Our Peace in the Pages Award honorees contribute decades of wisdom to every table they sit at, yet they are too humble to ever say it themselves.
Amassed from lifetimes – both long and not-quite-long-yet – of diverse experiences, every one of our seven award honorees has seemingly infinite wisdom and knowledge that they generously contribute to our communities through their words, actions, and experiences. And last week during our Peace in the Pages in Honor of Roseann Duran luncheon, READ USA had the fortunate opportunity to give our donors and invited guests a taste of this wisdom. Even in the few minutes that each award honoree had to share their “why,” their passion for community, our neighbors, and literacy was not only evident, but palpable.
Check out photos from last week’s Peace in the Pages in Honor of Roseann Duran luncheon on our Facebook page here!
Now, those who were unable to attend Peace in the Pages can watch and learn from our award honorees on our YouTube channel!
You can also read more about each of our award honorees here:
- READ to Lead Award: Patricia McElroy, President of the VyStar Foundation and Senior Vice President of VyStar Credit Union
- READ to Succeed Award: Caleb Johnson, Linebacker, Jacksonville Jaguars
- READ to be Free Award: Ronnie Gadio, READ USA Tutor
- READ to Heal Award: Dr. Andrea Barnwell Brownlee, George W. and Kathleen I. Gibbs Director and CEO, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
- READ to Remember Award: Dr. Sherry Magill, Retired President, Jessie Ball duPont Fund
- Marjorie Broward Memorial Scholarship Award: Kathleen Adkins, Principal, Rutledge H. Pearson Elementary
- Mark Landen Memorial Award for Democracy through Journalism: Tenikka Hughes, Anchor, Action News Jax
You can also view Mayor Donna Deegan’s welcome video – thank you so much, Mayor Deegan, for being a part of our event virtually! – and the video interview that our CEO Dr. Rob Kelly did with a special READ USA partner, Thrive Scholars.
Thrive Scholars Jacksonville’s Executive Director Hannah Oberholtzer sat down with Dr. Kelly and both a current and former READ USA tutor to talk about the pathways to opportunity that READ USA facilitates for our teen tutors. Liano, a former tutor, recently began his freshman year at Brown University, thanks to a scholarship he earned through Thrive Scholars Jacksonville. His younger brother, Luke, who is a current READ USA tutor and also participated in our Summer Leadership Academy, joined the discussion. Together, Liano and Luke talk about why they became tutors, what drives them in their work to uplift the next generation of students, and how Thrive Scholars and READ USA impact people not only on an individual level, but on a community- and systems-wide level as well.
The full event video from Peace in the Pages in Honor of Roseann Duran will be available soon – and we cannot WAIT to share Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole’s inspiring keynote and the live read aloud by Giovanni, a READ USA student! Stay tuned!
Nominations Open for 2025 Award Honorees
On the heels of last week’s Peace in the Pages in Honor of Roseann Duran luncheon, today we are officially opening community nominations for our 2025 Peace in the Pages award honorees!
Do you know someone who:
- Is a champion of literacy, reading, or education in our community?
- Embodies the values of empathy, peace, non-violence, health, education, freedom, leadership, and success – and those values’ connections to literacy?
Tell us who! Nominate them HERE.
There are seven award honoree categories and details about each are below. You can also read more about our 2024 Peace in the Pages in Honor of Roseann Duran event here.
Award Categories
⭐READ to Lead Award
This award recognizes someone who exhibits the bravery and willingness to lead – especially when such leadership is difficult.
Past award winners include:
- Patti McElroy
- Betty Seabrook Burney
- Audrey Moran
⭐READ to Succeed Award
This award is presented to an individual who embodies how reading fuels success in life.
Past award winners include:
- Caleb Johnson
- Tim Cost
- Judge Rhonda Peoples-Waters
⭐READ to be Free Award
This award was created to honor an individual who understands the connection between the individual empowerment that comes from literacy and freedom. As George Washington Carver once said, “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom,” and our award recipient is also someone who fully embodies this ideal.
Past award winners include:
- Ronnie Gadio
- Kevin Gay
- The Honorable Warren Jones
⭐READ to Heal Award
This award recognizes someone who embodies the importance of healing in all forms – intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Healing brings our community together and unites us in support and respect for one another, and the recipient of this award personifies the intersection of healing and literacy.
Past award winners include:
- Dr. Andrea Barnwell Brownlee
- Nicole B. Thomas
- Jeff Chartrand
⭐READ to Remember Award
Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” The recipient of this award makes historical connections relevant to today and embraces literacy as the connection between our past, present, and future.
Past award winners include:
- Dr. Sherry Magill
- Dr. Floyd Willis
- Dr. Jim Crooks and Laura Crooks
⭐Marjorie Broward Memorial Scholarship Award
Marjorie Broward established libraries all over the globe and, closer to home, initiated JAX READS and many other book-related projects during her 95 years on this earth. It is in honor of this remarkable leader that READ USA established the Marjorie Broward Memorial Scholarship Award, which is presented to a school leader who exemplifies Marjorie’s commitment to service, community, and the common good.
Past award winners include:
- Principal Katie Adkins
- Principal Paula Findlay
- Principal Felicia Hardaway
⭐Mark Landen Memorial Award for Democracy through Journalism
Mark Landen worked for the Florida Times-Union for 30 years, starting by delivering papers and rising to the position of Director of Circulation. Mark’s legacy and unwavering commitment to journalism is the essence of this award recipient: a member of the media who embodies the ideals of sound journalism, ethics, and most importantly, the role literacy plays in our democracy.
