October 2024 Newsletter
OUR KIDS READ MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2024Letter from the Executive Director
Welcome to the October 2024 Our Kids Read newsletter! So much has happened since our last newsletter, let's dive right in! First, I'm thrilled to announce our 2nd Annual Donor Appreciation and Fundraising Gala in New York City at the Yale Club on Wednesday, October 30th, from 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM (for those that have RSVPed already ONLY!). We are excited to celebrate with over 100 of our closest supporters, community partners, family and friends. If you'd like to get a sense of WHAT'S NEXT FOR OKR, tune into the live stream here.
And we're growing! Special thanks to the Sitex Group, Mountain Development Corporation and MCB Real Estate for their donation of a combined over 15,000 square feet of storage space to house recent donations from Scholastic and Penguin Random house, over $1M in diverse book inventory donated. This will allow us to serve 10x as many students in 2025 as we did in 2024. What a blessing and a testament to the generosity of the individuals and corporations in our network.
I don't want to steal the newsletter's thunder, but here are a few more exciting developments: we're partnering with the Women in Need shelters in NYC to bring Reading Buddies to a small pilot group of their clients in January! Leading the way to support this effort is a recently onboarded group of KPMG volunteers, special thanks to KPMG NYC for your support and patience during the onboarding process (WIN volunteer orientation). Also planned for a January pilot, OKR will be partnering w/Nike, Intel and Adidas employees to support a pilot at the Portland Boys and Girls Club.
I extend my thanks as always to the ever-expanding OKR family. It's been an honor leading this enterprise over the past few years and I remain inspired and energized by our impact and even more excited about our potential.
More to come! Thanks for everyone's support. We never saw the organization
growing this quickly when we started it a mere 3 years ago.
Excited to
see what the future holds. See you at the gala on Wednesday (either in-person or
online)!
Peace and blessings.
Warmest Regards,
Jahmal Lake
Featured Stories
Our 2nd Annual Donor Appreciation and Fundraising Gala is 2 Days Away!
We're so excited about our upcoming celebration! On Wednesday, October 30th, Our Kids Read will celebrate with 100 of our closest friends, family, donors, supporters and education and corporate partners at the Yale Club in NYC (the event will also be live streamed so those who missed purchasing a ticket can still enjoy the affair). The goal of the event is to celebrate the organization's first three years and unveil the vision for the future.
OKR Gala Livestream Set to Go Live at 6:30 PM EST/3:30 PM PST Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Our Kids Read is trying something new with our gala this year: LIVE STREAMING! We will be coming to you live from the Yale Club in NYC, beginning at 6:30 PM EST (cocktail hour and guest interviews) with the main event beginning at 7:30 PM EST (7:30 PM EST - 8:00 PM EST will be heart of the program). Click here to register for the livestream and get alerted when it starts!
Capacity, Capacity, Capacity! The Sitex Group Donates 8,500 SQ. FT. of Book Storage Warehouse Space!
What an incredible gift! A special thanks to our friends at the Sitex Group for their donation of over 8,500 square feet of storage space in Saddlebrook, NJ. This space will allow Our Kids Read to accept donations of up to 2 million books! Conveniently located less than 25 feet from the warehouse entrance is a UPS that Our Kids Read will use to ship the books to our events across the country.
Our Kids Read Recipient of Little Free Libraries Grant as Part of Read in Color Fall 2024 Cohort
What an honor to be invited to be a part of the Little Free Library family! OKR was granted Read in Color grant valued at $17,500 ($7,500 worth of books and $1,000 each for 10 library kick-off celebrations). It is the perfect partnership as Read In Color libraries promote diverse books and authors.
Upcoming Events
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| October 30 2024 |
Our Kids Read 2nd Annual Donor Appreciation and Fundraising Gala | Partner and Sponsor: Petrucci Family Foundation, Ibis Group, Bass Berry
& Simms, NY State Charter School Association Location: Yale Club NY, New York City |
| November 14 2024 |
OKR Diverse Book Giveaway at the Clegg Boys & Girls Club | Location: Portland, OR Partner: Portland Boys and Girls Club |
| November 15 2024 |
Free Book Festival at Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary School | Partners: Princeton University Alumni from the Classes of 1984, 1990, 1998,
2000 and 2012 — Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary School Location: Portland, OR |
OKR Update in 60 Seconds
Partnerships
- OKR is creating a co-branded book giveaway program in partnership with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to support the 120,000 children served by the hospital every year
- OKR partnered with the Landon School to kick-off our fourth high school Reading Buddies program, where high school students mentor and read to the K-5th children we serve
- The Women in Need (WIN) Shelter is partnering with Our Kids Read to kick off a pilot of the Reading Buddies program in their Brooklyn Junius location
- The Portland Boys and Girls Club is partnering with Our Kids Read to kick-off a Reading Buddies pilot in January 2025
- Welcoming Druid Hill Academy in Charlotte, NC as Our Kids Read's newest Reading Buddies partner school
Infrastructure Development
- Our Kids Read onboarded a contract grant writer, Dan Berman (welcome Dan!)
