Message from Mary Rankin

Hey there - long time no see!  You guys have been sooo nice to send the magazines every month.  I have attached a photo that will be in our yearbook.  We have been busy delivering the magazine every month and will be trying to add a couple new stops. Hopefully.  All is well and we sure do love the magazine.  We use it for reading lessons.  Thanks for everything!

Silverton students rockin’ in the New Year

The Silverton kids have been busy these last few months!  In addition to dog walking and treat making projects, they held a holiday bazaar in December complete with vendors and crafts.  This event is the main fundraiser for their vocational program. 

The students have been delivering Spot to Silverton-area businesses, and have even added a few new locations to their route.  Folks in Silverton are digging the magazines, they say — they’re increasing quantity to numerous locations as they keep running out before month’s end!

Here are the students working with some of their doggie daycare clients, and a recent note from teacher Mary Rankin:

The students have been so good about delivering the Spot Publication.  They even try to race out of the car to be the first ones into the building to deliver.  They really respect the job and the magazine.  It is nice to see them accountable for it.

Mary says they’ve been really busy with the holidays and projects, and that they’ll be posting more photos and updates in the weeks and months ahead. Check back soon for the latest on our favorite new members of the Spot crew! 

Just a little can teach, touch, and make a difference...for so many

Please welcome the newest addition to the Spot crew, from Silverton High School!

These students, from freshmen to seniors, have folded Spot into pet-related work they do (dogwalking, daycare, making/selling treats) while building on their vocational and life skills.

Some of you will recall that teacher Mary Rankin contacted Spot some weeks ago, asking us to create a delivery route in the Silverton community. Area companies helped — LePooch Grooming, The Oregon Garden, Silvercreek Animal Hospital, Silverton Fitness, Silverton Public Library, Silverton Senior Center and Wilco — allocating space in their businesses where Spot would be available to their customers.

In addition to delivering Spot, and even trekking to Portland to pick up their magazines each month (perfect springboard for field trips!), the kids have been busy with homework Ms. Rankin creates around the magazine.

Now, the students have this page — the newest “room at Spot’s House” — where they’ll be sharing photos, stories, comments and ideas — about their adventures in working with Spot and other pet-related matters — with all of us.

* * *

Today, November 2, 2010, was their field first trip to Portland, which included visiting Signature Graphics, the wonderful people who print Spot. The folks at Signature did a great job welcoming the students, and providing an excellent tour of the printing/bindery/mailing plant, and watching with pleasure as the kids discovered that the paper for this type of job comes in rolls the size of Smart cars, that the ink comes in 3500-gallon barrels, and that paper trim from printed matter shoots through a ceiling-mounted tube that runs the length of the plant to a sealed room where it’s bound much like hay bales.

Photos were taken during the tour, and the “cherry on top” was a poster the Signature crew made on the fly for the students to keep — including an extra-large version for their classroom.

It was a fun day and educational day, and we at Spot thank the students for making the trip, and the wonderful folks at Signature for their time and gracious hospitality. Special thanks to Bella, the beautiful Pyrenees mix puppy who greeted us all, starting our adventure on just the right paw.

Stay tuned. Construction of the room is complete, and the students hope you’ll visit often to see the latest stories and photos they bring to share with you!