Past award winners include:
- Tenikka Hughes
- Mark Woods
- Beth Reese Cravey
Submit your nomination soon for our Board of Directors to make final decisions on our 2025 Award Honorees in the near future!
READ USA Visits Black Student Union at Jacksonville University
Last week, READ USA team member Stephanie Darilus, our senior operations director, visited with Black Student Union members at Jacksonville University.
READ USA’s partnership with Jacksonville University goes back many years, before our now president and CEO Dr. Rob Kelly joined READ USA as chief academic officer. Dr. Kelly was formerly an assistant professor of literacy education and Reading Center Director at JU from 2019-2021. This was when the pilot for our Literacy Tutoring program kicked off and proved successful – as demonstrated by the student performance results analysis led by Dr. Kelly himself. Fast forward to today, and JU and its students are still highly engaged in the work and mission of READ USA!
During last week’s visit, Stephanie discussed volunteer opportunities and the impactful work READ USA is doing in the community – not only through our Literacy Tutoring program, but also with our annual Book Fairs, year-round book events, family engagement events and workshops, and other programs.
“It was a fun and engaging visit!” Stephanie shared in reflection. “The students were really interested in ways they can make a difference and impact in their community. JU is all about integrating service-learning into teaching, encouraging students to be active citizens in the community around them. We are grateful for the Black Student Union members for inviting READ USA to be a part of their gathering and their eagerness to be involved!”
Thank you to Jacksonville University for its ongoing partnership with READ USA and to the Black Student Union for having us!
Children’s Book: Rise Up and Write It by Nandini Ahuja
Illustrated by Anoosha Syed
Farah Patel is full of questions. One day, she notices that her urban neighborhood is missing butterflies. When she asks why, Farah’s mother tells her that it’s because their community lacks greenery. When Farah and her mother pass an empty lot with a sign in front of it asking citizens to contact Mayor Khan with their ideas for it, Farah lands on the perfect plan: She and her neighbors could turn it into a community garden! Not only would this attract butterflies, but it would also provide families with a local source of fresh fruits and vegetables. Farah writes to the mayor, but the mayor writes back saying that the plan is to turn the space into a parking lot. Determined to change this, Farah organizes her friends and neighbors to work together to advocate for a garden.
This cheerfully illustrated picture book is the perfect beginner text for young activists, providing examples of kid-friendly actions, including writing letters to politicians, testifying at public meetings, and organizing rallies. The book contains cleverly designed pages shaped like envelopes that contain removable samples of letters, petitions, and protest signs that kids can use as templates for their own community-based action. The book’s language is both clear and empowering and the plot moves quickly.
Open the six envelopes inside the book to follow along with the story of Farah as she rises up and brings her neighborhood together.
Submitted by Kathi Hart, Lead Content Specialist
Parent Education Corner: Supporting Children as Writers
Writing is important because it gives our children the means to express themselves. Encouraging your child to develop strong writing skills at a young age and to become a better writer as they get older can have a lifelong positive impact on their writing and may make writing an easier and more enjoyable process.
Here are four ways you can support your child as a writer.
- Use a journal or diary: Giving a child a journal or diary is a great way to help them get excited about writing. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy either! You can give them a regular notebook from the dollar store. If you want to make it even more exciting, let your child decorate it with markers or stickers. Give your child an opportunity to write in it often. Writing in a journal or diary is a wonderful way to give your child a chance to express themselves, write about their day, and get their feelings out.
- Let them help make lists: Writing isn’t just about writing stories and longer pieces. Writing is often functional such as making lists. The next time you need to make a grocery list, let them help you. You can have them write some of the words or all the words. If they only know some letters, they could write those letters every time you need to. So, if they know “a” they can write the a in apples and cake. If the child isn’t writing yet, they could draw pictures for some of the things on the list. While it might make the list writing take longer, children will love to feel involved and included, and it will show them the importance of writing in a real-world setting.
- Add writing to playtime: One of the easiest ways to encourage children to write is to add writing to playtime. Are you playing doctor? Make a doctor’s office sign with your child. If you’re playing restaurant, you can work together to make a menu. Doing this makes writing fun, and eventually, the child might start incorporating writing into playtime on their own.
- Write notes to each other: Who doesn’t love to receive a special note? A fun and simple way to encourage children to write at home is for parents to write notes back and forth with their child. You can tape a note to their bedroom door, put it in their lunchbox, or even use an old tissue box to make a family mailbox. If they want to make it even more exciting, they can put their note in an envelope. Encourage the child to write a note or picture back. Not only will it make them feel special, but it will encourage them to write themselves.
A few things to keep in mind! Parents can sometimes have unrealistic writing expectations, so here are some important things to keep in mind:
- All writing is valuable.
- It’s okay if words are spelled incorrectly. “Inventive spelling” or spelling by sound is normal.
- Writing takes a lot of work, so it might take time to see improvement.
- Keep it fun and light so your child associates writing with positive feelings.
Submitted by Kathi Hart, READ USA Content Specialist
Do you have any questions or ideas for the Parent Education Corner? Anything you’d like to learn? Let us know here!