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Project History
I imagined launching a program that would celebrate children's magazines as a vital literacy resource in 1994 and have, since then, worked to nurture and develop the initiative, including outreach and organizing pilot programs. Feedback from literacy agents - such as schools, reading programs, homeless and domestic abuse shelters, and foster care programs - has underscored a compelling need for matching magazine subscriptions to children and families who would otherwise not be able to afford them. Outreach to sponsors, including individuals, corporations, and children's and consumer magazine publishers, has shown that there is strong interest and generous support for taking the project to the next level so that more children and families can be reached.
In recent years, in order to gauge the interest and explore the logistics of the concept, I have collected funds from peers and businesses to purchase full-year magazine subscriptions for thousands of children. These pilot initiatives have spanned over five years and have resulted in many important lessons. My ability to move the program forward, conducting early-stage research and preparation, and then to execute the current program model was made possible by encouragement and support from Austin Kiplinger and his family and the staff at Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine, as well as the enthusiastic encouragement of other magazine publishing industry and education and literacy leaders. MagazineLiteracy.org is a means for expanding on that success by reaching thousands of sponsors and literacy agents via the Internet to meet the needs of as many children as possible.
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Feeding kids hungry to read
The idea for the Magazine Publishers Family Literacy Project came to me while organizing hunger relief efforts. My wife and I love to read magazines and to find our next issues waiting in our mailbox. When they were growing up, our children also loved to receive and read their own magazines. It occurred to me that families unable to afford food certainly could not afford magazine subscriptions for their children. How wonderful it would be to arrange subscriptions for children and families so they could experience the joy that we knew and strengthen their reading skills at the same time. Sending a child a magazine each month with their name on the label would give them something tangible that they could have as their very own, building their self-esteem. It is a vision that I cannot let go of. So I thank all those who have supported the project. I especially look forward to our bright future and to leveraging generous support and technology to feed and to fill children and families hungry to read with buckets of joy and oceans of knowledge.
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Giving one for another
I am a social entrepreneur. The Magazine Publishers Family Literacy Project benefits from lessons that I have learned during over twenty years of dedicated work and public service in the community, non-profit charity, business, banking, and technology sectors. It is built from personal knowledge and hands-on experience that spans computer software engieering, investment banking, telecommunications, public relations, community development, education, mentoring, and non-profit collaboration.
My first organized experience of giving back to the community left an indelible mark on me. At the age of twelve, for a school community service assignment, I teamed with a classmate to visit an elderly woman once a week. We sat and talked and helped with household chores. She fed us sandwiches of whipped dessert topping between slices of white bread. I always thought it was a funny story to tell folks until many years later when I realized that this women was likely sharing what little food she had with us. At sixteen, a friend and I scrubbed and painted an abandoned school building to create a teen center as an alternative to alcohol and drug abuse among our peers. At nineteen, each week during a summer between semesters at Cornell University, I walked and begged rides past twenty miles of corn fields and dairy farms from Ithaca to Candor, New York, to help high school students put a community newspaper to bed.
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The power of leverage
In 1986, I happened across a food pantry with empty shelves, and pondered the quickest way to fill them. Nearby was a supermarket. For two weekends, I stood in front of that supermarket and asked shoppers to buy something extra for the food pantry. Each weekend, I collected over 2,000 pounds of groceries. It was a compelling example of how one person can leverage their time and effort to make a huge difference in the lives of others. I have kept up those food drives ever since - at least once or twice a year, with help from family and friends and others. One day, at one store, we collected over 25 grocery carts overflowing with food! We have collected food for babies, snacks for school children, and meals for families ravaged by personal and natural disasters.
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Recognized for innovative technology
After earning a Volunteer of the Year Award from New Jersey's Governor in 1992, I set out to achieve a broader impact. When standing in front of supermarkets, many people would ask questions. Where can I bring food I have at home? How can I volunteer? When my family is hungry, where can I find food? To arrange for answers to these questions from local experts, I engineered a national telephone hotline that used advanced telecommunications routing to connect over 50,000 people directly to local organizations that could use or provide help. The project was recognized by the ComputerWorld / Smithsonian Award program and the Benton Foundation for leveraging innovative technology in public service, and is archived in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. To support that effort and other community organizations, I partnered with the local volunteer bureau director to create a model collaborative office facility for community non-profit organizations that was chronicled on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. The resource center received a Eureka! Award from the United Way. Organizing those efforts, I learned first hand, how very difficult it is to raise awareness, funds, and other resources necessary to support organizations dedicated to meeting basic human and community needs. Since then, I have wanted to find a way to leverage technology, and specifically the Internet, to connect people who want to help, to the organizations that serve people who need help.
