(NewsNation) — Veterans Moving Forward is helping soldiers enjoy a better quality of life by providing trained service dogs to help them gain a new level of independence and comfort.

For 12 years, the organization’s mission has been to provide service dogs to soldiers with physical or mental health challenges for free.

“An emotional support dog is one that provides that comfort that supports kind of like a trained pet. But our service dogs are trained to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act, so they are trained to meet very specific needs of very specific individuals, such as mental challenges or mobility challenges,” Veterans Moving Forward CEO Gordon Sumner explained.

Even through the pandemic, the organization continues to place dogs not just in Alabama or in Virginia, where it’s located, but nationwide. It’s currently wrapping up training to place a Marine veteran in Montana with his service dog, Ashley.

“I tell people we’re not just changing lives, we’re saving the lives of these veterans every day,” Sumner said. “That’s why we need your financial support to continue this important mission because we are saving lives.”

For more information, visit www.vetsfwd.org.