Ellavoz Impact Capital (EIC) announced today the launch of Ellavoz Children’s Literacy Foundation (ECLF), a 501(c)(3) not for profit located in New Jersey. The Foundation’s mission is to promote literacy in underserved communities by bringing together the connection of authors, books and young readers.
Robert Hutchins, the founder and CEO of Ellavoz Impact Capital and Chris Ferry, the company’s VP, conceived of the foundation when exploring impactful ways to give back to the communities that Ellavoz works within.
“We brought together a team of authors, illustrators and researchers to come up with the best foundation literacy practices for students. What we came up with was something very unique,” Ferry said.
Select schools in Newark NJ and Jacksonville FL will be invited to apply for a grant which will provide the winning schools with a full-day author visit. Prior to the visit, the chosen schools will be sent a complete set of that author’s books for the school library. In addition, every student will receive their own book to take home and keep.
The research conducted suggested that if children experience joy when they hear a story or read a book, they want to repeat the experience and read more books. And reading books is the foundation of literacy. Reading books builds vocabulary, imparts information, stimulates the imagination, and is the starting point for a well-informed, robust life.
Additionally, literacy skills help students read, write, speak and listen. These skills help them communicate, understand, and function in society.
Ellavoz Impact Capital President, Jeff Crum added, “We believe that being an “impact investor” means more than just deploying capital into good transactions. For us, it’s about finding ways of supporting all aspects of families’ lives, and reading is fundamental in establishing strong educational foundations for bright futures.”
ECLF recognizes that not every child enjoys reading or connects to books, but meeting the author whose books they have read prior within the school curriculum can change this. If a student can meet the author of a book they have read, or that has been read to them, the connection between the author, book, and reader becomes dynamic and this dynamism can spark an interest in reading and words and writing that can positively impact their future as a reader.
Ferry added, “That’s the secret sauce of the program. The key is to create awareness of the author and read their stories before they come for the day. It was one of the biggest differences authors talked to us about. The school buys into the program early and the kids benefit from it in a more meaningful way.”
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