Sponsor Highlight: Moss Adams

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende.

Taking place each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons that include book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a successful and thriving community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

Moss Adams is one of the largest public accounting firms in the U.S., a spot they have earned through 105 years of offering accounting, consulting, and wealth management services. The company has earned several firmwide awards including three for being an exceptional workplace for women. Forbes also named them as one of the best midsize employers in 2017, as a company that makes their employees feel happy, inspired and well-compensated. Lastly, they have won six diversity awards in the last seven years.

Moss Adams also ensures they are making a difference in the world today. They do this by having commitment to their people, investing in their communities, and minimizing their environmental impact. The company and its employees volunteer in the community, serve on boards and make charitable donations to help build up the communities around them. Moss Adams has an extensive understanding of the issues foundations, their donors, and their for-profit entities often grapple with as well as the opportunities available to solve those issues. San Diego is just one of the several communities they have supported. Moss Adams will receive recognition on all wine bottles and champagne available in the Marketplace at the Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser.

As the Beverage Sponsor, Moss Adams is helping Words Alive provide high-quality literacy programs to thousands of students and families in San Diego during the next school year.

We have many sponsorship opportunities still available! If you, or the company you work for, believes in the importance of literacy and is interested in helping Words Alive foster a more literate community, check out sponsorship details here. We have benefits available from social media promotion, to recognition on centerpieces, to the opportunity to announce our featured author, Mary Kubica, at the event!

Sponsor Highlight: Gurtin Municipal Bond Management

By Jennifer Van Pelt

An image of the Gurtin Municipal Bond Management logo.

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende.

Taking place each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons that include book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a successful and thriving community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

An image of two people shaking hands in the Gurtin Munucipal Bond Management offices.

Gurtin Municipal Bond Management is an investment management firm committed to making their investors and their advisors feel more comfortable with their investments and financial future. The firm focuses on diversity and employing the best people, in part by including recruitment in schools from underserved areas. Being a company that places such emphasis on diversity, we are proud to have them as a sponsor in helping us provide literacy education to prepare students for higher education and career placements.

As a return sponsor for Words Alive, Gurtin Municipal Bond Management’s philanthropic funds go towards improving San Diego communities through causes such as education, culture development, and youth development. The San Diego based company believes, “teach a child to read, educate them for a lifetime”.

Gurtin Municipal Bond Management recognizes Words Alive in their efforts to promote literacy and a joy of reading. Gurtin is excited to partner with Words Alive to provide students from K through 12+ with this essential skill set for their future. As an Impact Sponsor, Gurtin not only has the opportunity to introduce the moderator or MC at the Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser and be recognized on our Words Alive bookmarks, but they are also contributing to Words Alive’s commitment to provide high-quality literacy programs to thousands of students and families in San Diego.

We have many sponsorship opportunities still available! If you, or the company you work for, believes in the importance of literacy and is interested in helping Words Alive foster a more literate community, check out sponsorship details here. We have benefits available from social media promotion, to recognition on centerpieces, to the opportunity to announce our featured author, Mary Kubica, at the event!

Meet Our Author's Luncheon Moderator: Dr. Seth Lerer!

Our 15th Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser is being held on October 19th and will feature best-selling author Mary Kubica. Once again, Dr. Seth Lerer will be joining to moderate the conversation with our featured author, and this year marks his fourth time joining us at our signature fundraising event! Since 2014, Dr. Lerer has moderated conversations with Anna Quindlen, Isabel Allende, and Salman Rushdie for the Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser.

Seth Lerer is a distinguished professor at UC San Diego, where he served as the Dean of Arts and Humanities. His studies and teachings focus on Medieval and Renaissance Literature, History of the English Language, Children’s Literature, as well as Shakespeare. He has several published works that focus on these areas, as well as multiple literature and teaching awards. He is a Guggenheim fellow, a prestigious award for those who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship and ability in the arts.

One of Dr. Lerer’s many pronounced works is titled Children's Literature: A Reader's History from Aesop to Harry Potter. His book outlines the history of Western Children’s Literature, looking at stories from Mother Goose fables to J.R.R. Tolkien. As a professor who has extensively studied, published, and edited literature-based works, we are excited to welcome him back to our Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser!

Now, let's hear directly from him:

What first compelled you to work with Words Alive? Why do you continue to work with Words Alive on the Author’s Luncheon?

