Our fictional storyteller Jeremy, the namesake of our Jeremy’s Journey children’s book series, recently sat down with someone who many across Jacksonville know as a Matron of Education: Mrs. Betty Seabrook Burney!
Many in Jacksonville know Mrs. Burney from her time serving on the Duval County School Board in the 2000s, twice as board chairman (2006 and 2011) and as vice chairman (2005 and 2010). But what some may not know about Mrs. Burney is her deep-rooted entrepreneurial spirit and compassion for our community’s youth.
When she was a child, visiting family in New York City, Mrs. Burney would, “let my imagination go wild; there was something magical about New York City. I once saw a businesswoman carrying a briefcase. I imagined that I was a businesswoman and had my own business,” she told Jeremy.
Fast forward not too many years, and in 1987, Mrs. Burney did just that: she opened her first business, Kidsville Learning Center on the Northside. From there, her passion for uplifting children and ensuring our community’s youth have the resources to succeed only blossomed further.
In 2010, Mrs. Burney again invoked her entrepreneurial aptitude and founded I’m A Star Foundation. Her goal was to provide students aged 12-18 with an outlet to create solutions to help their peers overcome challenges. Every year, 35-50 students from middle and high schools across Duval County volunteer their weekends to learn and embrace a core principle of Mrs. Burney’s: that the essence of leadership is service.
Mrs. Burney’s STARs (which stands for “Smart, Talented, and Resilient” students) have garnered national attention over the years, too. By focusing on four key issues – childhood obesity, food deserts, student homelessness, and mental health – the STARs have “proven their abilities again and again,” as Jeremy noted in his book.
In 2015, 25 student STARs, who were the first teens in the nation to come up with a plan to combat childhood obesity, presented their plan to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in Washington, D.C. He was so impressed with their plan, Fit Over Fat USA, that he came to visit them in Jacksonville and participate in a 1.5-mile walk!
To date, I’m A Star Foundation has raised more than $210,000 to address student homelessness; has created and donated more than 1,000 Youth Mental Health Kits; and launched additional programs for middle school students; among other achievements.
Through it all, Mrs. Burney has remained grounded in how literacy is a thread that makes it all possible. Because of this personal philosophy, the many awards and recognitions she has received, and I’m A Star Foundation’s many accomplishments, Mrs. Burney was READ USA’s 2023 READ to Lead Award Honoree, one of her “most prized awards,” she told Jeremy. “I love READ USA… especially the Literacy Tutoring program. It helps both the tutors and the students they are tutoring.”
Fun Fact: Mrs. Burney’s nephew is currently a READ USA tutor and participated in our Summer Leadership Academy earlier this year!
We are so grateful for Mrs. Burney’s embrace of our community’s youth, literacy, and READ USA, and it was an honor to celebrate her at the 2023 Peace in the Pages luncheon!
Mrs. Betty Seabrook Burney’s Jeremy’s Journey biography is ready to order! For $20, you can purchase your copy today and READ USA will notify you when your book is ready for pickup.
Thank you for the opportunity to share your story with Jacksonville, Mrs. Burney! We are so excited to see all that your STARs will continue to accomplish!
We Want to Hear from You!
#ICYMI last week, you have a chance to influence READ USA’s 2025 Peace in the Pages luncheon!
Make Your Vote Heard: Community nominations for our 2025 Peace in the Pages award honorees are OPEN!
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, Action News Jax
- Mark Woods, Florida Times-Union
- Beth Reese Cravey, Florida Times-Union
Submit your nomination soon for our Board of Directors to make final decisions on our 2025 Award Honorees!
Children’s Book: We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell
Illustrated by Frane Lessac
October 14th is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day of honoring their resilience and strength. This is the perfect time to learn more about the Cherokee Nation by enjoying We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, a contemporary Indigenous story, written by award-winning Cherokee author Traci Sorell.
Otsaliheliga is a Cherokee word that is used to express gratitude. Journey through the year with a Cherokee family and their tribal nation as they express thanks for celebrations big and small. It’s a look at modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
In Cherokee culture, Sorell shares, the expression of gratitude is part of daily life and extends from elaborate celebrations to struggles to ordinary life moments. She organizes her debut picture book by seasons, beginning with the fall, which is a time for collecting foliage for basket making and remembering those who suffered on the Trail of Tears. It also contains the Cherokee New Year and the Great New Moon Ceremony, a celebration of renewal and coming together. Each season section starts with the name of the season in Cherokee, an expression of gratitude for the change in nature, and subsequent pages describing community activities pertinent to that season. Lessac's folkloric illustrations in bright vibrant colors stand in pleasing contrast to the book's contemporary feel and setting. The text reads like poetry but has a gentle instructional dimension to it. On many pages, Cherokee words are accompanied by English translations, pronunciation guides, and Cherokee syllabary. Back matter contains relevant explanations and provides good context, and the author's note sets past misrepresentations right.
Submitted by Kathi Hart, READ USA Lead Content Teacher
Parent Education Corner: Reading Comprehension Activities for Parents
Once your child learns to read, an essential next step is to make sure they understand what they are reading. This is known as reading comprehension, a crucial skill for building a lifelong love of reading. We don’t want them to just read a story; we want them to discover that books are magical!
What is reading comprehension? In simple terms, when your child can read something and then discuss what they learned or what happened in the story, they’re demonstrating reading comprehension.
Here are two fun and easy activities for you to try as you work with your child to improve their reading comprehension.
- Create a scavenger hunt: One of the most fun ways you can incorporate reading comprehension practice into your child’s life is by turning it into an adventure!
- Have your child pick out a book to focus on for the scavenger hunt. Then they should read it through at least once.
- After they read the book, sit down together and sketch out a handful of scenes that they remember from the story.
- Then you (the parent/caregiver) go around the house and hang up all the different scenes when your child is not looking. Tell your child it’s a story scavenger hunt and ask them to try and find the pieces of the story.
- Once all the pieces are collected, you can help your child organize them into the correct order.
- This encourages your young learner to put their reading comprehension skills to use. Plus, it’s a blast!
- Extend the text: Another way to challenge your child’s comprehension is by having them extend the text. This means taking a story or passage and imagining what might happen next or how the characters’ lives might continue beyond the end of the book. They can:
- Draw a picture of what happens next
- Write a sequel or a prequel to the story
- Create a new character for the story and explain how they fit in
- Make a comic strip of what the next chapter would have been
Remember, reading comprehension is a process, but with practice, patience and fun, your child will get there!
Submitted by Kathi Hart, READ USA Lead Content Teacher
Do you have any questions or ideas for the Parent Education Corner? Anything you’d like to learn? Let us know here!