Celebrating a Decade of Dedication

06.20.2023 News

Join us in celebrating Jennifer Ford and her 10-year anniversary of working with Raising a Reader. In her role as Vice President of Finance and Operations, Jennifer leads important teams behind the scenes, ensuring everything runs smoothly at Raising a Reader. One of the highlights of her role is that she connects with different people throughout her day, including RAR staff, vendors and partners.

Jennifer is proud of the many milestones achieved by Raising a Reader over the years. Among them, one stands out—the team’s dedication to always putting children and families at the center of everything they do.

Jennifer loves the outdoors and if she had one free hour a day, she would spend it hiking with my family, friends, or solo! One of her favorite books from the RAR library is “Mae Among the Stars “, written by Roda Ahmed and designed by Stasia Burrington.

We are grateful for Jennifer’s 10 years of dedication to not only Raising a Reader, but dedication to children and families across the country!

07.25.2026 Featured

Reading Together Can Change the Story for Boys

Recent headlines have renewed attention to a troubling trend. Boys continue to lag behind girls in reading achievement throughout their school years. From governors highlighting literacy gaps to national research examining long-term educational outcomes, the message is clear. If we want to improve literacy for all children, we must better meet the needs of boys. At Raising a Reader, we believe the path to reading success ...

07.07.2026 From the CEO

North Carolina is showing what is possible when statewide systems, local partnership, and families work together to strengthen early literacy

By Michelle Torgerson, President and CEO, Raising a Reader Through the Smart Start Network and Raising a Reader’s 33 North Carolina Affiliates, communities across the state are helping families build joyful shared reading routines. Together, they are strengthening caregiver-child relationships, expanding access to books, and laying the early literacy foundation every child needs to thrive. At a time when communities (and states) across the country are looking ...