The roster looks awesome -- thanks so much for helping R.E.A.D. out!
I had a meeting this evening with Elaine Pray, my contact for this literacy program, to go over the final logistics and details for the Sunday event. It sounds like there will be 7 dog teams (dog and handler) plus 2 add'l "spotters" to assist with directing kids to the appropriate dog team for reading. There will be 4 dog teams set up in our Children's Dept, with 3 dog teams wandering the bookstore, meet-n-greet style. They'll rotate out over the course of the afternoon.
(For those who aren't familiar with the R.E.A.D. program, kids sit one-on-one with a dog and their handler and just read a book to the dog...it's simply amazing how much a child will read when they have a non-judgmental listener, particularly a furry one!)
With 4 dog teams in the Children's Dept, things could get crowded...I'll be there the entire time to help direct traffic, but depending on crowd turnout we may need to have some of the Garrison also spread out throughout the store, meet-n-greet style. You guys are pros, though, and will know what to do. If you need any direction, I'll be there to help out.
One thing that would be great to have is some "prompting" from you folks -- namely, asking kids if they've had a chance to read to the dogs yet. That will hopefully keep the teams busy with eager young readers, which is a significant portion of what this event is all about.
You'll be prepping/staging/changing in our breakroom (which is in close proximity to the bathrooms and the Children's Dept.); those of you who were here last time for the Volunteer Library fundraiser know where it is, but for those who don't, it's in the far back left corner of the bookstore.
One important element: safety. We're dealing with thoroughly-trained dogs, all of whom are therapy animals and are quite comfortable around crowds and are used to noise. That said, I don't know exactly how they'll react if all of a sudden a Tusken Raider or Darth Vader walks up to them...so though this might be pretty obvious, please be extra cautious around the teams, particularly if they're with a young child. I'll be deferring to the handlers' experience and judgment when it comes to the comfort level of the dogs.
Other than that, I invite everyone to mingle and have fun. I have no idea what kind of crowd we're expecting, but I'm looking forward to a great afternoon! If anyone has any last-minute questions, PM me or give me a call at the bookstore. I'll be here bright-n-early in the morning, and I see that you'll be here at 12:00 PM; Elaine and her teams will be here around 12:30 PM and will officially get going at 1:00 PM.
And again, my thanks to you for supporting R.E.A.D. and our Bookfair fundraiser for their wonderful program!
Cheers,
Andrew