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Harnessing the power of computers to solve problems
These experiences along with over twenty years of software programming and technology consulting served as the genesis of the MagazineLiteracy.org website. From my early years in school, I have thrived on learning about and using computers and technology to solve problems and improve the quality of living. In high school, I learned to bang out moon lander, satellite tracking, and tutoring software programs on a DEC PDP computer. Instead of a video monitor, program results clacked out on the paper roll of a teletype machine. Programs were stored on punched paper tape that had to be run through a reader in order to use them. At Cornell University, for a public policy treatise, I engineered an algorithm, that, given legislatures of varying sizes, modeled and tabulated every possible voting outcome. The objective was to compare the practice among certain counties of "weighted voting" against the basic democratic premise of "one person, one vote." While peers typed and retyped their job hunting resumes and coverletters, I mail-merged mine to a printer connected to the university's mainframe computer.
A few years later, after working as a Press Secretary and Legislative Aide for Education issues on Capitol Hill, and my own run for public office, I was designing and programming financial interfaces in COBOL, producing stacks of punched cards for processing via our corporate IBM mainframe. At the dawn of the personal computer age, I owned a tiny 12-ounce Timex Sinclair 1000 computer with a full 16K of RAM! Then the first "portable" computer, the Osborne, which weighed in at a luggable 23 pounds. Next, a first-generation IBM PS/2. Since then, I have adapted to leverage each new generation of computer technology, engaging in a career of strategic technology consulting and large-scale software implementation in the financial services, telecommunications, utility and public sectors, including for human services, case management, and child protection. I have experienced every architecture from big iron to client/server, to thin client to Internet web service.
Tapping this wealth of knowledge and experience, I have had a direct hand in the conception, design, development and delivery of the MagazineLiteracy.org website, which leverages the Internet and powerful computer languages and technologies.
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Walking the talk
In August of 1997, my wife and I sat down to breakfast at an outdoor cafe and pondered next steps. To raise awareness about hunger, I decided that in two weeks, I would leave from Washington, D.C. and walk to Boston - over 1 million steps - twenty miles a day, for 30 days, ending on World Food Day (past many corn fields no doubt). The fact that I had never walked more than 20 miles at one time in my life, let alone for 30 days in a row concerned, but did not deter me.
I left with 63 cents in my pocket and a small pack on my back.
There were many memorable moments along the way. Getting lost and then found late nights on dark roads. Meeting the mayor of New York City on the steps of City Hall and then walking the length of Manhattan with my brother. Windswept and gazing at the sparkling nighttime skyline of New York while crossing the George Washington Bridge, which was bouncing to the beat of rumbling 18-wheelers. Dropping by to visit mom and dad for dinner. Crossing Connecticut with my good friend Len Funk, who, except for one brief determined sprint on my part, was often well down the road in front of me. Receiving overnight deliveries of Great Harvest Bread from my good friend and baker Bill McKechnie (no wonder I was lagging behind Len and didn't lose any weight). Leaving 63 cents somewhere in New England for a tip on a free cup of coffee.
I spent many hours those days and nights contemplating the road ahead. In my life, I had encountered many forks in the road and was sure to reach others. Regardless of what path I chose and what attractions might be along the way, I knew the destination remained the same. My travels in this world would continue to be about joining with others to leverage our talent, skills, creativity and resources, to improve the opportunities for children and families to reach their full potential. MagazineLiteracy.org is one step in that journey. Thank you for walking along with me!
