Helping Hands, Monkey Helpers for the Disabled, Inc.

Helping Hands breeds, raises, trains, and provides, free of
charge, capuchin monkeys to assist severely disabled individuals
-- e.g., quadriplegics (paralyzed from the neck down), whether
by accident, injury, or disease -- with daily activities we take
for granted such as eating and drinking, using books, computers,
and audio-visual equipment, turning lights on and off, repositioning
an arm or leg after a muscle spasm, even scratching an annoying itch.
In many cases the monkeys make it possible for people to work from
their homes. The advantages of monkeys for animal support are
greater intelligence, far greater dexterity, and much longer lifespan
-- 30-40 years. Helping Hands has placed over 60 monkeys nationwide,
provided customized adaptive equipment, in-home training for the
injured individuals, their health care attendants and family members,
and behavioral and veterinary support for the monkey's lifespan.
Each placement costs Helping Hands $25,000. Now that the value and
viability of the program have been proven, HH is raising its
productivity to a higher power by creating a full-scale, permanent,
state-of-the-art Training and Respite Center in a 150-year-old
abandoned Boston church. They have been awarded a $1 million
challenge grant to get this project off the ground. Now they must
match that, and your helping hand is needed!