Atlanta, September 25, 2023 – Community leaders, educators, business leaders including over 150 participants gather to celebrate the 2023 Preface 4th Anniversary Childhood Literacy Benefit Gala at the Capitol City Club.
Preface is a national 501(c)(3) philanthropic initiative that empowers communities to combat early childhood illiteracy and secure foundational educational opportunities for the children.
The annual Childhood Literacy Benefit Gala raised over $115,000 of funds and resources to benefit the literacy program.
Preface is currently operating in 14 states and continuously expanding its network to support childhood literacy across the nation.
“Our proudly Georgia-grown, no-cost, and high-impact relational mentorship models have fueled early childhood literacy gains in 14 states and growing across America, thanks to the power of student service and the passion of incredible educators and leaders like this year’s awardees, DePriest Waddy (the CEO of the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia) and Gwinnett County Public Schools educator Alicia Butler,” said JT Wu, Founder and Executive Director of the Preface Project.
Guest of honor for the evening included Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson who delivered her greetings message via video and the 2023 Pioneer Award Winner DePriest Waddy, CEO, Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia.
Alicia Butler, the 2023 Legacy Award Honoree, shared an advice “to treat children with respect.” She believes it will lead to their confidence building and self esteem development. Essentially, it will also teach them to respect others as well.
“I am also excited to announce the launch of the Preface Portal, which is a one-stop digital portal for Ambassadors and students of the program to be able to schedule sessions and interact with each other. Preface Ambassadors will be able to securely connect with their young students through our proprietary and secure web-based Preface Portal,” said JT Wu, Founder and Executive Director of the Preface Project,” adds Wu in his remark.
Preface’s relational model has helped elementary school students make gains in literacy skills nearly twice as fast as their peers, while high schoolers gain firsthand service experience and a newfound appreciation for careers in education.
Photos courtesy of Preface Project
