Read Ahead

We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Paul Hastings & grateful to all of the incredible volunteers who take time out of their busy schedules to be Read Ahead mentors!

Read Ahead is excited to welcome Lisa Tazartes as our Interim Executive Director! Lisa is an experienced nonprofit leader, and the entire Read Ahead team is looking forward to working with her in the coming months. Learn more about Lisa in the announcement below and on our website: https://lnkd.in/erxPM-HW

We had an amazing time with volunteers from Colgate-Palmolive yesterday! Together we created 200 “I Love Reading” kits for students at two of our partner schools. Making reading fun is always a great way to start the school year. Thank you, Colgate-Palmolive! #ColgateCaresDays

Some bittersweet news to share: After more than 10 years with Read Ahead, and nine years as the organization’s Executive Director, Kristen Baldwin will be leaving her position as of October 2 to pursue a new opportunity. All of us at Read Ahead are grateful for Kristen's leadership, and incredibly proud of the work we have done together. Read the full announcement from Board Chair Sean Fitzgerald on our website. https://lnkd.in/gX4zxZcV

🏫 As the end of summer approaches and we prepare for the exciting year, Read Ahead is #hiring temporary Program Support Specialists in September and October! Are you an organized, flexible, and reliable professional who can support us with the administration of baseline assessments to students in our programs this fall? If so, and you're excited to support this important aspect of our annual program launch, we hope you will apply! Please submit all applications on our website: https://lnkd.in/g57MYFvH Please share with your networks! #nonprofitjobs

🎉Exciting news this holiday week: Read Ahead is #hiring! Are you a passionate, organized professional who loves supporting staff and maintaining efficient processes? We're hiring for our next Manager, Operations & Program Support! We're seeking a flexible, proactive problem-solver with excellent organizational and communication skills. If you're excited to contribute to a growing organization, we hope you will apply! Please submit all applications on our website: https://lnkd.in/g57MYFvH Please share with your networks! #nonprofitjobs

Appreciate teachers every day! We've had a great time at our partner schools the past few weeks putting on Teacher Appreciation Breakfast and Lunches. It's been a great opportunity to gift fun Read Ahead swag, share the program's impact on students, and discuss best practices and insights in preparation for the next school year. We are grateful for the strong partnership we have with teachers and school staff across Read Ahead schools and all they do for our students. Pictured here are Read Ahead Staff members Anna, Jose, Shay, and Jamilia at P.S. 111 and P.S. 67.

We had a blast celebrating with the Read Ahead Junior Board at their culminating Read-A-Thon Happy Hour at Blue Haven South! They raised $75,000 and counting to support programming for Read Ahead students. A special thank you to co-chairs Andrew Brimmer Max DeLott Event Lead Beth Codey and the Planning Committee who helped us lead such a successul campaign vastly exceeding our goal. Thank you to the entire Junior Board and all the teams who contributed to this result. And thank you to our staff who made this campaign and event possible!

Our partnership with the Read Ahead mentorship program began over a decade ago, in which Morgan Lewis volunteers have read with children to aid Read Ahead’s mission of promoting literacy among children in underserved communities. In recognition of this partnership, our network of more than 60 global volunteers was recently celebrated at the Read Ahead 2024 Gala. “This growth reflects not only our commitment to empowering change through children’s literacy, but also our firm’s profound dedication to community engagement—a central tenet of our firm’s culture,” remarked partner Patricia Brennan while accepting the Corporate Honoree award on behalf of the firm. “As mentors, we not only impart knowledge but also draw inspiration from our mentees’ boundless creativity and curiosity, often receiving far more than we give.” Together, we will continue to grow our mentorship relationships with the smallest among us, empowering young minds through literacy.

We're loving these happy pictures of mentors and mentees closing out some of the final 2023-2024 school year sessions. We're so proud of all Read Ahead students!