About Us

PRESIDENT – Mary Wills held various management positions in the building industry for over 40 years. She recently retired after moving to North Falmouth 6 years ago from Rockport Mass with her husband Randy. Besides spending time with family and friends (they have 4 children and 4 grandchildren) Mary and her CAP certified Samoyed named Shiloh are active visitors as a CAP volunteer team in both the adult and children’s programs and enjoy every minute of it! 

VICE PRESIDENT – Linda Johnston joined CAP in 2020 and was certified as a CAP Therapy Team along with Teddy, her Golden Retriever. She has spent the last 30 years in Westport, CT, raising her two daughters along with her husband Doug. She relocated to Chatham in 2018 after retiring from teaching adult women math and science. Linda remains very active with walking daily and occasionally playing golf and pickleball. She loves nature and considers herself an environmentalist. She is part of the Friends of Chatham Waterways committee, collecting water from local ponds to be tested and is a member of Association of Preserving Cape Cod. Knitting is her pastime and she enjoys traveling and listening to audiobooks and podcasts. 

SECRETARY – Kerry Walton first came to the Cape as a student in 1973. She finally moved to the Cape full time when she retired from a faculty position at NYU School of Medicine in 2018. She joined CAP in 2019. Her black standard poodle, Shadow, passed CAP training in the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic and was not certified until April 2022. Although his mother, Henna, was trained after Shadow, she was certified before him in March 2022. Shadow enjoys CAP visits with children and adults, Henna prefers grown-ups. All three enjoy gardening and knitting, but in different ways.

TREASURER/CLERK – Rob Schain and his wife Debbie relocated to the Cape full time from New Jersey in 2011. A few years later, Rob retired after a 36-year career as a financial analyst in the energy industry. One of Rob’s accomplishments in retirement was becoming a CAP therapy team in 2017 with Sophie, his now eight-year old rescue. His other activities in retirement include playing alto sax for the Chatham Town Band and the Sound Dunes Swing Ensemble, and making weekly deliveries for Meals on Wheels. 

CHILDREN’S PROGRAM COORDINATOR/TRAINING EVALUATOR – Susan Hunt is a retired R.N., School Nurse, and health educator. She brought her experience with cognitive and physically challenged children and adults to CAP programs. Experience as a volunteer/evaluator with N.E.A.D.S World Class Service Dog and the Worcester Animal Rescue League lead her to CAP after she and her husband retired to her home town of Falmouth in 2008. She and her labradoodle Chowdah made hundreds of CAP visits from 2013 -2020. Susan and her young doodle Buddy fill their time with the families of her two sons. There is always time for long walks with human and and canine friends. 

UPPER CAPE ​​VISITATION COORDINATOR – Judith Cosgrove joined cap in 2009 with her darling rescue Vizsla, Eva. She had retired from Frontier and Verizon where she worked for many years as an IT professional. Eva passed over the rainbow bridge recently after she shared her love and compassion to all who met her. Judith now works part time at Powerhouse Gym in Cedarville that helps her maintain physical fitness to keep up with her other rescue Vizsla, Anna. Anna is scheduled for training in CAP. Judith belongs to the Sagamore Highlands Association where she created and maintains their web site. Her husband Tom and Judith reside in Sagamore Beach with Anna and their rescue kitty, Picasso. Judith does acting, community theater, background work for movies, and training videos for medical companies. 

LOWER CAPE ​​VISITATION COORDINATOR – Boni Heleen and her husband Howie have been Dennis residents for a number of years. Boni is a retired middle school teacher and has been an active member of CAP since 2010. During her retirement she has participated in the CAP Therapy Dog training with Max and Cooper, both golden retrievers. Through the wonderful training offered by Sheryl and Susan they each passed their evaluations and became an official part of the certified therapy team with Boni. Max retired in 2018. Boni and Cooper continue to participate and actively support the flourishing program, which is enjoyed by all. 

OUTREACH COORDINATOR ​- Beth Mays joined CAP in 2021 with her 3-year-old golden doodle, Beau. Together they have been truly rewarded and blessed to see and experience the joy and love that Beau stimulates when they meet seniors, teens and school children on therapy visits across Cape Cod. It is amazing how a simple nuzzle and wag of Beau’s tail will create instant happiness for someone who needs some encouragement. When not out working with Beau, Beth enjoys golf, boating, yoga, the occasional needlepoint project, and beach walks with Beau and her significant other. She also volunteers at Neighborhood Falmouth helping seniors stay independent in their homes, and is active in Waquoit Congregational Church. 

NEWSLETTER EDITOR – Michele Granger and her labradoodle, Lucy, have been a therapy team with CAP since 2015. Before her retirement and move to the Cape in 2014, Michele was an educator in early childhood/special education for over 40 years in a variety of roles including: classroom teacher, evaluator, administrator, workshop leader, parent educator, curriculum and staff developer, and adjunct professor. She is also a published author of children’s books and has no plans to ever retire from writing. Michele and her husband, Bob, have two daughters and two granddaughters. When she and Lucy aren’t visiting for CAP, Michele volunteers at The Local, a soup kitchen for community members in need, leads a kids’ book club, practices yoga, swims laps and sings with The Mid-Cape Chorus.

MEMBER AT LARGE/TRAINING EVALUATOR – Kathryn Scanlon Catanach joined CAP in 2005 and did pet therapy visits with two adopted guinea pigs, Ruby and Jinks, for several years. She then visited for 10 years with Niko, a retriever/shepherd mix. Niko retired in 2020, preferring to spend his time visiting neighbors, napping, and taking short walks in the woods. Kathy lives in Falmouth and is a retired marine geologist who specialized in mapping deep-sea habitats. When she isn’t taking short walks in the woods with Niko, she likes to spend time travelling and sailing with her husband, observing wildlife, and volunteering for disaster response and science organizations. 

MEMBER AT LARGE – Kathy Fedorchuk  After retirement, Kathy became a a certified dog trainer. She volunteered at the Falmouth Dog Shelter and offered private lessons. She enrolled in CAP with her Irish Setter, Seamus, and  Seamus and Kathy are now a certified therapy team. They love visiting, as the dogs touch so many lives through the CAP program. Kathy and her husband John live in Falmouth.