Benji and Lily Move Back Home to Help Residents Thrive

by enFocus

Before I tell you about Lily, I thought I’d tell you about me, since our lives are so closely woven together. I’m Benji. I’m seven (but I don’t look a day over three). I’m a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Before I moved to South Bend with my parents in August of 2020, I was a city dog (Brooklyn represent!) doing some pretty cool things.

I modeled at the flagship Macy’s store on Manhattan’s 34th Street. I met Chuck Schumer, indie rocker Sharon Van Etten, Tyrion Lannister himself (Peter Dinklage), and Succession’s Brian Cox, mostly just from walking around my neighborhood.

But the coolest thing I ever did was follow in my mama’s footsteps to become certified in providing therapy. After Lily earned her LCSW in Clinical Social Work, I said, “hey, I can do that.”

So Lily took me to get trained at The Good Dog Foundation as a licensed therapy dog. I was so obedient that I earned my certification in record time. Lily had busy workdays at Mount Sinai Hospital working as an in-patient social worker, but when an after-hours transgender youth center opportunity came my way, I raised my paw. Love and smiles ensued.

My next gig was helping Lily collect signatures for my hometown hero’s presidential run. Mayor Pete was running, and Lily was selected to be a delegate in New York’s 8th congressional district. She led a group of volunteers to collect 500 signatures in our district in January 2020. I came along for signature gathering which of course was the reason they surpassed their goal.

In August of 2020, I escaped the pandemic pandemonium and moved with my parents to South Bend (a place where my mama grew up and where my papa is able to play as much tennis as humanly possible).

Lily is thrilled to be at enFocus where she can be back home in South Bend and use her education in Political Science and Social Work as the Assistance Lead with the City of South Bend’s Department of Innovation & Technology to increase uptake of benefit programs with the hopes that more residents will be able to grow and thrive.

She’s also a keen gardener, barre enthusiast, matcha maestro, and tennis player. She abstains from the consumption of four-legged creatures out of respect for animals like me. Unless there’s, like, a 90-day aged ribeye in front of her. I wouldn’t say no either.