Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund: Even after death, therapy dog Jackson keeps giving

NORTHAMPTON — Gwen Agna and her husband Tom Marantz usually give to the Gazette’s Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund in honor of their daughters, Nell and Kate. But this year, they decided to also dedicate their donation to the memory of another special friend.

Agna, the former principal of Jackson Street Elementary School and the outgoing chair of the Northampton School Committee, said she gave this year to honor of the former school therapy dog — fittingly named Jackson — who died this year after seven years of service.

“Seven years ago, I had the idea because some of the children at school were having some difficulty with their emotions and connecting with others,” Agna said. “I had read about therapy dogs and how they can be a bridge towards other ways of having relationships and also are just very comforting to children in stress.”

Jackson, a labradoodle, arrived at his namesake school in 2018 and set to work doing the championship work dogs do best. Though labradoodles are known for being one of the more rambunctious breeds of dog, Jackson received proper training that allowed him to mellow out and be around children. The breed also doesn’t shed fur, allowing children with allergies to be around him.

“From day one, he really did beautiful work with children,” Agna said. “They really did warm to him to the point where all the kids were very comfortable with him being around.”

In one instance, Agna recalled, Jackson gave comfort to a little boy who learned that his family was going to move to New York and he would have to leave his friends. The boy was very upset, and Jackson came in to provide him some comfort.

“They just sat together for awhile, and it really soothed him,” Agna said.

Unfortunately, Jackson’s career as a therapy dog was tragically cut short: he was diagnosed with lymphoma in August, and died last week at the age of 7.

In giving to the toy fund in his honor, Agna said she hopes to keep Jackson’s memory alive, and to remember the work he did to better the lives of so many children.

“Knowing that there are children in all of our schools that families will have difficulty providing for of them at this holiday time, we thought this would be perfect that Jackson could keep on giving to the children through the Toy Fund,” Agna said.

Named after a former business manager at the Gazette, the Toy Fund began in 1933 to help families in need during the Depression. Today, the fund distributes vouchers worth $65 to qualifying families for each child from age 1 to 14.

To be eligible for the Toy Fund, families must live in any Hampshire County community except Ware, or in the southern Franklin County towns of Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately, Shutesbury and Leverett, and in Holyoke in Hampden County.

The following stores are participating this year: A2Z Science and Learning Store, 57 King St., Northampton; Blue Marble/Little Blue, 150 Main St., Level 1, Northampton; High Five Books, 141 N. Main St., Florence; The Toy Box, 201 N. Pleasant St., Amherst; Comics N More, 64 Cottage St., Easthampton; Once Upon A Child,1458 Riverdale St., West Springfield; Plato’s Closet, 1472 Riverdale St., West Springfield; Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, 227 Russell St., Hadley; Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St., Village Commons, South Hadley; The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 W. Bay Road, Amherst; Holyoke Sporting Goods Co., and 1584 Dwight St. No. 1, Holyoke.

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