Literacy United

If you have known me personally for maybe 2 seconds, you know that I have 3 kids at home with special needs/neurodivergence. I am not what you would call an immensely private person. I wear my heart and emotions on my sleeve, on my face, in my body and I share my story with intention and conviction so as to demystify neurodivergence and increase acceptance. I like sharing stories and words are something I’m pretty good at - writing was always my favorite subject but there are days I stumble with words especially when they aren’t behind a pen or a computer screen, using the right words with staff, with kids and parents - some days it is a lot. Some days I say things I wish I didn’t say; some days I have the right words and some days I can’t find the words when I need them or the words I say hurt. In other words, I’m human and fyi neurodivergence is genetic 😉

When I share about my own family with the families we serve, mostly to provide comfort and to normalize diagnoses and struggles, they often ask if Kendall Miller and I got into this nonprofit gig - helping people read - because we too have neurodivergent kids… a really logical conclusion. In fact, when I was getting my doctorate 15 years ago or so, one thing I learned that stuck with me is that researchers usually study themselves - we are all most interested in what matters in our own lives. The grand irony in my life is that the kids came after the work, after the research, and after I thought I had the answers with all the right words for other families. News flash 💥 for kids with significant and complex reading needs there are no easy answers, no formulas and no quick fixes. So now, I try to tell parents I will walk with them on the journey with their child and help them live into the answers.

My late mentor - the much beloved Twyla Miranda at Texas Wesleyan University shared this quote with me in my very first masters reading class in 2000 and it lived on my fridge for a long time. I wondered why and what it had to do with teaching reading but today I find it speaks better than I could.

“I want to beg you, as much as I can, dear sir, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” Rainer Maria Wilke

We are all living our way to the answers. Let’s be gentle with each other on the journey because you never really know what folks are carrying. To all of you out there cheering us on - thank you. Your words and support mean more than you will ever know. 💙💚💛💜

It’s a family business…fundraising for the nonprofit so ALL kids have books and can learn to read . Clara is out selling her handmade bracelets. Her idea 💡. Brothers Jack and Josh are helping too. I’m so proud of the empathy these kids have - understanding that every child may not have access to books or high quality reading support services like they do.

📕🐛Bookworms Day 6 🐛📕 Time flies when you are having fun and reading books! Today, we had some special guests from an amazing nonprofit Be The Neighbor. (Check them out!)

A large group of youth from University Presbyterian Church Austin were serving and learning about education justice right here in Fort Worth. We are so grateful they chose to spend time with Literacy United. These amazing kids jumped right in, bonding with our bookworms and sharing their love of literacy. The best part…bookworms got to take home a nice new book as a gift from their big buddy. The message these big kids took home is one that us grown ups should remember - become a skilled reader is a human right and the only way for children in poverty situations to access a brighter future.

The only snag today was that we almost ran out of snacks 😩🤣. Thankfully Kendall Miller has quick access to Costco…once an elementary school principal always an elementary principal 😆
We know for sure, reading isn’t quite as good without food (kids must feel safe to learn!) and it’s certainly better with these big buddies.

*This is the follow up post where this executive director is still at it - despite the hard parts - this is what our why 📕🐛💙.

Bookworms….Day 2…I’d not be being completely honest if I said being an executive director of a literacy nonprofit in Fort Worth Texas was an easy or glamorous job, especially in the current education climate (yes we all know only 37% of FWISD kids can read on grade level) and especially for this teacher- at-heart who really loves just being with kids because they are infinitely more fun and kinder than grown ups 😉. The behind the scenes work our board and team and I do - data, grants, reporting, deadlines, program evaluation, board meetings, staffing, financials, making the printers in our office work 🤣, you know the day to day just never ends. You can get lost in that stuff - the background stuff. And then some days are plain hard for all sorts of reasons - today was that sort of day.

But then there is this. My own Clara (she’s autistic) setting up a token economy and reward system for a student with behaviors so he can be there and learn with dignity because she understands only too well how hard it is to be excluded from learning because of behavior; 5 kids really too old for the program showing up speaking hardly any English but needing a school lunch and help, National Charity League, Inc. volunteers showing up because they love kids and Literacy United, and 4 of the best teachers ,ridiculously underpaid (teachers btw are always underpaid/underfunded) showing up during their summer break and doing the work because they believe in the mission.

This is not a “do alone” job and it is not for the faint of heart. Thanks to everyone who is out in the trenches with us . I still believe love wins and we keep going not matter the cost.

These pictures are more powerful than my words. The invitation to join us is open - www.literacyUnited.org.

At Literacy United, we know literacy changes lives.

When children gain strong reading skills, they gain confidence, opportunity, and the foundation for lifelong success. Through community partnerships, dedicated volunteers, and family-centered programs, we are working every day to help students thrive.

Thank you for being part of this mission and helping us create brighter futures- one reader at a time. 💙📚

📕🐛 Bookworms Day 1 is in the books! 📕🐛. We had a record turnout of kids, certified reading specialists, special educators and highly trained volunteers to kick off year 2 of the best summer reading program in Fort Worth. Did you know this intensive reading program is completely free thanks to our generous donors? Bookworms Summer provides 4 weeks (45 hours!!) of high dosage reading intervention to 50 struggling readers in Fort Worth. We are changing the story for struggling readers


Want to help?

VOLUNTEER : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwC9r_OyoNa6JJboAxYR5CxaLpQnaAS6wTwjVdMaw6IzoXYA/viewform?usp=send_form

DONATE: https://donorbox.org/literacy-united-donation

Every dollar and hour counts!

Did you know that children thrive when families read and learn together? 📖✨

Literacy United is proud to support programs that strengthen literacy skills while empowering parents and caregivers with tools to support learning at home.

Building a culture of reading starts with conversation, curiosity, and connection...and together, we are helping families create lifelong learning habits.

Our board had a special visitor this month - Meyer Loose - Miss Fort Worth 3rd grade who has chosen literacy as her platform and will be partnering this year with us! We are so excited to work with Meyer and her sweet mom Loose to get books into the hands of economically disadvantaged readers in Fort Worth while ensuring all children have access to high quality reading therapy! Way to go Meyer for shining a light on the importance of reading.

Literacy United Summer Bookworms 📕🐛

FREE intensive reading support for children entering grades K–2 at Alice Contreras Elementary School
🗓 June 2–25
⏰ Monday–Thursday | 12:30 PM – 3:45 PM
✨ Program Features:
• Certified reading specialists leading each class
• 1-on-1 support from highly trained volunteers
• Lunch and snacks provided at no cost
This is a wonderful opportunity to help young readers build confidence and strengthen literacy skills over the summer!

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KF_oVbP46wnnpI8kmFIz1e4_Yu5P2UF5LucnJnTfH7Y/edit?usp=drivesdk