History
In today’s world, friendships can sometimes feel defined by numbers or surface-level connections. But true friendship is found in the people who show up, time and again, in meaningful ways. This is the story of my friend Barb, how our friendship shaped Teach My Kid to Read, and what her support has meant to me.
Barb and I are both from New Jersey, and we met as kids in Pennsylvania, where our families had homes across the lake. We reconnected as freshmen in college, when we moved into the same dorm. From the start, we were different: Barb was edgy and fashionable, drawn to punk rock; I was less edgy, into sports, and not very stylish. However, we always had core commonalities. We were both reliable and hard workers, and determined to be independent and successful.
We had many adventures in those formative years. One snowy Thanksgiving ride back to campus ended in a breakdown, a smoke-filled house full of cats, and no way to call for help (this was long before cell phones). I think Barb was even allergic to the cats, but that memory, less the acrid smell of smoke and a chorus of meowing, is somewhat of a haze.
After college, I landed a publishing job in Boston. Not long after, Barb moved there too, working in an antique shop. I still remember her first night in the city as her car got towed as we unloaded it outside my apartment! Boston was a whirlwind. I remember so many fun times all around Boston and Cambridge, and even a Billy Bragg concert. I’m not sure when, but eventually life carried us in different directions: me to Albany, her to California, and later back to New Jersey.
We were never good correspondents, but we never lost touch. With Barb, it never mattered how much time had passed; the connection was always there.
The Literacy Turning Point
The summer of 2017 was a breaking point. My daughter, Isabella, was eleven and still couldn’t read. Despite years of interventions and endless tutoring, the school told me she had “leveled off.” It felt like the ground dropped out beneath me. As an educational publisher, I trusted the system. But something was terribly wrong, and I was beginning to realize I was far from alone.
In desperation, I drove to the Kildonan School in Amenia, NY and said to the Director, “Can you teach my kid to read?” That summer, Isabella attended Camp Dunnabeck, and after six weeks of Orton-Gillingham instruction, she went up three grade levels in decoding. While Isabella has long since moved on, that summer changed me forever. I was outraged at the time, resources, and effort it took to learn to read, and the inequities of what should be a right for all children.
When Isabella was at Camp Dunnabeck, Barb came to stay with me. Since I had rented a home in a very rural area to be close to camp, it was a surreal experience. There we were in an isolated house in Western Massachusetts, trying to figure out how to get the word out about the literacy challenges in America. With her own siblings’ struggles in reading, Barb connected deeply to my experience. She even encouraged me to write a book about it. Instead of a book, I launched a blog. Barb even designed it. We named it Teach My Kid to Read.
What began as a blog quickly became a mission. I realized I didn’t want to return to educational publishing. The enormity of the literacy challenge required all hands on deck. I wanted to help families and communities navigate what I had struggled to understand. What I didn’t know then was how complicated the literacy space really was.
Growing a Nonprofit
Fast forward six years, and Teach My Kid to Read has grown into a nonprofit that partners with libraries across the country to bridge the literacy gap. We’ve reached more than 2,000 libraries, giving thousands of children access to decodable books and families access to resources they never had before. From Dallas, Texas, to Cortland, New York, libraries have established Literacy Hubs—community anchors that provide comprehensive literacy resources and support to entire districts.
Through this work, we:
- Provide professional development and training in the Science of Reading
- Support libraries in building community literacy hubs
- Run a 24/7 online community, Literacy @Your Library
- Partner with over 40 nonprofit and publishing organizations
What began as a small idea is now a movement, with impact felt nationally and internationally. And yet, despite the reach, we have never had “seed money.” Donations remain minimal, grants typically come only when we are invited as partners, and this past year tested our resilience more than ever.
Friendship in Action
During that tough time, I caught up with Barb. She was grieving a sudden family loss, and I hesitated to burden her with my own struggles. Still, she asked, and I shared just a little.
Without hesitation, Barb immediately offered to make a generous donation. I told her not to, given everything she was going through. But she insisted. The money was wired the next day.
Her gift pulled us out of debt. It also allowed us to donate to a school district with our publishing partners, providing decodable books, professional development, and a future framework for a school-and-library literacy hub.
It wasn’t just money. It was breathing room. It was friendship in its truest form.
What Friendship Really Means
What I want to emphasize is that Barb would still be the same friend to me even if she had never donated. True friendship is about understanding and caring, often without words. In a world where connections can feel fleeting, Barb reminds me what enduring friendship looks like.
And in doing so, she reminded me of something powerful about giving. Every donor, whether a longtime friend or someone I may never meet in person, is part of this same story. Their generosity isn’t only about dollars. It’s about creating breathing room, sparking change, and opening doors to literacy that might otherwise remain closed.
Barb’s friendship taught me that generosity is, at its heart, an act of care. And when care is multiplied, whether through a single donation, a shared resource, or even a supportive word, it becomes the foundation for change.
That’s what friendship looks like. That’s what giving looks like. And it’s why I believe that, together, we can rewrite the story of literacy for every child.
Learn more about Teach My Kid to Read’s mission to bridge the literacy gap with libraries and communities www.teachmykidtoread.org or support our work directly by donating today www.teachmykidtoread.org/support