Ile Adaramola, a prominent local Black lawyer and business owner of ​​Adaramola Law Firm in Asheville, NC, was elected as Read to Succeed’s Board President on Thursday, July 29, 2021, for a three-year term. Adaramola has been a longtime supporter of R2S and was initially recruited by R2S founder Isaac Coleman in 2015 to join the board. She additionally serves on the board of the Asheville City Schools Foundation.

“The maternal side of my ancestry established a powerful precedent of civil rights activism,” said Adaramola. “My great-grandfather paid poll taxes for Black Americans in his community to ensure their participation in voting. My grandmother organized a protest on her city’s mayor’s lawn during the 1950-1960 civil rights movement. It is a profound honor to be able to lead this organization and continue to develop partnerships within our community with leaders who seek to remove the barriers of equity in education.”

Jaimee Stanley joins R2S as a Co-Executive Director by way of Asheville City Schools (Claxton Elementary) after earning her Masters of Education in Educational Leadership from Florida Gulf Coast University and teaching first, second, and third grades. “I come from a long line of Black women educators; they taught me that reading was a gift and an opportunity to imagine a better future,” said Stanley. “I am excited to be the new Co-Executive Director at Read to Succeed, and I cannot wait to work with community partners to provide more literacy resources and support for children who have historically been pushed to the margins.”

Jess McLean transitioned from Interim Executive Director into the partnering role as Co-Executive Director with Stanley after a synergistic and collaborative summer working together putting on Summer Reading Carnivals for 250 families at the Edington Center and in the Hillcrest, Deaverview, and Woodridge Apartment Communities. McLean shares, “Jaimee has had an immediate impact on our organization, bringing her deep teaching expertise and her sparkling positive energy to everything she touches. We are excited to work together with a passionate visionary like Ile to support Black families with reading and move literacy forward in
Asheville.”

Read more about this exciting news in our press release here.

For thirty years, literacy rates among young children in the U.S. have remained largely unchanged. While science shows us 95% of all children can learn to read (no matter their race, socio-economic background, or location), we still see 34% of fourth-graders in our country reading below a basic level.

In Asheville, fewer than 25% of Black 3rd-8th graders read at grade-level - this statistic reflects one of the worst opportunity gaps between Black and white students in the entire U.S.

At Read to Succeed, we know improving literacy rates and closing the opportunity gap comes down to high-quality instruction and community and family-powered literacy programming. That's why we:

• Train volunteer tutors in foundational reading skills to tutor K-3 students in our local schools
  
• Support early childhood partners working with children 0-5 years
• Conduct literacy workshops and family reading events with community partners
• Distribute literacy resources, books, and family reading materials to education partners and children

Our goal is to raise $30,000 by August 31st to meet our financial expenses not covered by grants. Help us reach this goal!

Learning to read means being able to learn, apply for jobs, vote, volunteer, read prescriptions, explore the world, and so much more! When you invest in literacy, you help unlock potential and open the door to opportunity for young children.

To donate today visit r2sasheville.org/bright-future (online form or Paypal available), or send a check to Read to Succeed, P.O. Box 18652, Asheville, NC 28814.

It's easy to spread the word about Read to Succeed and encourage your friends, family, and neighbors to invest in literacy in our community.

1) Use this letter template and send via email - click here.

2) Post on social media - here are a few existing posts you can click and share:

• Facebook
  
• Twitter
• Instagram
  
• LinkedIn

3) Contact us if you are a business who would like to partner with R2S to move literacy forward in Asheville and Buncombe County - email jess.mclean@r2sasheville.org.