Film on Centura College Grad and His Service Dogs Premieres at Regent University
A small team of local filmmakers have completed work on a documentary of an Army veteran, Toby Yarbrough, and his service dogs Duke and Sasha. The film gets its origin from the novel The Quiet Healing, which was authored by Yarbrough and published in 2017. The film premiered at a special screening at Regent University on Saturday, January 19th.
A Story of Perseverance and Healing
The film tells the story of Yarbrough, the traumatic injury he suffered during his time in the Army, his struggles with PTSD upon the end of his service, and how his service dogs saved his life in more ways than one.
“The most important thing people should take away from this film is that this is just one man’s story, but so many others suffer from similar situations that Toby does,” says Andrew Lauto, director of the film. “It’s a story about struggles, hurt, pain, perseverance, love, and companionship. If you like dogs, support the military, or just want to listen to a feel-good story, this film is for you.”
From the Classroom to the Big Screen
The Quiet Healing project was partially funded by a collaboration of a trio of local educational institutions, Centura College, Aviation Institute of Maintenance, and Tidewater Tech. Yarbrough is a graduate of Centura College’s Chesapeake campus.
“We are so proud to be able to support a student who has given so much to serve his country. Toby was a tremendous student and a true inspiration to everyone around our campus,” says Ashley Oden, Campus Executive Director at Centura College Chesapeake. “When he told us he was writing a book and that it was going to be made into a film, we knew we wanted to be a part of helping him tell his story.”
All proceeds from ticket sales for the premiere were to be donated to Heal the Warriors and prior to the showing, a check for $5,400 was presented to Heal the Warriors. Heal the Warriors provides access to much-needed services to our veterans and first responders who suffer from traumatic service-related brain injuries.
Also as part of the premiere ceremony, Dr. Joel English, Vice President of Centura College, announced the creation of a scholarship program called the Yarbrough Scholarship for Disabled Veterans. This scholarship will be awarded to one disabled veteran each year.
