UConn Huskies football game on Sept. 23 will include on-field recognition of Voya Financial leader, and his service dog in-training, for commitment to Connecticut

By: Voya Financial, Inc. via Business Wire

September 14, 2023 at 10:05 AM EDT

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA):

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230914808390/en/

John Albanese, Voya Financial's VP, Corporate Security & Investigations with service dog Cooper. (Photo: Business Wire)

Who: John Albanese, Voya Financial’s vice president of corporate security and investigations — who has an extensive history of service to the state of Connecticut — and his service dog in-training, a yellow Labrador Retriever named Cooper.
What: John and Cooper will be honored on-field during the Sept. 23 UConn football game as part of the school’s Huskies and Heroes program.
Where: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, 615 Silver Lane, East Hartford, CT 06118
When: The game begins at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, Sept. 23. John, Cooper and the UConn Huskies’ canine mascot, Jonathan, also will be available for interviews at a pre-game tailgate event in the stadium parking lot.

Additional information:

As a former Marine whose grandfather, father, and uncle all served in the military, John Albanese is committed to supporting veterans with disabilities. John — who also is Voya’s vice president of corporate security and investigations, a former Connecticut state trooper and a UConn graduate — is training a yellow Labrador Retriever named Cooper to be a guide dog for a veteran or first responder with a disability. It’s part of the Puppy with a Purpose Program. Voya has collaborated with America’s VetDogs and the Guide Dog Foundation, which recently connected John to a puppy program manager, who supports John in puppy socialization for Cooper.

From the firsthand perspective of a trainer, John is willing to share how service dogs can help provide companionship, encourage veterans to be more active, lessen feelings of isolation, fetch items such as medications and groceries, as well as provide a sense of security.