ABOUT US
See Spot Read Calendar is not an organization or program. It is a loosely affiliated group of existing pet therapy volunteers who follow a common calendar of events to benefit schools and libraries in Wake County.
Each person represents their own therapy dog organization and must follow any rules specific to their organization. Volunteers must know and follow the rules of their therapy organization to be covered by liability insurance. The See Spot Read Calendar is not an organization and assumes no liability for volunteers who choose to participate. All volunteers must complete an orientation process before volunteering.
How did the See Spot Read Calendar get started and what is it's history?
The founders of SSR Calendar events, which began in February of 2008, are Rebecca Hirschfield and Freddie. After completing pet therapy certification, Rebecca wanted to find flexible, schedule friendly opportunities for Freddie to read with children. Rebecca thought, due to Freddie's size and powerful tail, that he was not well-suited for nursing home work. Interacting with children seemed like a great alternative, but unfortunately, there were n such opportunities available in Wake County. So with a core group of interested volunteers, Rebecca started See Spot Read. The first location was Green Road Library, followed soon after by The Boys & Girls Club on New Hope Church Road. Cindy Golden organized the Boys & Girls Club activities. It did not take long for the events to become popular and spread to other libraries, and ultimately schools. Thanks to the work and dedication of its volunteers, the read events have served thousands of children in Wake County. In 2011, Rebecca Hirschfield and Freddie moved back to Maryland.
Beth Cooke-Weaver took over and began as the See Spot Read Meetup organizer in 2011. Beth owns a Bernese mountain dog named Zellie and they both started participating in the program in February of 2011. The read events grew quickly in the school and libraries under Beth's leadership. When Beth started the Calendar on Meetup, it made it easier for volunteers to participate in events. Linda Pattison (Co-Organizer and School Coordinator) and Gail Coles (Co-Organizer and Library Coordinator) came on board in 2013. Both the Wake County schools and libraries grew under Gail and Linda’s leadership. Linda initiated, in 2013, the bi-annual dinners for active volunteer teams (both two- and four-footers) that have become so popular.
The year 2016 was an eventful one. Sadly, Freddie, the wonderful canine companion of Rebecca Hirschfeld, founder of the SSR Calendar, passed away. He brought much joy to so many! Beth Cooke-Weaver stepped down as Organizer, although she plans to continue to participate in events. Gail Coles, too, stepped down as Library Coordinator. Gail, too, will continue to participate with her dog Kyra.
Linda Pattison (Vinnie, Pia) became the SSR Calendar Organizing Team Chair in June, 2016. Linda will continue as the School Coordinator. Dawn Friedel (Colden) became the Co-Organizer and Library Coordinator in June, 2016. Together, Linda and Dawn are working on a new service for orienting volunteers. Dawn, with her extensive knowledge of technology, is designing a web-site to help all our volunteers, new and experienced. Janice Firling became the Volunteer Coordinator in June, 2016. Janice has a Shetland Sheepdog, Mosie, who loves participating in read events. One of our goals this year will be to increase our volunteer base, particularly during the workweek, as we have more and more schools that want our volunteers.
Linda Pattison, School Coordinator, stepped down in August, 2017, due to her therapy dog’s health issues. Judy Austin, a retired first grade teacher, and a SSR Calendar volunteer since 2013, agreed to share the School Coordinator’s responsibilities with Terry Hepp. Judy volunteers with her canine companion, Barrett, and Terry has been volunteering since 2017, with her canine companion, Hurricane.
There are some other exciting changes coming up! We’ll keep you posted!
In The News:
Kids Practice Reading to Dogs
Click here to read the article about children reading to dogs at East Regional Library.
See Spot Read in Education
The therapy teams who volunteer with the See Spot Read Calendar are helping kids improve their reading skills and build confidence. Take a look at this article on Study.com.
See Spot Read – Therapy Dogs Foster Kids’ Love of Reading By Amy Iori
See Spot Read is a beneficial service, whether you have two legs or four. Take a look at this article.
See Spot Read – at the Library by Julie Daniel Joyner
See Spot Read was featured in the Zebulon Times. Take a look at the article.
What is See Spot Read based on?
SSR Calendar events are all Animal Assisted Activities (AAA). SSR Calendar events are based on the proven Reading Education Assistance Dog (R.E.A.D.) program developed by Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) in Utah. However, we do not work with the same student each visit, we do not formally monitor student progress, nor do we consult with teachers. Teachers, however, may ask us to work on a certain topic with students.
Take a look at the videos below that explain where we got our inspiration.