CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Life lessons: 'Woody' teaches students how to work, dream big

Richmond Register - 2/8/2019

Feb. 08--Dogwood "Woody" Furr isn't your typical wiener dog. In fact, he is far from it.

That's because Woody gets to travel across Kentucky with his mom Leigh Anne, dad Ron, and sister puppy Chloe, spreading the message of working hard and dreaming big. The Gang has traveled to 118 of the 120 Kentucky counties to talk to students, churches and organizations about Woody's Five Ways to be Successful and Woody's Five Ways to Improve Writing.

Woody and the Gang spent time at Glenn Marshall Elementary School on Thursday, talking to students about ways they can keep a positive attitude and be successful. The group was invited there by Lisa Scully, Library Media Specialist at Glenn Marshall. Scully said they try to invite inspirational speakers such as Leigh Anne and Woody and the Gang to the school, as their message resonates more with the students.

"They hear us say all the same things they (Leigh Anne and Woody) say, but hearing you can dream big and work hard from someone else like Woody means so much more to them," Scully said. She also noted that the Gang delivers their message in a way students can understand.

Leigh Anne and Woody and the Gang have been traveling around Kentucky for 16 years now. It all started when Leigh Anne was a music teacher, sharing stories about Woody and Chloe adventures with her students in rhyme form.

She started to think she should write those stories down, and eventually, she did. She sent out her stories to many publishers, and after several rejections, Leigh Anne was offered a contract for her work. After that, the rest was history. Leigh Anne, Ron, Woody and Chloe took their show to the roads and began traveling across the Bluegrass.

For Leigh Anne, it was important to share her messages of positivity, responsibility and how to be successful since teachers have so much on their plate to tackle in one day, something she herself knows all too well.

"We can go in there and we can use a dog, a Kentucky dog, to pass along those messages. Everything from looking people in the eye to being respectful to others, having determination," Leigh Anne said. "Just giving them encouragement they might not hear from somewhere else."

After the presentation, a handful of lucky students got the chance to feed Woody and Chloe treats before heading back to class. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, students participated in Woody's Five Ways to Improve Writing, where they learned topics including audience, purpose, voice, topic selection, and the importance of reading.

Later that evening, students brought their parents back to school to meet the Gang. While there, they heard another Woody story, and shared with their parents what they learned in the day. The program ended with a musical and graphical presentation of pictures that were taken during the day.

Woody and the Gang have eight books in their series, some that teach morals to young readers, others that help them learn about Kentucky and the Capital, in addition to their tours around schools, libraries and other organizations.

To learn more about Woody and the Gang, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WoodyKYWiener. Those who want to send Woody a message or to purchase a book, visit http://www.thewoodybooks.com.

Reach Kaitlyn Brooks at 624-6608; follow her on Twitter @kaitlynskovran.

Woody's Five Ways to be Successful

Winner -- Having a winner's attitude

Ownership -- Own your education and your actions

Others -- Be respectful to others, make eye contact and use your manners

Determination -- Getting through challenges, even when things are tough

Yourself -- Take care of yourself, don't drink, smoke or do drugs

___

(c)2019 the Richmond Register (Richmond, Ky.)

Visit the Richmond Register (Richmond, Ky.) at richmondregister.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.