Grant Applicant: Empowered Readers Literacy Program

The feature below is brought to you by Empowered Readers, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about all of our giving initiatives, please click here. 

To learn more about Empowered Readers , please visit their website: here. 

Who We Are
We are the Empowered Readers Literacy Project, a non-profit dreamed up by a 5-year-old little girl who set out to tackle illiteracy by helping families build strong reading rituals and by getting kids excited about reading.  With this See Beautiful grant, we will fund Project 500.

We take a holistic, emergent approach to literacy.  We believe that literacy is more than a set of skills that enables a child or adult to memorize words and sound out phonics.  We believe that literacy is not something that is simply taught, and it does not start when a child begins school. Literacy is a complex process that starts at birth and requires family and community connection.

We are helping kids and families change the focus of reading by engaging them in imaginative adventures and tapping into their creativity. We believe that books with diverse and engaging content, shared in connection with real human interaction, will get kids excited about reading on their own and with their families.
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The Work We Do
"Every kid deserves to read." - Selah Nicole
We create hope and inspire dreams in the hearts of at-risk children (ages 0-9) and their families through the empowerment of reading and providing access to books.  We achieve this through our 4 core programs that impact families and children at key intersections that are at the heart of the DNA of a creating a good habit.

Adventure Time Readers Club After-school Program
Our free after-school program for K-3rd grade students at Title 1 schools within the Atlanta Public Schools District. We gamify reading for kids, engage them in readers’ theatre, and provide them with free books monthly to add to their Project 500 Library at home.

Project 500
Our initiative to give families access to the necessary tools to literacy by helping them build an in-home library of 500 books. Studies show that when kids have 500 books or more in their homes, their education is boosted 3.2 years on average.

Adventure Bag of Books -- Pediatrician Partnerships
Building strong reading rituals starts early. Our initiative to get books in the hands of new parents and young, non-school-aged children (ages 0-3). Children and Parents receive an Adventure Bag of Books at their Well Visit doctor’s appointments to add to their Project 500 Libraries at home.

Out of the Margins
Our initiative to eradicate library deserts and help move communities out of the margins of literacy. We identify library deserts and build and maintain Little Free Libraries, giving under served communities access to books.


The Beauty We Create
We are creating beautiful in children, beautiful in families and beautiful in communities.  The joy that children experience when books comes to life for them is beautiful. The unity that families share when they build reading rituals together is beautiful.  The empathy exhibited by a community of children and adults giving back to help their neighbors learn to love reading is beautiful.

If you are passionate about reading, family and community, contact us today to see how you can help us positively impact people's’ lives.

Contact: [email protected]

Written by Nicole E. Thompson, Executive Director of Empowered Readers

Edited by Rachel McLeroy for See Beautiful