Sister acts to honor legacy through Team Ava effort

Sisters Ava Hodous and Deb Kabinoff could not have been more different.

As the middle of three sisters, Kabinoff describes herself as serious, well-organized and an overachiever. It was her younger sister, Ava, who reminded her to loosen up.

“She was the ying to my yang,” Kabinoff said.
 

Ava died in January 2012 at age 56, leaving behind her husband, Cary, and two sons, Daniel and Ben. 

Kabinoff and her family were overcome with grief but knew that they didn’t want her memory to be a sad one. Instead of flowers, the family asked for donations to Southeastern Guide Dogs. They raised so much that the organization asked if they would like to sponsor a puppy.

It was the beginning of Team Ava, which raises money every year through the Southeastern Guide Dogs Walkathon.
Southeastern Guide Dogs had special meaning for Ava.

She was 54 when she became ill with an autoimmune disease that caused her body to deteriorate over four years.

The disease severely limited Ava’s mobility. To encourage her, family members would take her to Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto for puppy-hugging sessions, during which guests and volunteers help socialize puppies in training.

“We would take her and sit her on the floor, and the puppies would come over to sit in her lap,” Kabinoff said. “She loved the idea of training a dog to help a disabled person. It was something she thought was really wonderful.”

Ava wanted to give back and sought to have her golden retriever, Leo, a gift from Kabinoff, certified as a therapy dog to bring to schools and nursing homes. However, when the appointment for the training session came up, Ava was too ill to attend. 
Kabinoff went in her place and became a therapy team with Leo.

“When we would go to a school or nursing home, we would take Ava with us so she could watch us working as a therapy team,” Kabinoff said.
 

Since Team Ava formed, four puppies have been named Ava in memory of Kabinoff’s sister.

Two of the four puppies have already graduated from the guide dog program, while the other two are still in training.

This year, the group seeks to raise $7,500 — the $5,000 needed sponsor a new puppy, plus extra funds to give back to Southeastern Guide Dogs. At press time, it had raised $4,700.

“Every year, instead of having the sorrow associated with her dying, we have something that’s happy, fun and does good for someone else,” Kabinoff said.