Stetson presented this year’s Greenfeather Grant for $19,516.81 to My Angel with Paws on Friday, Dec. 14 – raising almost twice the goal for a local nonprofit that trains dogs to help people with disabilities.

“Holy cow,” exclaimed Sarah Townsend, executive director of My Angel with Paws, when she opened up the check Friday afternoon at Stetson University’s Donor Relations House.

Greenfeather is an annual tradition during Homecoming in which teams of students compete to win the most points during activities and fundraising. The goal was to raise $10,000 for the Greenfeather grant, and organizers said this year might be the most ever raised.

My Angel with Paws will use the money to “feed the dogs, take care of them, vet bills and do some final finishing touches on our training center because it was flooded during Hurricane Irma,” Townsend said. “We still have a few things that need to be done. So, this is going to go a long way.”

“And put in handicapped parking,” added Marilyn Kudlets, president of the Board of My Angel with Paws.

They gathered with their service dogs and Stetson students and staff on Friday as Greenfeather Vice President and senior Bianca Perito presented the check. The students kept the final grant award a secret to surprise the nonprofit.

In addition to the grant, Stetson faculty, staff and students also donated enough dog food and pet supplies to fill six large plastic bins, said Rebecca Thomas, assistant director of Sustainable Giving and Greenfeather adviser.

The winning Greenfeather team, Pi Kappa Alpha and Zeta Tau Alpha, had the honor of naming the Greenfeather puppy. They chose Palmer after Palm Court. The black Lab attended Friday’s event and, just six weeks after the competition, he already weighs 40 pounds.