GREENFIELD — Nickie Scott hadn’t planned to be here yet.
Those who know her well say Scott, the director of Bentley’s Buddies and Friends, which pairs trained dogs with kids for reading practice, is a stickler for reparations and calculations as she works to increase the impact of her nonprofit locally.
But a boost from Leadership Hancock County, a tuition-supported leadership academy, had Scott moving her timeline up. Thanks to the work of the group and an anonymous donor, she was able to expand her offices at 1220 Main St. in Greenfield and renovate a reading area for kids to enjoy.
The Leadership Hancock County project team made up of Tracy Sweet, Alex Bush, Cara Fields and Chris Carter worked since mid-2017 to raise money to transform the Bentley’s Buddies and Friends office. The administrative area moved across the hall, while the main office became a kid-friendly reading space with new carpet, furniture, shelves, books and decorations, including a mural painted by Laura Falee, an area art teacher.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
“I’m overwhelmed,” Scott said during an open house on Tuesday. “It’s a happy feeling, though.”
The project to update the office is one of six endeavors taken on by the 2017-18 class of Leadership Hancock County. Other projects included the creation of a county political candidate debate commission and the establishment of an emergency clothing program at Mt. Vernon Community Schools.
A four-person project committee late last year considered 20 projects submitted by the class and community members and selected the best ones based on their feasibility and impact, said coordinator David Hill in March.
Scott hadn’t planned on being able to expand her office, located in a local shopping center, until the organization was at least five years old; but even at three and a half years, Bentley’s Buddies and Friends has space to grow, Scott said.
During the school year, the program visits classrooms, but works out of the office in downtown Greenfield when school is not in session. The goal of renovating the office is to encourage more young readers to come in after school and during vacations, Scott said.
Bush, who was in charge of soliciting donations from area businesses for the project, said he was pleased to have gotten mostly local businesses to contribute.
“I’m proud of how the community reacted,” he said. “We were rarely told no; everybody wanted to help Bentley.”
