Author: Chelsea B. , CIO of Mallory K LLC
Every $10 is 1 Real Human.
Every Real Human is a Family of Kin.
I am proud to present the first MK Cares Initiative of 2023: The Pets, Friends and Kin Readathon!
For every book that is read, $10 is donated to our community-driven nonprofit fund. The goal is to raise a minimum of $10,000. Each dollar equates to 1 real human feeding autonomy and self-enlightening knowledge.
This initiative is rooted in social activism. The “social” aspect integrates social media, digital technology and group dynamics, focusing on friends and families in local neighborhoods and geocultural innovation at physical locations.
Our campaign corresponds with another Mallory K promotion: the upcoming 2023 Community Luncheon at Tunica National Golf and Tennis occurring December 7, 2023, hosted by our nonprofit partner, Family Biz Builder (FBB). (ClickHERE to learn more about FBB’s mission to improve low literacy and the December luncheon, RSVP and donate)
The Pets, Friends and Kin Readathon is a quarterly event, commencing November 2023, February 2024, May 2024 and August 2024, with recurring readathons in years beyond 2023/2024. Our motivation is to nurture natural intelligence, spark excitement for reading books and enrich the intelligence of multi-aged, multispecies synergies of our planet working in harmony with its environment.
Our intention is to build greater bonds among animals, children, teenagers, adults, the elderly, the sick and the strong, the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the failing and the fruitful, meeting in the center of others and self, in the middle.
Why is Mallory K LLC promoting MK Cares Initiatives?
As CIO, Chief Information Officer, my role is to understand logic, deconstruct silos, extract meaning and transform data into actionable strategies, uncovering the stories and narratives that are hidden in unstructured data.
To be able to transform data, it is fundamental to know how to read, interpret, translate and communicate. However, there are still locations in America today with children and adults who do not know how to read English.
Check out these statistics about the Memphis Metro in relation to the nation, Greater America:
According to the TN Commission on Children and Youth in the 2023 County Profiles of Child Well-Being in Tennessee, Shelby County ranked 92nd in the state for Economic Well-Being, 91st in Education and 74th in Family and Community. Overall, Shelby County ranked 93rd in all categories that were studied for a total of 95 counties. The county’s biggest challenge is the percentage of households experiencing a severe housing cost burden, an indicator measuring how many households spend 50% or more of their income on housing. This economic issue demonstrates the ongoing inequalities continuing to propagate in the region between the struggling, educated middle-class and the uncontrolled unemployed, law-breaking citizens.
According to the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 22% of fourth-grade students in Mississippi scored proficient or above in reading comprehension. This means that the majority of fourth-grade students in Mississippi are not reading to comprehend at the grade level. (Read our blog on the 4 Levels of Active Reading)
In the NAEP assessment, students were also asked about their confidence in doing a variety of reading-related tasks. 36% of fourth-grade and eighth-grade students in the nation reported that they definitely can explain the meaning of something they have read. This means that belief in one’s own ability affects actual performance and effectiveness of learning. The student may be able to increase their ability to read and comprehend information by simply believing that he or she can do it. The motivation comes from within, rather than enforced by a rigid authority.
According to the 2019 report on Adult Literacy in America distributed in the National Center for Education Statistics, 43 million U.S. adults possess low literacy skills. 26.5 million at level 1 and 8.4 million below level 1, while 8.2 million could not participate in the PIAAC’s background survey either because of a language barrier or a cognitive or physical inability to be interviewed.
The PIAAC survey further reveals that, “Adults classified as below level 1 may be considered functionally illiterate in English: i.e., unable to successfully determine the meaning of sentences, read relatively short texts to locate a single piece of information, or complete simple forms”.
A final extract from the PIAAC survey, “White and Hispanic adults make up the largest percentage of U.S. adults with low levels of English literacy, 35 percent and 34 percent respectively.” (PIAAC stands for Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, see more about the metrics in the references section of this article)
The data provided by the 2023 and 2019 reports indicate that financial health and low literacy are local, national and global issues, impacting individual households, educational institutions, national debt and overall quality of life. When a child develops into a college-graduate, young adult-business professional, the English language is fundamental to making decisions, excelling in their vocation and being able to communicate clear solutions in their respective industries.
What is next for American students, families and working-age adults?
The issues of literacy go beyond the English language and enter the domains of mathematical fluency, financial intelligence and data transformation.
To be able to read words is one gift that unlocks infinite other opportunities but to be able to read numbers, with words, and create stories WITH meaning, opens the door for true, NATURAL intelligence to flower within a developing mind.
Our students can improve their ability to comprehend and think logically, in frameworks of whole-systems, art-science-math perspectives, to find guidance using knowledge attained by him or herself, in a world filled with sadness, terror, and useless distractions. By recognizing and using the power of their voice, he or she can emerge as our future leaders, guiding America, in the present moment of their local community. Speaking words that resonate with peace, engaging in conversations that heal and restore.
When we read a book or scan an article that hits a nerve or strikes a chord, it’s important for us to share with others, extend the emotional charge, and discuss what the emotion reveals. Generally, the words describe events that are happening in the outer world, making connections within the story’s plot and characters, our inner world experiences and the external reality away from ourselves and the story.
The human imagination is a POWERFUL tool. The time is ripening for that tool to resonate with emotions at a higher octave.
What octave is the human imagination currently resonating with?
Participate in the Pets, Friends and Kin 24-hour Readathon. Let’s find out!
Here are 12 tips for how we can make this event a local, national and global success.
Tip 1: Make it easy! Read short books (poems, fiction, nonfiction, anything that keeps your attention).
Tip 2: Take frequent breaks (go outside, go cook, go to the store, go jogging)
Tip 3: Find a Reading Buddy (another human).
Tip 4: Find a Reading Buddy (your pet, if you have one or your neighbor’s pet, if they’re cool with it)
Tip 5: Check the theme of the Reading Sprint and coordinate your cooking ingredients or wear clothes that match the colors of the hour. (hours 1–6 are white, hours 6 to 12 are red, hours 12 to 18 are blue, hours 18 to 24 are yellow)
Tip 6: Set a goal to finish 3 books in 24 hours and set aside $30 from your paycheck into your savings so that you have already accounted for this donation to one of our participating nonprofits.
Tip 7: Share your pics on Instagram and tag, tag, tag!
Tip 8: Write your own short stories and tell them to your Reading Buddy.
Tip 9: Read a book in your native language and take a video of you expressing your fluency with your audience.
Tip 10: Read a digital article written by someone who lives in your hometown. Articles count as books!
Tip 11: Read an e-book to an elder at a nursing home in your region. They may even enjoy listening to you talk about your knowledge of gadgets and tech!
Tip 12: Read to your sibling. Big brother to little sister, Big sister to little brother, any combo works!
When does the Readathon start?
Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 12 AM CST (Central Standard Time)
ClickHERE to find out what time our event starts in your local neighborhood.
How can you and/or your nonprofit Get Involved?
Register HERE to be an individual Reader.
Register HERE to participate as a community of Readers.
Attend one of our Active Reading Workshops. Are you reading at Level 2?
Learn more about Kin at one of our FREE 13 Moon Calendar Basics Workshops. Have you met your Earth Family? Go beyond the colors of the Readathon Sprints!
Attend one of our Do-It-Yourself Storytelling with Data Workshops. Learn how to create effective visuals and impress an investor during your next presentation!
Refine Your Storytelling Skills!
References:
https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/reading/2019/
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019179/index.asp
https://www.tn.gov/tccy/data-and-research/county-profiles.html