LINC LETTER Fall 2021
“Repeat after me [kids]: I can do this! Nothing is going to stop me! I am greatness! It is in me!”— Shaniqua Lewis, Summer Housing Boy
LINC’s Inspiring Author Adventure Series This summer eight children’s book authors from around the world transported LINC families through our Summer Author Adventures series! Each author inspired us with their unique words of wisdom and reminded us why we read and they write. Thank you to each of our diverse guest authors—Susie Jaramillo, Mitali Perkins, Patty Rodriguez, Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, Brooks Olbrys, Fabian Ferguson, and Shaniqua Lewis for building confidence in our little readers and helping LINC achieve the promise of literacy. “Thank you LINC, you all are honestly true heroes! The resources that Literacy Inc. and the New York Public Library provide are vital to our childrens’ well-being. And parents, to see you prioritizing your children and their learning by taking the time out to sit and read with them is really special. YOU ALL are your children’s heroes - no one else!”—Patty Rodriguez, Author of Vámonos a Bogotá and Vámonos a Antigua Read more testimonials on our blog and share these courageous stories with the little readers in your life: www.lincnyc.org/blog.
LINC Mourns the Loss of Our Beloved Founder: Mimi Levin Lieber LINC staff are heartbroken as we mourn the loss of our beloved founder Mimi Levin Lieber, a lifelong education justice and children’s advocate. She started Literacy Inc. twenty five years ago to make literacy a right of all children. Mimi worked with us to fight for universal literacy until her last breath. Her passion and dedication to our mission inspires us to work with urgency. We honor her today by recommitting to end the New York City literacy crisis. Visit our memorial website and share your stories about Mimi: www.lincnyc.org.
LINC’s Growing Movement Another VIP Graduate Joins LINC Staff On Wednesday, September 8, LINC parents and staff came together to honor the newest class of Queens Very Involved Parents (VIPs). The morning was filled with families eating, laughing, and sharing stories about how LINC has impacted their lives. Each of the VIPs gave heartfelt speeches about the importance of early literacy in their families and shared their gratitude for the people who helped bring them into LINC. One name that came up again and again was VIP Reishmi Brijmohan.
Reishmi attended her first LINC program over eight years ago, completed her VIP training in 2016 and is now a literacy leader in her neighborhood of South Jamaica, Queens. Being involved with LINC helped her discover her passion of working with children. Through the encouragement of LINC staff and support from her child’s school this rising star landed a job at the Child Center of New York and became the PTA President at P.S. 160. This fall, Reishmi joined LINC staff as the Parent Engagement Coordinator of South Jamaica and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to the team.
Congratulations Team LINC on Completing the 2021 TD Five Boro Bike Tour On Sunday, August 29, 2021, the long awaited TD Five Boro Bike Tour took place despite postponement of the original August 22 date. Participants cycled 40 miles throughout the five boroughs of New York City to raise vital funds for LINC families in the name of education justice.
Thank you for pedaling with passion to further LINC’s mission: Marco Martinez, Perry Ziff, Leo Ziff, Yvan Kaprielian and our friends at Mind Body Results (MBR) Tyrell Taylor, Taurean Coppin, Carnel Patterson, Mackenzie Wells, Atiba Grant, Tea Rose Pankey, and James Lee Buckley.
Thank you to ViacomCBS and to all of our wonderful volunteer readers for their dedication to promoting equity in early literacy.
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LINC LETTER - FALL 2021
LINC’s Collective Impact NYC Reads Initiative Takes Off with Annual Outdoor Back to School Fairs This summer, NYC Reads held it’s annual back to school fairs with our partners in East New York, Brooklyn and South Jamaica, Queens. Families and staff were thrilled to reunite outdoors for a read aloud, yoga, arts, and a visit to the mobile library. Children in attendance received backpacks with much needed school supplies and registered for LINC’s fall online programs. Just in time for the first day of school, Gilberto Agosto, Jr., joined the team as the new Director of the Reads
Initiative. Born and raised in East Harlem, Gilberto comes to LINC with decades of experience as a practitioner, program director, and executive of large organizations, including Union Settlement and The Children’s Aid Society. An expert in youth development, youth education, and recreational programming, he is adept at creating meaningful partnerships across city agencies, schools, and human service organizations. Read more about Gilberto on LINC’s blog: www.lincnyc.org/blog. For more information about the NYC Reads Initiative, visit: www.nycreads.org.
City’s First Readers’ Offers Additional Resources for Grown Ups
Each month, the City’s First Readers partners share a blog post from our website to their social media channels. The blog posts range in topics, from book recommendations to parenting tips, home learning advice, and more, all focused on furthering CFR’s goal of increasing equity through early literacy. With each partner sharing the same post, these resources reach more families and encourage them to learn about the CFR partners. This month’s post, “Five Books for Kids to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month,” includes a list of vibrant books, some bilingual, that encourage families to celebrate their culture and learn about others. Keep your eye on www.citysfirstreaders.com each month for more of our latest grown up resources!
LINC LETTER - FALL 2021
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LINC’s Development LINC Celebrates 25 Years of Reading Together For 25 years, LINC has fought for a world where every child grows up reading. You can help us sustain our bold vision for early education justice with a gift. In honor of our 25th anniversary, consider a gift of $25 a month. Join our dedicated group of sustaining donors and make a long-term impact on our vital work! Scan the QR code here or donate online: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/literacy-inc. As we embark on LINC’s 25th Anniversary campaign, we are thrilled to welcome Katie Gardner-Boehm, our new Director of Development. Katie is a former educator and experienced fundraiser. Her years in the classroom fuel her dedication to respecting and empowering children, and fostering healthy families and strong communities by ensuring access to high quality educational programs and resources. Read more about Katie’s background on our blog: www.lincnyc.org/blog.
Literacy Inc. P.O. Box 822 Katonah, NY 10536
*temporary mailing address When a child reads, a community succeeds!
www.lincnyc.org • info@lincnyc.org 212-620-5462
ANNOUNCEMENTS LINC warmly welcomes Pat Mitchell to our Board of Directors! Pat has held various positions in the NYC Department of Education and in 2007 became the proud principal of PS 48Q in South Jamaica, Queens. After 30 years of service, Pat retired from the Department of Education. She is excited to continue supporting literacy engagement and increasing student literacy rates in New York City’s black and brown communities as a member of the LINC Board. LINC has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. This is the highest possible rating, indicating that LINC exceeds industry standards and setting us apart from our peers.