In a December 24 newsletter the Literate Earth Project (LEP) announced their new CEO, Mr. Trevor Anderson.
LEP’s founder Jeff Fonda announced that he will be stepping down to focus on new projects such as the Athari Group and their accelerator program where he hopes to share some of the lessons learned when founding LEP to new non-profit founders who are just getting their projects off the ground.
Mr. Anderson shared the following introduction in LEP’s newsletter:
Growing up in Middletown, CT is an experience I often find myself looking back and reflecting on. It’s difficult, when you’re in the midst of that type of environment, to fully grasp your circumstances and understand the uphill battles you’ll have to fight to overcome. When I turn the pages back to that time, I see that I was one of the lucky ones.
Reading took my mind away from the noise. It took me away from the daily violence that was taking place all around me. It also took my imagination and drastically expanded it, helping me to create my own stories, and visualize a future for myself that would have otherwise been unthinkable. When I was in 1st grade I was reading at a 5th grade level. I was able to apply my imaginative mind to challenging problems and it helped me flourish in school and has continued to help me succeed in my professional life.
Books were my Excalibur. Books helped to give me a chance in a world where there weren’t many to go around. This is what LEP is bringing to the lives of those who come to our libraries: a chance. A chance to give themselves the tools they need to see life with an expanded perspective. A chance to set themselves apart and succeed in both their present and future lives. A chance to escape their current situation and fully imagine a life for themselves filled with adventure, challenge and success. A chance to write their own story, and impact not only their lives, but the world itself.
LEP provides the hand so many children have been desperately reaching for. I’ve personally seen the eyes of children light up in a way I will never forget, when they opened a book for the first time and saw a picture of snow-covered mountain or people who look like them, walking in a city filled with buildings that seemed to touch the sky. Hope, possibilities, and a chance. It’s been my life’s honor so far, through LEP, to give this mighty gift to so many, knowing there are still many stories waiting to be opened for the first time.
I thank Jeff and our fantastic board of directors for entrusting me to lead this organization and I hope many of you will continue to be part of our impact, whether through volunteering or donating.
Thank you,
Trevor
Business for Better Society wishes Jeff the very best as he focuses on the Athari Group and a huge congratulations to Trevor Anderson as he begins this new chapter at LEP.
