GREENFIELD — The near century-old house at 707 N. State St. was a little “ruff” to say the least — with a water leak in the kitchen, a rickety back deck and lighting fixtures attached to ceiling fans with Scotch tape.
But Nickie Scott was undeterred.
Within a week of securing the keys to the 1920s bungalow in late September, Scott and her team of board members and volunteers transformed the house into the new home of Bentley’s Buddies and Friends, a canine-led reading program for kids.
It’s been a busy month at the new digs, where roughly 30 children are signed up for weekly reading dates with four-legged friends.
The donation-based program is open to all children who need a little help with their reading skills, and Scott has found that dogs are the perfect ones to provide it.
“Dogs don’t judge or rush you along, they’re just there to snuggle up next to you and listen,” said Scott, who founded Bentley’s Buddies in 2014 from her Greenfield home.
She can’t believe the program has grown to the point of taking over a historic home on State Street after spending the past six years in a strip mall just off U.S. 40 on the west side of town.
Scott said she and her team of board members and volunteers worked tirelessly to transform the house into a comfortable, inviting space where children can curl up with a good book — and a dog — and work on their reading skills.
The five-room house features two reading nooks in the main living room and one reading nook in the dining room, which has been transformed into a library featuring over 1,500 books.
“We originally had 30 bins containing roughly 2,000 books when we moved, but we donated about six boxes,” Scott said.
She and the team made quick work of transforming the house after getting handed the keys on Sept. 24. A contractor fixed the leak under the sink, installed new ceiling fans, and built a handicap-accessible ramp out back.
“The ramp is probably what I’m most proud of ,” said Scott, who wants the program to be accessible to all kids.
Scott had been looking for a new place for Bentley’s Buddies to call home for over a year now, and just happened to see a “for sale” sign in front of the house while driving along Ind. 9.
She called the Realtor that night and met with her the next day, putting the sale in motion.
Scott said aggressive fundraising and generous donations have made the move possible, offsetting the increase in rent.
Bentley’s Buddies was the second biggest money maker among nonprofits competing at the recent Steak ‘n Bake ‘n Raffle event hosted by the Greenfield Rotary club, and is one of two nonprofits which have been named benefactors of the upcoming Nightmare on Main Street fundraiser, hosted by the We’ve Got Your Back campaign in downtown Greenfield on Oct. 28.
Scott said she’s thrilled to see recognition and support of Bentley’s Buddies growing throughout the county. She hopes the new location will help further increase visibility and foot traffic for the program, which has helped more than 10,000 kids boost their reading skills over the past eight years.
Scott said there’s currently a wait list of children hoping to get into the program. All that’s needed is additional teams of dogs and human volunteers.
Bentley’s Buddies marked a major milestone recently by getting back into the schools after a lengthy absence due to COVID. Scott said volunteer teams visited a handful of Hancock County schools starting Oct. 17, and that programs have also recently resumed at all three public libraries in the county.
Scott couldn’t be more thrilled to see how the program continues to grow and has high hopes for continued growth thanks to the nonprofit’s new home, which she lovingly refers to as The Dog House.
She loves that kids have plenty of spots to stretch out and read — even if they opt to do so while lying in an oversized dog bed on the floor. “Wherever they’re comfortable is where we want them to be,” said Scott, who said children can also opt to snuggle up to their canine reading companions on the back deck or the front porch.
She hopes to install a swing on the front porch someday, and create inviting areas to read in the backyard.
“This space really fits our needs so well. My head is just swimming with the possibilities,” she said.
Scott made sure to repaint the walls in soothing colors like lavender and pale green, including a “green room” where parents can wait on their kids.
The room features one wall of active Bentley’s Buddies canine volunteers, as well as a memory wall of four-legged friends who have passed over the rainbow bridge, including the program’s namesake — a Great Pyrenees named Bentley, who’s sporting a top hat and bow tie in his framed photo.
Scott said there’s just one more thing that’s yet to be added to make the room complete — a wall-sized logo with the program’s catchphrase: The Power of the Paw.
“These puppers have made such an impact on the children of this community,” said Scott, whose heart melts every time she sees a child curl up next to a dog with a good book.
“It really is all about the power of the paw,” she said.
