Category: Featured
Reading Every Night
Category Archives: Featured
Happy World Read Aloud Day!
On February 3rd we celebrated World Read Aloud Day with Scholastic and LitWorld. It was AMAZING. Many purchased On My Way: Howie and the Light for WRAD. All proceeds will go towards funding our grants.
Also, it’s National Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week 📣
💫reinforcing positive messages and memories that last a lifetime through the art of storytelling💫
You can celebrate this week by discovering a new book or author. 📌Reading as a family is so much fun. I have fond memories of reading with my mom and dad as a child. Here’s to turning off the TV and reading more.
This month we celebrate National African American Read-in (an initiative established by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English which focuses on African American authors and books and has reached 6 million people). I am rereading and re-falling-in-love with Ann Petry’s The Street this week to kick off the Read-in. 📌
Check out this page for videos from World Read Aloud Day! Celebrating Literacy for ALL children 💫📚💫📚
Timing
For many, the mark of the new year is a time to set new goals and expectations, and if you subscribe to these new year resolutions and have met them thus far congratulations! Keep going! As the long month of January comes to a close we reflect back and measure how we started off the new year. As we start tomorrow, the beginning of a new month, new day, new chance to start anew, be encouraged to not let anyone make you smaller to fit into their tiny box of you. You are your walk, your smile, your journey–much bigger than that box. Get out and pursue you!
The Value of Your Donation
A close friend of mine asked me to give thought to communicating the value of your donation. Your feedback is very important to me as we build our network so I welcome your insight and suggestions like this one.
After having spent over a decade in the healthcare industry space, the disparities in care between racial groups is an important issue to me. Data shows that the use of fertility diagnostic testing and treatment varies by race. An analysis from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) data showed that among women who reported using medical services to conceive, similar percentages of Black (69%), Hispanic (70%) and White (75%) women received fertility advice. However, less than half (47%) of Black and Hispanic women who sought fertility advice to become pregnant reported receiving infertility testing, compared to 62% of White women. What’s more is even fewer women of color received treatment services. The cost and limited insurance coverage for infertility treatment perhaps makes infertility treatment inaccessible to many people of color who need treatment, but are unable to afford it.
I can recall at least one provider remarking to me that I was very informed and they didn’t have many patients like me. Like me? There are several avenues for fertility assistance like alternatives to IVF such as acupuncture or “fertility diets” but many services, even acupuncture, are out of reach for most people because of cost. The value of your donation is so much more than funding grants. Our Foundation endeavors to better understand the socioeconomic barriers and misconceptions that may discourage women “like me” from seeking fertility assistance.
For more on the data discussed above visit https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/coverage-and-use-of-fertility-services-in-the-u-s/
My Favorite Literary Device
Latoya Dawkins
Reverse chronology is one of my favorite literary techniques of storytelling. Did you know that On My Way: Howie the Little Boat Picture Book Series was launched in reverse order? Howie finally finds his way home after many adventures at sea with his friends and best friend Nicy. I’m so excited to see where Howie has been on his journey, the challenges he faced along the way, and how he overcame them before finding his way. Follow as Howie overcomes blue waters and finds sunny days.