Celebrating 5 Years of Shining a Light on Young Readers!
This year marks the fifth anniversary of Start Lighthouse! Over the past five years, we’ve partnered with eight Title I schools, placed more than 42, ooo multicultural books in the hands of young readers, delivered over 900 hours of literacy programming, hosted 78 in-person author events, and transformed three defunct libraries into flourishing hubs of learning and creativity.
It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come. What started as a virtual book drive in the midst of the pandemic has grown into a thriving literacy initiative, empowering young readers and creating future leaders in the Bronx community. Join us as we look back at the milestones that have shaped our journey over these past five years.
The Start of Our Story
Start Lighthouse launched in 2020 with a vision to build home libraries for students during the widespread school shutdown. In May, we held our first in-person event in the parking lot of P.S./M.S. 5, distributing 300 literacy kits to kids in the South Bronx and sparking a lasting partnership with Port Morris School.
That summer, we kicked off our Racial Justice Literacy Program, transforming kids into Little Woke Activists through a curriculum built around books on identity, community, and social justice. In addition, all throughout our first year, we held impactful workshops like Power of the Vote, Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline, and Social Emotional Learning Through a Racial Equity Lens.
Taking Students on Literary Adventures
Building off of this momentum, in 2021, we introduced our Literary Adventures program in Title I schools across the Bronx. These events gave students the chance to meet their favorite authors, illustrators, and poets, and take home a personal copy of their book. Over the years, our students have met more than 45 creators, including Susie Jaramillo, Alyssa Reynoso Morri, and Keith Henry Brown.
In the same month, we also started our in-person book-shopping initiative, giving 1,400 students the opportunity to select their own engaging, multicultural books to build their home libraries.
Here to Stay: Launching Our Literacy Hubs
In 2022, Start Lighthouse established permanent residency at P.S./M.S. 5, unveiling our first Literacy Hub. We transformed Port Morris’s underutilized library into a vibrant, safe space where students could participate in interactive artist workshops, book clubs, literacy lessons, and more. That December, we also secured federal funding through Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 14th Congressional District, enabling us to open our second thriving Literacy Hub at P.S. 214 in 2023.
And we didn’t stop there. In May 2023, Start Lighthouse took our mission to Brooklyn, bringing Literacy Adventures and book-shopping events to students in our neighboring borough. In addition, in September 2024, we launched our third Literacy Hub at P.S. 161/P.S. 17x, continuing to expand our impact and reach.
Celebrating a Collective Impact
“It has been truly beautiful to witness this light emerge from such a dark and uncertain time and to watch it spread throughout the Bronx community over the past five years. Start Lighthouse’s growth is a testament to our unwavering commitment to literacy and the incredible support we’ve received from our corporate partners, volunteers, educators, and many more. We are extremely grateful for everyone who has joined us on this journey, and we can’t wait to see what lies ahead,” said Rina Madhani, Executive Director of Start Lighthouse.
From Scholastic’s generous book donations to TD Bank’s meaningful visits to our Literacy Hubs, and countless other contributions, we cannot thank all of our past and present partners enough for their invaluable support. Whether through their time, talents, or financial resources, our partners have helped us illuminate a brighter path for our students—a path marked by literacy, equity, and opportunity.
Shining a Light on What’s Next
Start Lighthouse’s fifth year has already been an exciting one. We’re honored to have been selected as part of SparkYouth’s 10th Cohort of Grantees, a three year partnership providing Start Lighthouse with significant financial support, individualized coaching, and operational resources to help us deepen our reach and grow sustainably. Additionally, we are incredibly grateful to have received a generous grant from the Kathryn McQuade Foundation, recognizing our commitment to advance children’s literacy and center social justice in our curriculum.
We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but we still know there is still so much more to do. As we celebrate five incredible years, we remain committed to empowering young readers one book at a time. Join Start Lighthouse as we start this next chapter, making an even bigger impact on students and communities throughout New York City!
