Brooklyn Elementary School was a highly anticipated event for me and Frankie. We could hardly wait for the big day to arrive when we would meet all the kid’s in-person and for Frankie the would be, “in-dog.”
Third grade teacher, Joyce Gilmour and the PTO have a special program called P.A.W.S which stands for “Positive Attitude + Work = Success.” Each year they pick a theme and this years theme was to encourage the children about the bucket filling concept based on Bucket Fillers 101.
My books messages were a perfect fit for their program since we encourage kid’s to be positive despite challenges, and also encourage them to find a way to give back even when facing challenges.
To kick off the event Frankie and I connected with the school in December via Skype and I read my book, Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog to the whole school.
Then in January we connected with the school once again via Skype, and this time read them my second book, Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby’s House.
As part of their bucket filling projects Brooklyn Elementary chose Families-In-Need-of-Assistance which helps their local families who are struggling, and help with paying for food, gas, etc. They will be doing a Walk-A-Thon soon to help raise money for the program.
They also chose REACH-a-Child which “aims to put smiles on the faces of children in crisis across America through the power of books. Whether the children are in the hospital, victims of domestic disturbance, or automobile accident or temporarily homeless, REACH a Child wants to help the first responders engage these children in a positive way.”
The BIG DAY finally arrived when we made the 2-hour drive to Brooklyn, WI to see the kid’s live! We heard there was much anticipation of the special day with many kid’s asking days before what day they would meet us.
When we arrived we saw the big donation box for books and oodles of books surrounding the box on the floor that will benefit REACH-a-Child program. We donated two sets of our books, along with a stack of other gently used dog books I had in my home library.
Frankie donating books to REACH-a-Child!
As we moved down the hallway the walls were lined with bucket cut outs in all colors with one representing each child and their bucket filling efforts for the year. So inspiring! And then as we neared the end of the hallway, there on the wall were pictures of Frankie and me. Perfect time for a picture for Frankie to pose with extraordinary third grade teacher of 36-years, Mrs. Joyce Gilmour. BTW: Mrs. Gilmour will be retiring this year and we wish her the best of luck! She will devoting more time to her work as an editor for her business TLC Editing.
Frankie loves Mrs. Gilmour!
We did two presentations that day and enjoyed each and every moment. One of the most touching moments was meeting a little girl who had a brain tumor removed earlier that year. She is now in remission and we are praying that she will continue to recover and heal. Please keep her in your prayers.
The kid’s had FANTASTIC questions! I got all choked up when one young boy asked if I would rather have a Frankie that walks or one in a wheelchair. I told the audience that of course I wished with all her heart that Frankie could walk normal again, but I wouldn’t trade one single moment of what I have had with Frankie.. and someday I hope to adopt another special needs dachshund.
To round out the perfect day we were presented with thank you cards, which always brings tears to my eyes. We LOVE getting thank you cards and letters. Once we got home, I read each and everyone of them to Frankie. Then it was time for another photo session!
Frankie posing with all her special thank you cards!
Thank you, Brooklyn Elementary for a wonderful day and for asking us to be a part of your P.A.W.S program. It was the best meeting all of you, and we are so proud of all your bucket filling efforts! Keep up the great work!
