Tag: The Scottish Book Trust

2024 Founders’ Award Recipient – Jordan Butler

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NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: Cathy Leiber
www.JudithsReadingRoom.org

Judith’s Reading Room Names Recipient of its 2024 Founders’ Award
In honor of literacy heroes everywhere who nourish souls and fulfill dreams

September 12, 2024 — Judith’s Reading Room, a global literacy nonprofit organization founded in 2010 in the memory of Judith F. Krug, a distinguished librarian and first-cousin to the organization’s founders, established in 2022 its signature “Founders’ Award” to honor literacy heroes who have had to overcome immense obstacles to enrich lives through literacy.

Cathy and Scott Leiber, founders of Judith’s Reading Room, proudly announce that Jordan Butler, himself founder of the nonprofit Heavy Sound, East Lothian, Scotland is named recipient of the 2024 Founders’ Award. Cathy and Scott met Butler in August 2024 to dedicate the 107 th Judith’s Reading Room library in its 24th country at Heavy Sound, located near Edinburgh in the seaside village of East Lothian, Scotland.

L to R: Jordan Butler, Cathy Leiber, Scott Leiber at Heavy Sound, East Lothian, Scotland

Based on his own lived experience of homelessness, mental health, addiction and involvement in the criminal justice system of Scotland, Butler turned his life around, and in a herculean effort founded Heavy Sound to help other vulnerable and disconnected young people. Today, it is a thriving hub for some of the most vulnerable, at-risk and hardest to reach young people in Scotland. Heavy Sound provides a trusted space devoted to teaching bicycle repair, musical
instrumentation, and access to literacy through the recently dedicated Judith’s Reading Room library (shown below) filled with 124 ‘must-have’ Graphic Novels.
Judith’s Reading Room Library #107, East Lothian, Scotland

Butler recognizes the barriers illiteracy causes that haunt people throughout their lives. He sought to cut the cycle by inspiring and supporting others to become readers and writers. As a boy, Butler found solace from a dysfunctional home inside his community library. That library was a haven and shelter from the storm, while the librarians provided understanding and compassion. The library, librarians and books saved his life.

In recognition of Butler’s measurable impact on the life of disaffected fellow citizens, and his dedication to bring literature into their lives, Judith’s Reading Room is proud to name Butler its 2024 Founders’ Award recipient and awards him with a prize of $1,000.For more information about Judith’s Reading Room’s initiatives, including previous recipients of the Founders’ Award, visit www.judithsreadingroom.org.

The Founders’ Award
2024 – Mr. Jordan Butler, Heavy Sound, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Scotland
2022 – Ms. Basarat Kazim, Alif Laila Book Bus Society, Lahore, Pakistan
2022 – Ms. Simon Ke, Anjali House, Siem Reap, Cambodia

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Graphic Novels Comprise Curated Library

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NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: Cathy Leiber
www.JudithsReadingRoom.org

Graphic Novels Comprise Curated Library Destined for
Children in Scotland with Poor/No Literacy

 

Updates – August 2024

Photos taken today at the dedication of our 107th library in our 24th country. The 124 graphic novels were hand-picked for the at-risk children with low or no literacy skills served by Heavy Sound. The books were curated by The Scottish Book Trust.

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Link to: SCOTTISH BOOK TRUST PRESS RELEASE ***

April 16, 2024 —  Judith’s Reading Room today purchased 124 teenage graphic novels identified by The Scottish Book Trust, Edinburgh, Scotland that will constitute a first-ever library at Heavy Sound in East Lothian, Scotland when Judith’s Reading Room dedicates its 107th library in its 24th country.

Reading has to start somewhere and kids need to develop confidence that they can do it.  For many, graphic novels are the perfect stepping stone for reluctant readers or for kids afraid of seeing so many words on a page.  The 124 ‘must-have’ graphic novels were purchased at Center Valley, PA Barnes & Noble with a cover price of $2,456 and will be shipped to coincide with the dedication of the library on August 10, 2024.

“Graphic novel kids can relate to pictures and that helps them understand the storyline,” said Barnes & Noble Manager Erin Cornish.  She added, “Once they grasp the reading aspect, the light bulb goes on!”  Cornish and her colleagues Kayla Sharott and Amy Schenkenberger scoured the stacks and ordered the books to create the perfect collection.

The Judith’s Reading Room’s 107th library will be installed at Heavy Sound, a nonprofit based in East Lothian, Scotland that works with some of Scotland’s most vulnerable and disconnected teens with poor to no literacy.  Heavy Sound recognizes the barriers illiteracy causes throughout their lives and therefore aims to inspire and support them to become readers and writers.

“The idea is to not only get these kids onto grade level reading, but to instill in them a love of reading that will catapult them into a lifelong relationship with literature,” said Cathy Leiber, President, Judith’s Reading Room.

