Vermont's Independent Voice
Browse News
Browse Arts + Culture
Browse Food + Drink
Browse Cannabis
Browse Music
Browse On Screen
Browse Events
Browse Classifieds
Browse Personals
Published February 27, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. | Updated April 4, 2022 at 8:09 p.m.
In 1997, management consultant Duncan McDougall left his corporate job in Boston for a farmhouse in New Hampshire, in search of more meaningful work. After months of researching how to meet the needs of low-income, at-risk and rural kids, the Tuck School of Business grad founded the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF), providing small-town public libraries in New Hampshire and Vermont with new children's books and literacy presentations. In the two decades since, the now-Waterbury-based nonprofit's reach and scope have grown enormously. In 2017, it served more than 36,000 children under age 12 and gave away $700,000 in new children's books. The organization celebrates its 20th anniversary on March 9 with a gathering of community partners and supporters at Norwich's Montshire Museum. The celebration will highlight CLiF's work over the years, ranging from the organization's flagship Year of the Book program — which awards 10 elementary schools each year with $25,000 worth of literacy programs, support and new children's books — to the Senior Reading Buddies program, started last year, which connects elementary school kids with local senior citizens. As part of its birthday celebration, the organization also is collecting stories about how literacy has helped shape people's lives. Share yours on social media using the hashtag #clifstories.
Learn more about the Children's Literacy Foundation at clifonline.org.
This article was originally published in Seven Days' monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
More By This Author
About The Author
Alison Novak
Bio:
Alison is the former managing editor at Kids VT, Seven Days' parenting publication and writes about education for Seven Days.
Alison is the former managing editor at Kids VT, Seven Days' parenting publication and writes about education for Seven Days.
Speaking of...
-
Senate Education Committee Advances Literacy Bill
Mar 15, 2024 -
Vermont’s Prison Education Programs Give Incarcerated People a Second Chance to Learn
Jan 10, 2024 -
Too Many Vermont Kids Struggle to Read. What Went Wrong — and Can Educators Reverse a Yearslong Slide in Literacy?
Oct 4, 2023 -
Turning the Page: The Children's Literacy Foundation Inspires Kids to Read, One Book at a Time
Aug 22, 2023 -
Waterbury Literacy Nonprofit Distributes 40,000 Kids' Books During Pandemic
Sep 30, 2020 - More »
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.
