HOME-march 24

Judith’s Reading Room is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 2010 to enrich lives and societies by proactively encouraging freedom through literacy.

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  Shantel Patt, Mesquite, TX – 2026

  Ms. Shantel Patt, author and teacher with 14 years of classroom experience from Mesquite, Texas is awarded $1,000 for supporting teacher learning and development.  Ms. Patt’s book, Class Is In Session:  Teaching Through the Chaos encourages preservice teachers and educators to read by offering experience-based stories from the classroom.  Untold thousands of children across school districts in Texas will benefit from her book.  Patt wrote, “I wanted to send a huge thank you to the team at Judith’s Reading Room for selecting me for the award!  It means a lot to be supported by an organization that cares so deeply about literacy and the freedom to read.  This is such an amazing boost for both my work in the classroom and my own creative projects.”

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  Barbara Miller, Fleetwood, PA – 2026

  Ms. Barbara Miller, kindergarten teacher at Willow Creek Elementary School in the Fleetwood Area School District of Pennsylvania is awarded $500 for her passion to create meaningful opportunities for students to engage with letters, sounds and text every day. The judges were struck by the wonderful things the kindergarten parents had to say about her impact on the lives of their children. “My goal is to empower every child with the foundational skills, confidence and love of learning that will support their academic journey for years to come,” said Miller.

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  The Judith’s Award 2026 Recipients

  March 30, 2026 — Judith’s Reading Room, a 501 (c) 3 literacy organization founded in 2010 announced the first recipients of the 2026 “The Judith’s Award” that today specifically honors teachers, authors and librarians in the United States.  “The Judith’s Award” — the organization’s signature award was established in 2019 when the first recipient, Vicky Xanthopoulous, an elementary school teacher from Potamia, North Greece won.

To Date: 111 libraries, 25 countries, over 134,000 donated books valued at $1.4 million!

The Freedom Through Literacy Award celebrates a decade of honoring incredible champions of literacy. To date, the award has disbursed $58,600 to winners hailing from 18 countries: Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Greece, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, South Africa, the U.S.A. and Zimbabwe. Winners from the U.S.A. come from 11 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.