering love, encouragement, and a sense of calm that only they can offer. They help create a fun and child-friendly healing environment that motivates and encourages patients to reach their goals. We cannot do what we do without support from donors like CZAG and the Zinn Family. We are so thankful!”
After witnessing the immense value and happiness that the Animal Assisted Therapy Program brings to countless young patients at the hospital, CZAG felt compelled to secure perpetual funding for the program. This endowment will cover the necessary expenses of acquiring a new therapy dog for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and the supplementary costs of having an extra handler on staff.
“We couldn’t be happier to deepen our relationship with Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital through our animal-assisted therapy endowment,” Zinn says. “For more than four decades, we have made community giving a priority across all of our dealerships. Our success comes through our deep-rooted relationships and giving back to the community. We would like to thank Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital for doing extraordinary, life-changing work in the community and look forward to seeing our relationship grow.”
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Memorial Healthcare System have inspired Craig Zinn and CZAG. For over 40 years, CZAG has supported countless organizations and charities throughout the community, but the “Short Stop” at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Room holds a special place in their hearts. This area is dedicated to quick care and is specifically designed to treat minor emergencies and allow short discharges. In recognition of their continued commitment to the hospital and its programs, the area was recently renamed the Craig Zinn Automotive Group Shortstop in 2021.