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Our team
John Mennell, Chairman & Founding Director
John's professional career spans Capitol Hill, Wall Street, Main Street, and the Information Superhighway. He is an entrepreneur recognized for innovation, leadership, and public service. His ideas have been lauded by the Benton Foundation and the prestigious ComputerWorld/Smithsonian Award program for leveraging technology to improve the effectiveness of human service delivery. In 1992, John received a Governor's Volunteer of the Year award for organizing large-scale domestic hunger relief efforts. Building on that, John engineered a national, toll-free telecommunications network that connected over 50,000 calls from hungry people to community food pantries. His project plan resides in the permanent research collection of the Smithsonian Institution and has served as a model for other national hunger relief hotlines. Along with the director of a community volunteer clearinghouse, John also co-founded an innovative shared office facility for human service collaboration that was spotlighted on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
John earned his Public Policy degree from Cornell University, where he was elected Chairman of the campus government and selected by his peers to be President of the Quill and Dagger Senior Honorary Society. Prior to that, John co-founded, with a high school friend, the Arnold's East Teen Center to serve as an alternative to alcohol and drug abuse for kids in his hometown. During a summer at Cornell, John helped teens in a nearby rural town launch their own community newspaper. After college, John worked as a press secretary and legislative aide for education and employment issues on Capitol Hill, and as a software engineer and information technology consultant in the financial services, telecommunications, and human service industries.
John's interest in founding the Magazine Publishers Family Literacy Project and the MagazineLiteracy.org web site stems from the lifelong joy he has known reading magazines and also his experiences as a youth mentor. Two compelling lessons have been especially inspiring. First, the awareness that a child cannot do well in any school or life subject unless they know how to read. A child who reaches the upper grades without knowing how to read is a child lost. The second lesson comes as feedback from teachers and other Literacy Agents who say that, without help from programs like this, they would not be able to provide wonderful magazines to children and families learning to read.
Some say, "when you give a person a fish, you feed them for a day, but, if you teach them to fish, you feed them for life." The essence of this leg of John's journey is to "give a person a fish so they can have the strength to learn to fish...to teach a person hungry to read so they may learn all about the fish, and the ocean below, the world around, and the limitless sky above."
Melissa Cocci Luckett, Esq., Secretary
Melissa is currently an attorney with a District of Columbia law firm. Melissa has previously lived in Columbus, Ohio where she gained extensive legal experience in the public and private sectors as sole corporate counsel for an Internet start-up, SubmitOrder, Inc., contracts counsel for a publicly traded software company and deputy counsel for the Governor of Ohio. As deputy counsel, she was involved in education and educational initiatives as an adjunct professor of legal courses at the college level and as the legal counsel for state-wide education reforms. It was her time in the Governor's office that left an indelible impression of the importance of education in the lives of children.
Melissa is an active member of the District of Columbia and Ohio Bar Associations and holds an escrowed license in Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio and Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Melissa appreciates the need to encourage children to read by making reading enjoyable and relevant. As a child she was identified as a slow reader and required to participate in remedial reading and special reading classes - neither of which were fun or encouraging. Nonetheless, she was very fortunate to attend great schools and have some fabulous teachers (thanks, Prof. Hickok, Mrs. Henry, Miss Moss, Mrs. Cedarstrom, Mme. Davis) who helped shape her interests, future career choices and goals.
Christopher Luckett, Treasurer
Chris is currently an executive recruiter specializing in the financial services and accounting industries. Prior to this he served as the Financial Officer for Stewart Title Group, LLC, which is an affiliate of the multi-national corporation Stewart Title Guaranty. There he was charged with the management of all funds received and distributed as well as compliance with local and federal laws for monetary transfers. In his free time, he is involved in private tutoring, in-class instruction and teacher training for post-graduate testing programs through Kaplan, Inc., which provides him an opportunity not only to help students but also hone his skills in the areas of math, reading, and logic.
Chris has also served as a Special Assistant to the Ohio State Treasurer. His duties included oversight of broker compliance and bond underwriter qualifications. He also assessed the financial impact of prospective and newly implemented Office initiatives. Chris began his career as a small business underwriter for Commerce National Bank in Columbus, Ohio where he gained invaluable experience in financial statement analysis. His background in the public and private sectors, including the banking industry provides a comprehensive base of financial knowledge.
Chris attended the University of Cincinnati where he studied Architecture and International Economics on his way to a Bachelor's Degree of Business Administration in Finance. He comes from a large family that made great sacrifices to reinforce the importance of excellent education. He is very excited to use his financial background and his enthusiasm for learning to ensure the fiscal strength and responsibility of the Magazine Publishers Family Literacy Project.
