Reading Opens More Than Books

Hello, friends and supporters!

As a brand new board member, I’m excited to launch a personal fundraiser for Readers 2 Leaders, an organization working to ensure that children have the literacy skills and support they need to thrive as readers, learners, and leaders.

Literacy has always been something I care deeply about as an educator. But recently, it has become even more personal.

Why I’m Fundraising

Early in my career, I taught an eighth-grade student who was often described as a “behavior problem.” She was constantly acting out, struggled to stay engaged, and seemed uninterested in school. It would have been easy to look at her behavior and assume that she simply didn’t care.

But after getting to know her better, we discovered something that changed the way I understood her completely: she was reading at a second-grade level.

Think about being an eighth grader and struggling to read something that your classmates had been doing independently for years. She was frustrated, embarrassed, and increasingly convinced that she would never be successful. What looked like defiance and disengagement was, at least in part, a child who was struggling and didn’t know how to ask for help.

She had begun to believe that she would never amount to anything.

That experience has stayed with me. It taught me that when a child is struggling, what we see on the surface is not always the whole story. A child who seems frustrated, disengaged, or “difficult” may actually be telling us that they need support.

And now, as a parent, I’m seeing another side of that experience. My own son is currently struggling with reading. I’ve found myself thinking about literacy not only as an educator, but as a parent watching a child work hard at something that doesn’t yet come easily to him.

It has reminded me how important it is to recognize reading struggles early and make sure children have the support, encouragement, and confidence they need. Learning to read is about so much more than decoding words on a page. It can affect how children see themselves and what they believe is possible for their future.

Reading opens more than books.

It opens doors to confidence, independence, opportunity, and possibility.

And that’s why the theme of this year’s Readers 2 Leaders campaign resonates with me: Reading Is a Science.

Helping children become successful readers takes more than simply putting a book in front of them. It takes understanding how children learn to read, identifying where they are struggling, and providing the right instruction and support at the right time. Readers 2 Leaders combines evidence-based literacy practices with the relationships and encouragement children need to become confident readers.

The Impact

And the impact of that work is measurable. During fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025), Readers 2 Leaders:

• Served 2,000 children during the school year and summer;
• Served 393 adults through literacy coaching and training programs and reached an additional 6,000 students through literacy trainings for educators and caregivers;
• Had 94 percent of students make measurable growth in key early literacy skills; and
• Had 89 percent of children grow or maintain their reading skills during the 2025 summer camp.

Behind every one of those numbers is a child who is gaining skills, building confidence, and opening doors to a different future.

How You Can Help

If you believe every child deserves the opportunity to become a confident reader, I hope you’ll consider joining me in supporting Readers 2 Leaders.

Donate: Every contribution, big or small, helps provide children with the literacy support they need to thrive.

Share: If you’re not able to donate, sharing this fundraiser with your friends, family, and networks is another meaningful way to help.

Thank you for supporting me and Readers 2 Leaders. I’ve seen firsthand what can happen when a child struggles with reading without the right support. And now, as a parent, I understand even more deeply how much it matters to make sure children know that struggling today does not define who they can become tomorrow.

Together, we can help more children discover that reading opens more than books. It opens doors.