Meet the Founder

After being hired as a reading interventionist at a Title 1 charter school in Kansas City, Missouri, I discovered over sixty percent of second graders reading at a preschool to first grade level. Heartbroken, I repeatedly watched students struggle to read simple words like 'and, the, and cat.' Some could barely write their names.

I knew something more had to be done.

With nothing but determination and an inner knowing, I knew illiteracy would be under their feet before the year's end.

Yet, I was a nomad.

My rolling office was packed with colorful and engaging picture books, literacy-related games (ones created by me or store-bought), markers, pencils, papers and whatever else I needed to provide them with fun and enriching lessons to help them become readers. We hunted for vacant locations in the school to hold our reading groups: under a stairwell, employee copy room, school board room, the school library, teacher workroom.

In my two years there, I helped nearly two hundred struggling readers transform into strong readers who loved to read.

God planted the idea for Books In Shining Armor in my heart. Birthed out of the pain of watching second graders severely struggle with reading. Unable to read small words like 'cat, 'the, 'and! Some were unable to write their name.

Over 60% of the second graders at that school read below grade level. This is not an anomaly. 8.7 million children in underserved areas read below grade level. Illiteracy and low literacy impacts self-confidence, quality of life, and income-earning potential, and more.

Books In Shining Armor's mission is to empower children in underserved communities across America to read at or above grade level by third.