Words Alive shares many of my own professional and community goals: a commitment to developing literacy and a love for reading; a recognition that the human imagination matters; and a philanthropic mission to bring the magic of books to young people who may not have those books. Words Alive is one of those organizations that, I believe, is preparing young people to become my future college students. The Author’s Luncheon provides a wonderful opportunity for me, personally, to meet and talk with leading writers and to find ways of getting them to share their craft and their own devotion to the written word. The audience for the Luncheon is always receptive, and I hope that when the authors leave, they can recognize what a great reading community we have in San Diego and, thus, spread the word.

What is your favorite Author’s Luncheon memory?

There are so many: joking with Salman Rushdie about the satiric quality of our current lives; sharing the sensitivity of Anna Quindlen on life choices; and flirting with Isabelle Allende while discussing her stories of love and friendship.

What do you most look forward to at the Author’s Luncheon?

I most look forward to finding a point of contact with an author: finding out not simply what we have in common, but how a creative writer and a scholarly writer (me) can learn from each other about the meaning of books and the imagination. And, of course, doing all of this with some five hundred of San Diego’s most committed readers makes it fun.

What are you most excited to talk to Mary Kubica about after reading her latest book, When the Lights Go Out?

I have just started the book. But clearly, it is a work of suspense and narrative propulsion. I think it will live up to its arresting opening. I’ll look forward to talking with Mary Kubica about holding an audience, building reader interest, and shaping plot.

Why is reading and literacy important to you?

Through reading, I discovered myself. We all read not only books but the world: experience is made up of signs and symbols, stories and tales. We can aspire to be the heroes of our own novels. When I teach literature, I try to show how fiction is not a lie: it is the artful re-imagination of experience. It is a lesson in living and a goad to our creative understanding of the world.    

Secure your seat at the 15th Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser today! www.wordsalive.org/authorsluncheon

Sponsor Highlight: City National Bank

By Jennifer Van Pelt

An image of the City National Bank logo, which features a latter and the tagline "The way up."

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende.

Taking place each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons that include book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a successful and thriving community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

An image of Words Alive Executive Director, Patrick Stewart, and Volunteer Program Manager, Christina Meeker, with representatives from City National Bank.

City National Bank is a Southern California based company with 71 offices nationwide that offer banking, trust, and investment services. Their commitment to highly personalized service and corporate social responsibility has quickly brought them to the top. They have been recognized for excellence in business banking for more than 10 consecutive years.

Their company culture and values support diversity and involvement within the company and for the community around them. Through several company-wide drives, community service days, and donation matching, they give back in numerous ways to foster economic and community development.

City National Bank has a corporate literacy initiative to empower children and adults in the community to provide more access to books and education. They not only provide numeracy and financial programs for the community, but they also have established a Reading Is The Way Up program of which they invest and reinforce the benefits of reading to better the communities around them. Through the program, they gift books to K-12 school libraries, invest in grants to K-12 schools to assist the literary efforts, and reward their employees with three hours of paid time off each month to read during the workday to local students. Their investment in turning reading into a passion for future generations complements Words Alive’s mission to achieve the same in San Diego.

“We are so proud to partner with Words Alive and provide them with some of the financial support they need to help children and families in San Diego develop a love of reading,” said Bernadette Bach, San Diego regional executive for City National.  “Educational outreach is a huge part of our overall community support and the mission of Words Alive is closely aligned with the goals and objectives of our literacy programs.”

Since launching its literacy program 16 years ago, City National has donated more than 800,000 books to school libraries in six states, awarded over $1.5 million to teachers in elementary, middle and high schools in eight states, launched an award-winning financial literacy program called Dollars and Sense, instituted an author visit program with schools in five states, and so much more.  City National colleagues also provided thousands of hours of volunteerism each year reading to students, teaching financial literacy, building literacy gardens and more.

As an Impact Sponsor, City National Bank not only has the opportunity to introduce the moderator or MC at the luncheon and be recognized on our Words Alive bookmarks, but they are also contributing to Words Alive’s commitment to provide high-quality literacy programs to thousands of students and families in San Diego.

We have many sponsorship opportunities still available! If you, or the company you work for, believes in the importance of literacy and is interested in helping Words Alive foster a more literate community, check out sponsorship details here. We have benefits available from social media promotion, to recognition on centerpieces, to the opportunity to announce our featured author, Mary Kubica, at the event!