Carrie Snyder, Director
Carrie has had her hand in everything from social justice to developing a web site for Interior Designers. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the School of Justice at the American University. Her passion for social reform and justice has allowed her many opportunities to be involved in outreach programs, educational reform and aiding the homeless.
In addition, Carrie has had her own design firm for over ten years. During that time she developed two web sites -- the first a resource site for designers, the other a "how to" site for those interested in design. Her experience in both social reform and web site development allows her to share a unique insight in the Magazine Publishers Family Literacy Project.
Carrie has been involved in various elementary schools reading programs, and has a passion for reading and sharing that with children. Her favorite parenting moments have always revolved around reading. Her two boys, ages 17 and 16 still love to get magazines in the mail.
Susan Grubbs, Director
Susan Grubbs is currently the Program Director for the Cappies of Greater Cincinnati. The Cappies is a critics and awards program for high school students in the performing arts. She introduced this program to high schools throughout the Greater Cincinnati area to bring recognition and acclaim to the exceptional talent and efforts that are demonstrated by high school students everywhere, yet many times go unrecognized.
Susan graduated with a degree in Medical Technology from Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Ct. and completed her internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital. After working in the hospital laboratory for one year, Susan joined private industry and worked in a number of increasingly responsible positions. She began as a Technical Education Specialist, and moved into sales and marketing and in-house management for a major biomedical company in San Francisco.
Prior to moving to Cincinnati, Susan lived in Rome, Italy and Mexico City, Mexico. She has two children, 14 and 16. One of her earliest memories of the power of magazines was looking forward to her mom's McCalls to arrive. Cutting out the paper doll and outfits always turned into a great mother-daughter activity! In turn, her own children loved getting their first Highlights and Sesame Street magazines in the mail -and its excitement continues today with Seventeen and Nintendo Power!
Susan believes that magazine subscriptions can be one of the first self-esteem builders for children. To receive something in the mail with YOUR name on it is so exciting for children. It makes them a little bit more of an adult and makes them special at the same time. Susan is proud to serve on the board of the Magazine Literacy Project and looks forward to sharing that enthusiasm.
Mana Bhatt, Magazine Industry Outreach
Mana currently is an entrepreneur who runs her own online ecommerce retail business, www.AmaniCreations.com, a company that specializes in precious and semi-precious gemstone jewelry. She launched this company independently after she spent one year involved in the manufacturing, design, marketing, and importing/exporting strategies involved, as Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development, at a wholesale jewelry manufacturing company. Prior to Mana's pursuit in the jewelry industry, she worked for two years in New York at HSBC Bank, the second largest global bank in the world, as a Middle-Market Relationship Manager. As a result of her experiences, she has developed strong leadership, marketing, and entrepreneurial skills with the drive and focus to make a difference.
Mana graduated from New York University's Stern School of Business with a double-major in Finance and International Business. During her college years, Mana co-founded an all girl fusion a cappella group called NY Masti, which led her to pursue her musical passion after graduation on a more professional level. She released her first album, Expressions, independently, targeting the South Asian population in the U.S. and Canada and soon after, signed to a management company as an Indian vocalist in the Hip Hop industry. It was through her exposure to the music industry that Mana realized the importance and need of literacy. Some of the most brilliant artists and musicians were not able to read well enough to understand the legal and contractual matters involved in protecting their interests and launching their careers forward.
This experience led Mana to move forward and take initiative in promoting literacy. She has become actively involved with Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, a non-profit organization that records academic materials on tape for blind and dyslexic students, from the Kindergarten to the Post-graduate level, as an Economics reader and volunteer in the business development. She also has become an online math and English tutor, through www.tutor.com, to students from 4th grade through college. She met others with the same creative inspiration and passion to make a difference at the Magazine Publishers Family Literacy Project. As the first national, magazine industry-wide literacy campaign organization, Mana is proud and excited to be part of the momentum, energy, and drive to make a difference in children's lives and take another step towards improving literacy in America.
Shawn Lea, Blog Administrator
Shawn Lea, a self-proclaimed magazine addict, is a communications professional in Jackson, Miss. (It all started innocently enough, with a childhood subscription to Highlights magazine.)
Shawn has written for magazines, designed for magazines and designed ads to run in magazines.
Shawn holds an M.A. in English from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
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