- Our Kids Read welcomes new board member, Tom Clarkson to the team
- Our Kids Read welcomes the newly minted Board of Directors: Karen Ali, Kamil Ali-Jackson, Sharen Cole, Jahmal Lake, Marquis Parker, Myrleen Springer
- OKR selected O'Connor Davies as the accounting firm for the organization
- OKR hires Simms Showers Law firm out of Leesburg, VA
Grants and Awards
- OKR was recipient of a grant from the Baltimore Community Foundation
- OKR received a grant of tens of thousands of books from Scholastic
- OKR received in-kind gifts of warehouse space totaling over 15,000 square feet
- Special thanks to the Ibis Group, The NY Charter Schools Association, and others for their gala sponsorship
OKR Board of Directors Spotlight and Appreciation
Myrleen Springer
OKR Board of Directors, Treasurer
Myrleen Springer is a Senior Vice President and Head of Central Investor Services Support at U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, where she leads teams supporting US and Europe. With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Myrleen has held senior positions at HSBC Bank USA and Morgan Stanley. Before joining U.S. Bank, she served as an Executive Director at JPMorgan Global Fund Services, overseeing accounting and service delivery for US private equity, portfolio accounting, and hybrid funds. Myrleen graduated Magna Cum Laude from Baruch College and is both a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. A mother of three, she believes in the transformative power of books.
OKR Advisory Board Spotlight and Appreciation
Tom Clarkson
OKR Advisory Board Member, Senior Leader, Financial Services Industry
Tom is a Principal in the Investor Relations team with Coller Capital and is
based in Austin, Texas.
Prior to joining Coller in 2023, he held private
equity fundraising roles with Strattam Capital, Pantheon, and Morgan Stanley
Alternative Investment Partners. Before beginning his career in financial
services, he served as a carrier-based Marine F/A-18 pilot.
Tom has an AB
in Politics and Economics from Princeton University and an MBA in finance from
the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
OKR Team Member Spotlight
Eugene E. Wright, Jr. MD
Advisory Board, Our Kids Read
Dr. Eugene E. Wright, Jr. holds an appointment as Consulting Associate in the Department of Medicine of Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Wright has over 40 years of clinical experience as a private practitioner, academic clinician and educator, medical administrator, a rural physician in southeastern NC and a volunteer physician. Dr. Wright has published numerous articles on diabetes diagnosis, treatments and management and has given presentations at national and international meetings on new treatments and technology for diabetes.
Support Our Kids Read
Three (3) ways to support Our Kids Read:
Additional Featured Articles
OKR Advisory Board Member Antonia Brown Joins Donor Founder Circle with a Memorial Gift in Her Mother's Name
A warm thank you to Antonia Brown, an Our Kids Read Advisory Board member who made a generous $2,500 gift to OKR in the name of her mother, Olive Baker, who passed earlier this year.
Mega Book Giveaway with Scholastic, NYC District 9 Schools, NY Yankees, Verizon SOMOS Volunteers
Our Kids Read Partners with NYC District 9 School District, the NY Yankees and Scholastic to serve over 2,000 students at this year's back-to-school fair at Yankee Stadium. Over 6,000 books were distributed to over 2,000 students during this event!
Donation of Warehouse Space from Mountainside Development and from Sitex Group
The Sitex Group Donates 8,500 SQ. FT. of Book Storage Warehouse Space! Special thanks to our friends at the Sitex Group for their donation of over 8,500 square feet of storage space in Saddlebrook, NJ.
OKR Partners with WIN (Women in Need) Shelters Clients to Launch Reading Buddies Pilot
Our Kids Read has partnered with the Women in Need shelter in Brooklyn New York to launch a pilot of the reading buddies program! The initial pilot includes 15-25 participants and will run from January through March 2025.
Organizational Development
Dan Berman
Contract Grant Writer, Our Kids Read
Dan Berman serves as Grant Manager for Our Kids Read, beginning in June 2024, and is a passionate advocate for literacy and JEDIB (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging). Dan has worn many hats in Early Learning, including as a teacher, program manager and administrator.
Our Kids Read Needs Volunteers!
Our Kids Read is looking for volunteers, especially accountants. In addition to accounting help, we also need: graphic designers, project managers, programmers, social media gurus and general volunteers.
Reading Buddies Program
Our Kids Read Launches v.0.4 of the OKR Reading Portal
Our Kids Read launched v.0.4 of the OKR Reading Portal! New features include: the ability to schedule students and readers based on availability of both parties, a streamlined onboarding experience and a new "Training" section which will continue to grow in the coming months.
Partners and Donors
A special thanks to the following corporate and foundation partners and sponsors:
