“Freedom Through Literacy”
Est. 2010 in memory of Judith F. Krug
Board Option Award – $200 Jennifer Williams – “Second Chance Book Club” DANVILLE, VIRGINIA Back in 2019, Jennifer Williams founded the Second Chance Book Club with the goal of spreading the love of reading and getting books into the hands of people in need; in this case, incarcerated women at the Danville City Jail. Since…
Board Option Award – $200 Pamela Laskin – “Poetry at the Border” NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Pamela Laskin, a lecturer at City College, established “Poetry at the Border” to encourage children whose families are seeking asylum to write poetry about their experiences. Poetry enables children to understand trauma following horrible events like hurricanes (Puerto…
Board Option Award – $200 Lisa Gerard – “Little Read Wagon” NORMAN, OKLAHOMA No matter where you look in Norman, Oklahoma, you’re likely to find Lisa Gerard and her Little Read Wagon. Gerard has offered free books at community free events, establishes “libraries” in laundromats and hides books in 65 public parks. For her efforts,…
Finally, Honorable Mention Awards (no cash award) are given to those applicants who the judges want to acknowledge and think deserve encouragement. The idea behind the Honorable Mention Awards is to propel the applicants to continue their literacy efforts and to apply for future Freedom Through Literacy Awards. Toti Jean Marc Yale – “Reading First”…
Grand Prize Award – $2,500 Angela Chalkiopoulou, “Alice in Writer’s Land”LIMASSOL, CYPRUS Writing, dancing, drawing, prancing… these are just a few activities you might see in educator Angela Chalkiopoulou’s classroom. Using the power of creativity and inquiry, Ms. Chalkiopoulou’s Alice in Writer’s Land project helps foster both a sense of wonder and resilience in the…
Board Option Award – $400 Sue Goatley – “Jabulani Community Literacy Programme”ZAMBEZI REGION, VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE Often times, a student without the proper support early in their schooling, may struggle to obtain the foundational literacy skills to advance their formal education. Sue Goatley, with her organization Children in the Wilderness, established an after school community…
Board Option Award – $300 Derek Witmer – “Diversity and Inclusion Library”HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA Second grade teacher Derek Witmer’s care and attention for honoring his students and their experiences has led to the creation of a curated library of books addressing important topics such as general diversity, acceptance, gender identity,and familial make ups. In recognition of…
Board Option Award – $300 Lisa Gerard – “Little Read Wagon”NORMAN, OKLAHOMA Tackling communities with “book deserts” in the town of Norman,Oklahoma, Lisa Gerard began a mini library at a local laundromat in 2020. From there, the reading ball started rolling!Since that laundromat library, Lisa has added a lending library and a volunteer program in…
Honorable Mentions Lisette Caesar – “Mirroring Our KidsEAST HARLEM, NEW YORKLisette’s steadfast efforts to create libraries that reflect her students and their lives earns her an Honorable Mention. CBS NY clip on Lisette Caesar’s “brainchild” Book Vending Machine at Mosaic Prep Academy in NY Simon Ke – “Mobile Library Project”SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA We honor Simon…
Three more camel libraries and more to come… read onward… Well, Judith’s Reading Room got it right when in voting Basarat as our 1st Freedom Through Literacy Award! She continues to thrill and we hope this message touches your heart as it did ours. Enjoy the new photos as well! Dear Cathy, Greetings!! Thank you…