Author: jrrtestadmin

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    Shantel Patt, Mesquite, TX – 2026

    Byjrrtestadmin

    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

    Byjrrtestadmin

    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

    Byjrrtestadmin

    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.

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    Barnes & Noble Holiday Book Drive Benefits Kids in Need

    Byjrrtestadmin

    February 13, 2026 — Blandon, PA — Barnes & Noble Wyomissing PA customers were more than generous this past holiday season as the store honored Judith’s Reading Room for the sixth straight year as its chosen charity.  

    Kids in need received a total of 822 children’s books with a total cover price of $7,500 that were purchased by generous and compassionate customers. Beneficiaries included  kids without many books at home who attend Paxinosa Elementary School in Easton, PA; elementary scholars at Mosaic Preparatory Academy in East Harlem, NY; Navajo children who live on the reservation without a library in Chinle, AZ; and, Louisiana United Methodist Children & Family Services, in Ruston, LA, an organization that serves rescued children caught up in the crime of child trafficking.

  • The Judith’s Award News Release

    Byjrrtestadmin

    January 26, 2026 — Judith’s Reading Room, a 501 (c) 3 literacy nonprofit organization founded in 2010 in the memory of Judith F. Krug, a distinguished librarian and first-cousin to the organization’s founders, announced that “The Judith’s Award” — established in 2019  — has been re-focused to recognize literacy champions in America.

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    Judith’s Reading Room Concludes 2025 with 9 New Libraries in 28 Countries

    Byjrrtestadmin

    December 20, 2025 – Blandon, PA.  Judith’s Reading Room announced its #117th eponymous library in its 28th country at the Kirioruwa School in Sri Lanka, an island country in the Indian ocean on the Asian continent with a population of nearly 22 million. 

    Plans to establish our library were completely disrupted when, in early December, Cyclone Ditwah brought devastating rain and flooding to Sri Lanka and southern India. More than one million people were affected and 220,000 were forced into safety centers.   

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    Navajo Authors, Illustrators to be Showcased – Chinle, AZ

    Byjrrtestadmin

    November 1, 2025 — Blandon, Pa.  Judith’s Reading Room announced that its 116th Judith’s Reading Room library will be formally opened on April 9, 2026 in Chinle, Arizona, a community within the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in America.  The announcement is made today to recognize National Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month which is celebrated each November.

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     Literacy Nonprofit Delivers STEM Power

    Byjrrtestadmin

    September 12, 2026 — Judith’s Reading Room, a 501 (c) (3) based in eastern PA, dedicated its newest library containing more than 90 brand-new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) books to Abundant Life Academy (ALA) in Nutley, New Jersey, filling a vital gap in its library and connecting its students to a global community of young innovators. It became the organization’s 115th Judith’s Reading Room named library.

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    Custom Donation Reimagines What Reading Can Be

    Byjrrtestadmin

    July 31, 2025 — In a move that refreshes and reimagines the role of today’s libraries, Judith’s Reading Room has donated a custom-curated collection of graphic novels to the historic James Prendergast Library in Jamestown, NY.  The gift, designed to create a ”library-within-a-library” brings new energy, relevance, and excitement to the library’s offerings — particularly for teens, visual learners, and reluctant readers.  It is the organization’s 114th library in 27 countries around the world.

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    With South Africa, Judith’s Reading Room Expands to 27 Nations

    Byjrrtestadmin

    June 25, 2025 — Judith’s Reading Room, a global nonprofit literacy organization, founded in 2010 in the memory of Judith F. Krug, a distinguished American librarian and cousin to its founders, today inaugurated its 113th library as it expanded geographically to its 27th country — South Africa.  Over the course of a decade, Judith’s Reading Room has established libraries in 7 African nations.

    Vhulakanjhani Primary School, located in Malubana Village, Nkambako, Limpopo Province, serves approximately 900 students in grades R-7 (ages 5-13).  The school is in a rural part of Limpopo that depends largely on farming fruits, vegetables, animals and timber.  There is high unemployment and while the school is under-resourced, the teachers and students are dedicated and enthusiastic.