Welcome to the October 2024 Our Kids Read newsletter! So much has happened since our last newsletter, let’s dive right in! First, I’m thrilled to announce our 2nd Annual Donor Appreciation and Fundraising Gala in New York City at the Yale Club on Wednesday, October 30th, from 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM (for those that have RSVPed already ONLY!). We are excited to celebrate with over 100 of our closest supporters, community partners, family and friends. If you’d like to get a sense of WHAT’S NEXT FOR OKR, tune into the live stream here:
And we’re growing! Special thanks to the Sitex Group, Mountain Development Corporation and MCB Real Estate for their donation of a combined over 15,000 square feet of storage space to house recent donations from Scholastic and Penguin Random house, over $1M in diverse book inventory donated. This will allow us to serve 10x as many students in 2025 as we did in 2024. What a blessing and a testament to the generosity of the individuals and corporations in our network.
I don’t want to steal the newsletter’s thumber, but here are a few more exciting developments: we’re partnering with the Women in Need shelters in NYC to bring Reading Bubbies to a small pilot group of their clients in January! Leading the way to support this effort is a recently onboarded group of KPMG volunteers, special thanks to KPMG NYC for your support and patience during the onboarding process (WIN volunteer orientation. Also planned for a January pilot, OKR will be partnering w/Nike, Intel and Adidas employees to support a pilot at the Portland Boys and Girls Club.
I extend my thanks as always to the ever-expanding OKR family. It's been an honor leading this enterprise over the past few years and I remain inspired and energized by our impact and even more excited about our potential.
More to come! That’s for everyone’s support. We never saw the organization growing this quickly when we started it a mere 3 years ago.
Excited to see what the future holds. See you at the gala on Wednesday (either in-person or online)!
Peace and blessings.
Warmest Regards,
Jahmal Lake
We're so excited about our upcoming celebration! On Wednesday, October 30th, Our Kids Read will celebrate with 100 of our closest friends, family, donors, supports and education and corporate partners at the Yale Club in NYC (the event will also be live streamed so those who missed purchasing a ticket can still enjoy the affair). The goal of the event is to celebrate the organization's first three years and unveil the vision for the future. Click here to sign-up for the livestream if you can't make it in person. Click here to donate a gift for the silent auction.
Our Kids Read is trying something new with our gala this year: LIVE STREAMING! We will be coming to you live from the Yale Club in NYC, beginning at 6:30 PM EST (cocktail hour and guest interviews) with the main event beginning at 7:30 PM EST (7:30 PM EST - 8:00 PM EST will be heart of the program). Click here to register for the livestream and get alerted when it starts!
What an incredible gift! A special thanks to our friends at the Sibex Group for their donation of over 8.500 square feet of storage space in Saddlebrook, NJ. This space will allow Our Kids Read to accept donations of up to 2 million books! Conveniently located less than 25 feet from the warehouse entrance is a UPS that Our Kids Read will use to ship the books to our events across the country.
What an honor to be invited to be a part of the Little Free Library family! OKR was granted Read in Color grant valued at $17,500 ($7,500 worth of books and $1,000 each for 10 library kick-off celebrations). It is the perfect partnership as Read In Color libraries promote diverse books and authors. The first Our Kids Read Read in Color libraries will launch in November, 2024 in Laurel, Columbia and Baltimore, MD.
MYRLEEN SPRINGER
OKR BOARD OF DIRECTORS, TREASURER
Myrleen Springer is a Senior Vice President and Head of Central Investor Services Support at U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, where she leads teams supporting US and Europe. With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Myrleen has held senior positions at HSBC Bank USA and Morgan Stanley. Before joining U.S. Bank, she served as an Executive Director at JPMorgan Global Fund Services, overseeing accounting and service delivery for US private equity, portfolio accounting, and hybrid funds. Myrleen graduated Magna Cum Laude from Baruch College and is both a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. A mother of three, she believes in the transformative power of books.
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Tom Clarkson
OKR Advisory Board Member, Senior Leader, Financial Services Industry
Tom is a Principal in the Investor Relations team with Coller Capital and is based in Austin, Texas.
Prior to joining Coller in 2023, he held private equity fundraising roles with Strattam Capital, Pantheon, and Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners. Before beginning his career in financial services, he served as a carrier-based Marine F/A-18 pilot.
Tom has an AB in Politics and Economics from Princeton University and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Eugene E. WRIGHT, Jr. MD
Advisory Board, Our Kids Read
Medical Director Performance Improvement South Piedmont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Charlotte, NC
Dr. Eugene E. Wright, Jr. hold an appointment as Consulting Associate in the Department of Medicine of Duke University Medical Center.
Dr. Wright has over 40 years of clinical experience as a private practitioner, academic clinician and educator, medical administrator, a rural physician in southeastern NC and a volunteer physician. From 2000 to 2013, he served in several roles within the Cape Fear Valley Health System including Medical Director for Primary Care and Speciality Services and Chief Medical OfQicer for the health system. He currently works with the South Piedmont AHEC in Performance Improvement since 2018.
Dr. Wright serves as an Associate Editor of Clinical Diabetes, and has served on several advisory and editorial boards to include Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics and as a content reviewer for UpToDate. He served as the inaugural chair of the ADA Primary Care Interest Group, as a member of the ADA/AHA Know Diabetes by Heart Science Advisory Group and in several leadership roles with the ADA Clinical Conference. Dr. Wright has published numerous articles on diabetes diagnosis, treatments and management and has given presentations at national and international meetings on new treatments and technology for diabetes.
Dr. Wright has an undergraduate BSE in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University (1973) and a medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine (1978). He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Duke University Hospital in 1981.
