Continuing his company’s dedication to giving back to the South Florida community, President and CEO Craig Zinn of the Craig Zinn Automotive Group (CZAG) has initiated an animal assisted therapy endowment at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. CZAG will fund the initial needs of the program, while building the endowment of $500,000 to provide income from interest and fund the program in perpetuity.
Upon seeing how valuable and joy-filled the hospital’s Animal Assisted Therapy Program is for many young patients, CZAG wanted to ensure the program is funded in perpetuity. Animal assisted therapy has been shown to improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and provide a sense of comfort and companionship to patients, including children.
The endowment provides critical funding to purchase an additional therapy dog for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, as well as supplemental costs associated with having an additional handler on staff at the hospital.
“We couldn’t be happier to deepen our partnership with Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital through our animal assisted therapy endowment,” said Zinn. “For more than four decades, we have made philanthropy a priority across all of our dealerships. Our success comes through our deep-rooted partnerships 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 partnership grow,” he continued.
“We are so grateful to Craig Zinn and the entire team at CZAG for their unwavering support of our children, families and our team,” said Caitlin Stella, CEO, 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!”
CZAG’s initiatives include other year-round opportunities to impact the lives of the young patients and their families staying at the hospital. While CZAG has supported countless organizations and charities throughout the community for more than 40 years, South Florida’s Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Memorial Healthcare System have become enduring partners to Craig Zinn and CZAG.
CZAG is also the proud donor of the “Short Stop” at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Room. The “Short Stop” is an area dedicated to quick care and is designed to treat minor emergencies and allow for quick discharges. In 2021, the area was renamed Craig Zinn Automotive Group Shortstop to honor CZAG’s continued commitment to the hospital and its programs.
