In 2013 Terri Willard retired after a fruitful career with Eli Lilly. Seeking a little extra company, Terri and her husband adopted Sadie, a mischievous miniature Goldendoodle who quickly became a part of the family. Sadie loves to go for walks, chew on things, ride in the car, and chew on things. As Sadie’s adventures grew Terri was inspired to write a children’s book to share the lessons Sadie teaches us about growing up. The team at C2IT was happy to get the opportunity to create the first Once Upon A Goldendoodle website and help Terri and her daughter, Lora, adjust the site to meet the evolving needs of Once Upon A Goldendoodle. 

The original website was very robust with an online scheduling tool and the beginnings of an e-commerce store. As Terri’s vision evolved and grew more focused we worked with her to refine the website to bring more focused attention to the book series and the purpose behind it, the Aaron Michael Willard Fund. The Aaron Michael Willard Fund was established in honor of Terri and Kevin’s firstborn son, Aaron. Aaron passed away at 18 months old and the fund was established to provide support to families of children being treated for a serious medical condition. While Sadie’s books are fantastic in their own right, knowing the purpose behind them brings their lessons into a new light. The Once Upon A Goldendoodle series uses an adorable dog, Sadie, and familiar events to help parents and children spark conversations and deepen their relationship. Although Sadie may be the star on the page, Terri has carefully inserted questions and prompts to engage both child and parent in the story.

Having the opportunity to craft the website for such a powerful and well-planned book series has been spectacular. What we love most about working with the Goldendoodle team is their relentless commitment to improvement. When we start a new website project we’re always transparent about ongoing maintenance and the recommendation for regular improvements and redesigns. The Goldendoodle Team shares our understanding and regularly commits to creating new content and incorporating it into their website. One of the greatest values of a website is the ability to make frequent updates to keep things fresh and draw new attention to your business or organization. Terri and the team have done a great job of leveraging that benefit by using the website to promote the release of her latest book “Once Upon A Golden Doodle… Sadie Takes A Walk.”

Check out Once Upon A Golden Doodle to learn more about Terri and Sadie’s mission to support parents and children going through challenging times.