Personal: Gene enjoys traveling internationally with his wife of over 50 years. He also enjoys skiing with his wife and grandson and spending time with his family.
A warm thank you to Antonia Brown, an Our Kids Read Advisory Board member who made a generous $2,500 gift to OKR in the name of her mother, Olive Baker, who passed earlier this year. A little background about Ms. Baker, she was a lifelong advocate for literacy and community.
A passionate reader from a young age, Olive dedicated her career to fostering literacy and a love of reading. She embarked on a distinguished 26-year journey with the New York Public Library (NYPL), where she was instrumental in establishing the Center for Reading and Writing, a program designed to help adults improve their literacy skills. Olive’s career flourished as she worked in various branches of the NYPL, ultimately becoming the Supervising Librarian & Library Manager at the Soundview Branch in the East Bronx.
Olive thrived in her role, finding joy in engaging with the public, conducting outreach, teaching technology classes, and collaborating with the local District Community to enhance library services. Her exceptional service and dedication were recognized in 2003 when she was honored with the Bertha Franklin Feder Award for Outstanding Service in Librarianship.
After retiring from the NYPL, Olive continued her journey of service and passion by working in Florida real estate alongside her husband and volunteering for causes close to her heart. Olive's legacy is one of perseverance, dedication, and an enduring love for literacy and community.
Born in Jamaica, Olive Baker immigrated to the United States in the early eighties, where she married and became a devoted mother to four wonderful children. Balancing the demands of motherhood, Olive pursued her academic aspirations, earning a Bachelor’s Degree from Lehman College and a Master’s Degree in Library & Information Science from Queens College.
A passionate reader from a young age, Olive dedicated her career to fostering literacy and a love of reading. She embarked on a distinguished 26-year journey with the New York Public Library (NYPL), where she was instrumental in establishing the Center for Reading and Writing, a program designed to help adults improve their literacy skills. Olive’s career flourished as she worked in various branches of the NYPL, ultimately becoming the Supervising Librarian & Library Manager at the Soundview Branch in the East Bronx.
Olive thrived in her role, finding joy in engaging with the public, conducting outreach, teaching technology classes, and collaborating with the local District Community to enhance library services. Her exceptional service and dedication were recognized in 2003 when she was honored with the Bertha Franklin Feder Award for Outstanding Service in Librarianship.
After retiring from the NYPL, Olive continued her journey of service and passion by working in Florida real estate alongside her husband and volunteering for causes close to her heart. Olive's legacy is one of perseverance, dedication, and an enduring love for literacy and community.
Our Kids Read Partners with NYC District 9 School District, the NY Yankees and Scholastic to serve over 2,000 students at this year's back-to-school fair at Yankee Stadium. Special thanks to Verizon SOMOS, our #1 NYC volunteer partner for their unflagging support of both our Free Book Festival and Reading Buddies program. Over 6,000 books were distributed to over 2,000 students during this event!
Click here to view video
The Sibex Group Donates 8,500 SQ. FT. of Book Storage Warehouse Space!
What an incredible gift! A special thanks to our friends at the Sibex Group for their donation of over 8.500 square feet of storage space in Saddlebrook, NJ. This space will allow Our Kids Read to accept donations of up to 2 million books! Conveniently located less than 25 feet from the warehouse entrance is a UPS that Our Kids Read will use to ship the books to our events across the country.
our Kids Read has partnered with the Women in Need shelter in Brooklyn New York to provide to launch a pilot of the reading buddies program! The initial pilot include 15-25 participants and will run from January through March 2025. Kids Read has been partnered with WIN for two years donating books to the over 3000 WIN clients through the Our Kids Read Free Book Festival program.
Dan Berman
Contract Grant Writer, Our Kids Read
Dan Berman serves as Grant Manager for Our Kids Read, beginning in June 2024, and is a passionate advocate for literacy and JEDIB (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging).
Dan has worn many hats in Early Learning, including as a teacher, program manager and administrator. Most recently, he led the development of a Family Library in St. Petersburg, Florida. He holds a B.S. in Education from Boston University, a M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University in Child Studies, and completed his post-grad in Advanced Educational Leadership with Harvard University, Dan is also an expert on early fatherhood engagement,previously running a
non-profit program called “Who’s the Man?!” for new dads and their babies in Hillsborough County, Florida. Since 2022, Dan has volunteered as President Emeritus of Infant Massage USA, a national organization dedicated to helping trained providers help parents and caregivers recognize the importance of positive touch, after previously serving as Board President and V.P.
Outside of supporting early learning and literacy, he enjoys the beach, live music, Gator football and New York Yankees baseball. Dan is excited and dedicated to helping Our Kids Read scale to serve more children and families, and for the next chapter in the organization’s future.
Our Kids Read Needs Volunteers!
Our Kids Read is looking for volunteers, especially accountants. We are often asked to provide an audited financial statement with grant applications and have received quotes from $5,000 to $20,000 for a company to completed our audited financial record.
If you (or someone you know) can volunteer to help us in this area, we'd greatly appreciate it. In addition to accounting help, we also need: graphic designers, project managers, programmers, social media gurus and general volunteers.
Our Kids Read Launches v.0.4 of the OKR Reading Portal
Our Kids Read launched v.0.4 of the OKR Reading Portal! New features include: the ability to schedule students and readers based on availability of both parties, a streamlined onboarding experience and a new "Training" section which will continue to grow in the coming months.
Coming next in v.0.5, the ability for readers to prview their students' background details prior to the first session, the ability to cancel and request a re-schdule of reading appointments from the online interface and text alerts to remind Reading Buddies and students/parents of upcoming sessions,.
A special thanks to the following corporate and foundation partners and sponsors:
www.ourkidsread.org