Sponsor Highlight: First Republic Bank

Image: the First Republic Bank logo with features a gold eagle on a white background and the tagline "It's a privilege to serve you."

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende.

Each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons including book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year with high-quality literacy programs.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a prosperous community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

First Republic Bank is a returning sponsor for the Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser and is our VIP Reception Sponsor! They told us that they were “delighted to continue to support Words Alive, what positive and inspiring work you all do!”

First Republic was founded in 1985 and has since provided services such as private banking, private business banking and private wealth management, including investment, trust and brokerage services. Additionally, they specialize in delivering exceptional, relationship-based service with a commitment to responsiveness and action. First Republic offers a complete line of banking products for clients, including deposit services along with residential, commercial, and personal loans. These services are offered primarily through preferred banking or wealth management offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Newport Beach, San Diego, Portland, Palm Beach, Boston, Greenwich, and New York City.

Thank you First Republic for your help with this event and for recognizing the importance of literacy! With your support, Words Alive is able to provide high-quality literacy programming for students and families in San Diego communities.

Words Alive is also excited to announce our VIP reception for our table sponsors and their guests and the host committee after the main event on the day of the Luncheon! This exclusive function will provide more quality time with featured author, Mary Kubica, and you won’t want to miss it! In addition, event sponsors can get access to noteworthy benefits such as social media promotion, recognition on centerpieces, and the opportunity to announce Mary Kubica at the event!

Interested in availability for our sponsorship opportunities? If you, or the company you work for, believes in the importance of literacy and is interested in helping Words Alive foster a more literate community, check out sponsorship details here.

Sponsor Highlight: Geppetto's

Image of the Geppetto's logo! The logo features a toy Pinocchio holding a sign that says "Geppetto's" with the tagline "a child's fantasy".

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende.

Taking place each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons that include book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a successful and thriving community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

Gepetto’s, a San Diego staple, is a local toy store and a returning Promoting Sponsor for the 15th Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser!

An image of the various, overflowing toys available at Geppetto's!

Dubbed as a San Diego tradition, Geppetto's has been operating for over 40 years and is proud to be locally owned by the Miller Family. This magical world of toys started with an original location in Old Town, but has since grown into 10 storefronts, spanning from Carlsbad to Coronado. Products in stores range from the latest and greatest to classic toys, guaranteed to spark nostalgia within all adults. Their mission is for customers to enjoy their award-winning stores where they will find toys to inspire creative play for the whole family. Additionally, Geppetto's specializes in exceptional service for shoppers, offering complimentary gift wrapping daily and Toy Experts, happy helpers stationed in stores to recommend engaging age appropriate toys for children.

Thank you Geppetto's for supporting Words Alive with the 15th Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser! Promoting sponsors for this event not only receive recognition on press releases and printed collateral, but they help Words Alive continue to serve thousands of students and families in San Diego with high-quality literacy programs.

We still have many sponsorship opportunities available! If you, or the company you work for, believes in the importance of literacy and is interested in helping Words Alive foster a more literate community, check out sponsorship details here. We have benefits available from social media promotion, to recognition on centerpieces, to the opportunity to announce our featured author, Mary Kubica, at the event!

Sponsor Highlight: Voice of San Diego

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende. 

Taking place each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons that include book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a successful and thriving community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading. 

Voice of San Diego (VOSD) is is an award-winning nonprofit news organization based in San Diego, California, and the Media Sponsor for the 15th Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser! Laura Kohn, Words Alive Board Member and co-host of VOSD's Good Schools For All podcast, had this to say about both organizations:

"Words Alive and Voice of San Diego are both about helping San Diegans engage with the community through words and knowledge. The children and youth who benefit from Words Alive’s programs will hopefully grow up to be civically active community members who vote and participate in our democracy. And our local democracy will be healthier for them thanks to VOSD’s intrepid reporting."

Hear more from Voice of San Diego:

Want to know what’s really happening in San Diego?

Concerned about how local agencies operate and make decisions about education, the environment, housing, or public safety?

VOSD's Morning Report logo, sign up here!

Then check out Voice of San Diego’s Morning Report to learn more. As a Words Alive supporter and someone who cares about San Diego, we think you’ll enjoy reading it. 

