Joy Road
Learning to Read is Life Changing
by Pam Good
March 2018 was one of our most successful months ever at Beyond Basics. As we journeyed together over the last 16 years, y
our efforts made this possible. T
hank you for helping us drive the conversation locally and nationally about the importance of reading as part of our National Reading Month efforts.
We started the month with a Literacy Summit at Mumford High School on March 1 that included students, teachers, community activists, foundations, the Detroit Public Schools Community District Board and local journalists. Here is a highlight reel from the summit discussion.
However, as compelling as the community and media panelists were - the heart-tugging moment for me was when Elijah Craft came to the stage unprompted to give a testimonial about how reading changed his life and watched him captivate the 70 or so high school students in the audience. The students were good listeners throughout the program, but it was Elijah and the movie about him that enthralled them. The cherry on top was to have Detroit Public Schools Community District school board member Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill urge all the students present to be brave and to take advantage of Beyond Basics services right in the building at the school.
On March 16 we came together at the Detroit Athletic Club to raise money and awareness about Beyond Basics and its programs. While I am always moved by the support you give us, the heart-tugging moment for me at that event was to hear the emotional testimonial of Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti who told the group how learning to read proficiently AFTER he graduated from high school changed his life. As he pointed out, while 93 percent of Detroit students cannot read at grade level, it does not mean they do not have the potential to read and succeed. Given the right opportunity and tools we can show how life-changing reading can be for thousands of students in the city. It was an honor to recognize Dr. Vitti (he went on to get a PhD) and his wife Rachel for outstanding advocacy on behalf of children's literacy.
Finally, we had two graduations last week of newly minted Beyond Basic readers, one in Detroit and one in Taylor. These students are the reason we exist. They are the reason for us to continue our work because they know and we know that learning to read changes lives.
We are only three months into 2018, but it is already shaping up to be our most successful and impactful year ever. Thank you for making it so.
Joy Road is the journey I began that has led to Beyond Basics. It all started when I took Exit 9 to Joy Road years ago to help out at a school in Detroit.
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Beyond Basics Recognizes
Advocates for Literacy
Dr. Nikolai Vitti and Rachel Vitti Receive Literacy Chair Award
Beyond Basi
cs recognized Dr. Nikolai Vitti and his wife Rachel with the Literacy Chair Award at the Spring Gala. He took this opportunity to recognize our organization.
"I want to deeply thank Pam n
ot only for this recognition, but really more importantly for being an oasis in the city of Detroit for literacy. Not only is she an oasis because of her energy, her passion, her advocacy, her ability to bring people together, but an oasis because what we see in Detroit, like we see in so many large urban school districts around the country, are people that randomly throw solutions to the problems of illiteracy," said Dr. Vitti. "...What makes Beyond Basics unique is it is truly research based, it gets at the heart of the problems with illiteracy and it attacks it in a coherent, strategic, comprehensive way."
UHY, LLP recognized as Partner of the Year
Tom and Pam Callan graciously accepted the award on behalf of UHY, LLP. We appreciate their many years of dedication to our organization, and the children we serve by participating as partners through donation drives and as volunteers mentoring students within our programs.
Mary Dunn recognized as Volunteer of the Year
Mary Dunn was recognized as our Volunteer of the Year. Her many years of service to the organization as both a tutor and a volunteer are greatly appreciated. Mary truly puts her students first, and has had a great impact on both our students and our staff.
View
more photos
from the gala at the Detroit Athletic Club.
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Thank you to our Event Sponsors!
Our supporters raised $200,000 to help transform the lives of our students. We appreciate your support and dedication to those we serve.
Thank you to our staff for their dedication each day to this mission, and their contributions to ensuring everyone had a memorable time coming together for vulnerbale children in the community.
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Curtis "Wall Street" Carroll overcame poverty, illiteracy, and incarceration.
Curtis "Wall Street" Carroll overcame poverty, illiteracy, incarceration and a lack of outside support to become a stock investor, creator and teacher of his own financial literacy philosophy. While in prison, the stock market captured his attention, but due to his illiteracy he couldn't learn more about it. Motivated by the lure of financial gain, he taught himself how to read at 20-21 years old, and then he started studying the stock market.
Listen to his powerful TedX talk here:
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Congrats to Our March Graduates!
Congratulations to all of the students who graduated from Beyond Basics last week! We are so proud of our new graduates. Here is what the community and school district had to say about Beyond Basics --
Dave Peabody, SVP, Managing
Director /HRS-McKinley, Inc.
"...A great program & a great outcome."
Ben Williams, Superintendent of
The Taylor School District
Thank You to Mumford Academy Parents for
Celebrating our Graduates!
Mumford Academy
parents attended our recent reading graduation for our students. Check out our
graduation photos
. Thank you for your support!
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