 

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Outstanding Service Award — Dorothy Martin, Travel Specialist

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Outstanding Service Award — Dorothy Martin, Travel Specialist

Travel Agent Honored for Commitment to Expanding Social Impact of Judith’s Reading Room

July 3, 2024 — In pursuit of its mission, “to enrich lives and societies by proactively encouraging freedom through literacy,” Judith’s Reading Room, a literacy nonprofit based in eastern Pennsylvania, honored Dorothy Martin, Travel Specialist with Grand European Travel (GET) for her compassion to improve the lives of at-risk youth in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Martin received the organization’s Outstanding Service Award and will be acknowledged during the dedication of Judith’s Reading Room’s 107th library in Edinburgh on August 10.

At a meeting in September 2023 in Tigard, a suburb of Portland, Oregon, Judith’s Reading Room introduced its capability to offer curated libraries with books in English to local schools and established its hope that through the good offices of GET, the organization’s mission would be communicated to travelers and travel agents alike.

Judith’s Reading Room will dedicate its library at Heavy Sound, a nonprofit organization in Edinburgh that serves care-experienced youth.  The curated collection of 124 graphic novels valued at $2,456 was achieved through the collaboration of The Scottish Book Trust.

“An innovative way to step up the expansion of our organization’s presence around the world is to link up with travel organizations that are committed to making a positive social impact in the communities they visit.  GET is exactly that kind of organization, evidenced by its compassionate travel specialist Dorothy Martin, its TreadRight Foundation and ‘Be My Guest’ initiatives,” said Cathy Leiber, President, Judith’s Reading Room.

Travel organizations like GET understand that American travelers are looking for deeper connections and experiences such as when travelers read to children in local schools.  This is where Judith’s Reading Room comes in, as the organization is set up to provide the perfect books in English for the school, orphanage, day care or community center.

Including Edinburgh, Scotland, Judith’s Reading Room will have dedicated 107 libraries in 24 countries with 133,000 books donated worth more than $1.4 million.  The organization’s 2024 goal is to expand library donations across Europe.  Currently, Judith’s Reading Room has created 5 libraries in Romania, two in Albania, and one in The Kyrgyz Republic.  Following Scotland, the organization will dedicate its tenth library in Europe and its 108th library in Prague, Czech Republic in November.

For more information, visit www.judithsreadingroom.org.

 

Judith’s Reading Room Announces 107th Library

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NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: Cathy Leiber
www.JudithsReadingRoom.org

Judith’s Reading Room announces its 107th Library
Graphic Novels Will Enrich Lives of “Care-Experienced” Youth in Scotland

April 2, 2024 — Judith’s Reading Room announced today that it will dedicate its 107th library in its 24th country in collaboration with Heavy Sound, Cockenzie, East Lothian, in the eastern central Lowlands of Scotland on August 10, 2024.

Judith’s Reading Room, a 501 (c) 3 literacy organization founded in 2010 in the memory of Judith F. Krug, a distinguished librarian and cousin to the founders, reached out to The Scottish Book Trust, Edinburgh, Scotland, to help identify a school or organization that would benefit from a library.  It’s CEO, Marc Lambert, informed that “ If you are able to support Heavy Sound with books, you’ll be sure to be directing your charitable activities to those children who really need it most.”

Heavy Sound serves the most vulnerable, at risk and hardest to reach young people in Scotland, most of whom have poor/no literacy.  The nonprofit organization recognizes the barriers this causes throughout their lives, and therefore aims to inspire and support them to become readers and writers.  “We are absolutely thrilled that Judith’s Reading Room is supporting Heavy Sound by providing books that will enrich the lives of the people we support, said Linda Bendle, CEO Heavy Sound.

Working with The Scottish Book Trust and Heavy Sound, Judith’s Reading Room decided to focus on graphic novels — a genre shown in academic research* to be a positive literacy ‘stepping stone’ to help reluctant readers in their discovery of the joy of reading.  According to the American Library Association, to get teenage reluctant readers reading, ‘we need to find the elusive reading material that provides interest.’

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*”Teenage Reluctant Readers,” Young Adult Library Services, American Library Association, Summer 2005.  Courtesy Ana Luhrs, Librarian, Lafayette College, Easton, PA

A comprehensive list of graphic novels, provided by The Scottish Book Trust, will guide  Judith’s Reading Room in its purchases to create the graphic novel library at Heavy Sound, serving youth ages 12-15.

Judith’s Reading Room  

The mission of Judith’s Reading Room is to ‘enrich lives and societies by proactively encouraging freedom through literacy.’  It has fulfilled that mission by establishing 106 libraries (& counting!) in 23 countries with over 133,000 books donated worth $1.4 million.  Its signature event, ‘The Freedom Through Literacy Award,’ annually recognizes and honors champions of literacy from all disciplines — teachers, authors, educators, researchers, nonprofit literacy organizations — from around the world.  To date, over $58,000 has been awarded to 71 champions of literacy from 18 countries.

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