Voice of San Diego is an award-winning nonprofit news organization that digs deeply into local issues and organizations that affect the public. Our mission is to deliver ground-breaking investigative journalism for the San Diego region and to increase civic participation by giving residents the knowledge and in-depth analysis necessary to become advocates for good government and social progress.

VOSD’s stories spurr officials to act, catalyze change, and enhance the lives of our fellow residents. Below are a few examples of how VOSD made a difference in our community in 2017.

PUBLIC HEALTH: VOSD Coverage Spurs City and County to Act on Hepatitis A

Within a day of Lisa Halverstadt’s story describing county and city officials’ foot-dragging on a response to the Hepatitis A crisis, both entities announced they would take swift action. The story prompted public responses from elected officials and attention from national media outlets.

GOVERNMENT: SANDAG

SANDAG Executive Director Gary Gallegos stepped down following a nearly yearlong investigation by Andy Keatts, that culminated in a brutal report from an outside law firm.

Legislation to overhaul the San Diego Association of Governments, written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this month. The bill was spurred by our reporting on SANDAG’s faulty revenue forecasts.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

A San Diego Superior Court judge sided with Voice of San Diego and found that San Diego Unified improperly withheld documents related to our investigation of former trustee Marne Foster. The case sets an important check on public agencies who try to keep public records from the public under the guise of exemptions to the California Public Records Act.

RECENT AWARDS

The San Diego County Taxpayers Association gave two awards to Ashly McGlone and Andy Keatts to honor their coverage of the Field Turf contracting issues and the SANDAG scandal, respectively.

San Diego Society of Professional Journalists recently announced Andy Keatts as 2018 Journalist of the Year for his investigation into SANDAG.

We have many sponsorship opportunities still available! If you, or the company you work for, believes in the importance of literacy and is interested in helping Words Alive foster a more literate community, check out sponsorship details here. We have benefits available from social media promotion, to recognition on centerpieces, to the opportunity to announce our featured author, Mary Kubica, at the event!

Board Spotlight: Kim Harrison!

A picture of Kim Harrison holding up a children's book, "The Day the Crayons Quit", for our Share Your Love of Reading campaign.

Kim Harrison is one of our newest Board Members, she joined our Board in January 2018. Kim taught First Grade for seven years in Stamford, CT where she was a grade level team leader, bringing an innovative and progressive approach to the classroom. Kim had regional and statewide responsibilities for exploring new educational approaches to advance curriculum and was the recipient of several awards and grants including “Outstanding Prospective Teacher” from a pool of over 200 applicants.

Kim moved from Connecticut to San Diego in 2015 with her husband Douglas and their two children, Adam and Anna. Kim enjoys her new southern California lifestyle, spending time playing tennis, hiking and volunteering for Words Alive.

Now, let's hear from Kim herself!

Why do you love to read, and why is literacy important to you?

On a personal level, I love to read because it opens up my world, empowering me to be immersed into learning about anything my heart desires! Whether it be exploring other cultures and history, keeping up on current events, reading a recipe, or losing myself in a novel, reading opens up my world. Reading allows me to be an educated citizen, engaging me to be an active member in personal, family and community awareness.  

As a former teacher, I was able to witness the pure joy as my students learned how to read and make meaningful connections to their world. 

I am committed to promote and inspire literacy to our youth. It is my hope that at the highest level, literacy will create educated compassionate citizens. 

What Does it Mean to Volunteer at Words Alive? (Part 2)

By Jennifer Van Pelt

This article is part of a series in which we highlight and celebrate stories from our volunteers, and explore what it means to volunteer at Words Alive. Read Part 1 here.

Our volunteers and donors at Words Alive enable us to serve over 5,000 students and families every year, and we would truly be unable to work towards our goal of inspiring a commitment to reading throughout San Diego County without all of their support. These volunteers are not only able to connect with students and exceed expectations when teaching in the classroom, but they are also passionate about the difference they make in student’s lives! They eagerly come back week after week because they enjoy working with children and they are able to see the inspiration they incite and change they make in the future of the children and their families. Read below for some first hand stories as to why our volunteers love being a part of our Words Alive family!

An image of Katherine Finley, Office and Teen Services Intern, with Jessica Fryman, Teen Services Program Manager, at the 2017 Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Ceremony.

Katherine Finley, Office and Teen Services Support Intern, said: “It is extremely gratifying knowing that I’m working with a cause that helps others discover and foster a love of reading. The impact Words Alive has is especially visible when attending the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Ceremony and hearing the heartfelt stories of students improving their literacy skills and their futures.”

Many of our volunteers get involved with Words Alive as a way to continue their love for teaching or get involved in a career they perhaps weren’t able to pursue previously. Karen Malin, a Read Aloud Program and Event Committee Volunteer, said: “My volunteer work with Words Alive gives me the opportunity to tap into my varied experience acquired from 40 years in education. Whether writing curriculum, working with preschool parents, sharing the message of the importance of early literacy or reading with first graders (my favorite!) I am excited to be making a difference in the lives of children and families. Volunteering with Words Alive is energizing, fulfilling and a lot of fun!”

An image of Karen Malin, Read Aloud Program and Event Committee Volunteer, accepting an award at Councilmember Lorie Zapf's Volunteer Appreciation Day.

Julie Adams, a Words Alive Read Aloud Program volunteer is a retired speech/language pathologist. Part of her work included the encouragement of reading and discussing books as a family so vocabulary, language comprehension, and oral communication could improve. In retirement, she still strongly supports this development of pre-literacy and literacy skills by volunteering with Words Alive. She said, “I like to think that sharing a love of books with young children (and their teachers and parents) will be a kind of contagious act, infecting the receptive eyes, ears and minds of the listeners with a bug to read another good book...It’s exciting to see delight in the reaction of kids who suddenly figure out the meaning of an author’s “play with words”, or are able to point to and count words in a title, or notice an illustrator’s clue about what’s coming next, or share an emotion of a book character they like. Though it doesn’t happen with every book, it’s definitely reinforcing to me as a reader when kids spontaneously clap as the book ends and there is a clamor from the children to “read it again.” Why do I continue to volunteer with Words Alive? I hope I’m helping kids develop some of the very basic early literacy skills that will give them succeed as they move to formal reading instruction in school, and just as importantly, helping them develop a life-long love of books and reading.”

Petra Bauer-Ryan, an Adolescent Book Group Volunteer, has said, “I could not think of a more worthy cause. Sharing my passion for books and love for reading with these young minds and seeing them challenging themselves and growing is more rewarding and inspiring than I could put into words.”

These are just a few stories about the rewarding and inspiring experiences that our volunteers are able to enjoy every week with our students and families. As an organization with over 550 volunteers, there are countless more experiences to be shared by existing volunteers and even more to come from future volunteers! Whether you are a book-lover or enjoy teaching others, there are several different ways to bring your passion into the classroom. To get involved in supporting our mission of improving literacy in San Diego, visit our page here to review the opportunities and create a story of your own!

Sonya Williams - Volunteer of the Month - May 2018

Please join us in congratulating Sonya Williams - Words Alive Volunteer of the Month for May 2018!

Sonya has been with our volunteer family since December.  She has already made such an impact on her Adolescent Book Group students and teachers at South Bay Blended Tech in National City. Sonya’s charisma is unparalleled, which makes her a dynamic facilitator. She has a knack for commanding attention from her group of raucous teens while keeping the session fun and engaging. She makes it a point to provide one on one attention, connecting with individual students throughout each creative writing session.

Sonya has also contributed to the program by writing curriculum guides.  And, she has started to help facilitate volunteer orientations – sharing her classroom experiences and tips with new volunteers. 

Her support is well-rounded and given with such positivity and energy.  Sonya, we are so lucky to work with you!  Thanks for giving us your time.

Check out the Volunteer of the Month Interview with Sonya below:

Tell us a little about yourself.
I have always loved reading. As a young child, I was always sneaking off to read a book (and I still do). My love of reading took me to England for my master’s degree in English Literature, inspired me to start several book clubs, teach college, ESL and literacy classes, run an educational center, write curriculum, and develop training programs and e-learning courses. These days, I also spend a lot of time reading Mo Willems books with my kids.

What is the most rewarding part of your volunteer role(s)?
I initially got involved with Words Alive to develop curriculum, but was convinced to teach an ABG writing class, and I’m glad I did. It’s so rewarding to develop real connections with individual students, and to see a powerful, personal piece of writing come from a student who doesn’t speak in class. And it’s inspiring to work with the classroom teachers who invest their lives in these students.

What have you been reading lately?
I’m currently reading Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.