ReadUP’s pandemic story, and where we are now…

Hello! We’re back! Our ReadUP clubs were, of course, hobbled by the pandemic, so our founder decided to start “Driveway ReadUP”, where families arrived at her home at an appointed hour each week, and she, be-masked and be-hand-sanitized, stood on her doorstep to hand out book bags and check children’s reading levels. This continued for a year, with more and more families joining, to the point that about 100 children had their reading monitored and supported on her doorstep during the first year of the pandemic.

Then, Sheilah and her husband decided to move to the country, so our dedicated ReadUP Teacher and Coordinator, Rebeka Ly, seamlessly took over the Driveway ReadUP program, handing out books to many families over the course of another year, assessing children’s reading (over-the-shoulder and on-the-fly,) and laying plans with Sheilah as to how we might resume at least some of our clubs when restrictions were lifted, and given that our founder no longer lived in town to run weekly clubs herself.

To date, thanks to Rebeka’s work and our team of wonderful teachers and volunteers, we are running 5 weekly ReadUP clubs. We’ll hold steady for now, with hopes of recruiting teachers and volunteers to open new clubs in future.

A heartfelt thank you to all the people who have supported us in the past, and those who are helping now. It’s a small miracle to witness a child successfully learning to read—and that’s what motivates us. We’re happy to be back.

Inaugural recipient: Joanne Murphy

ReadUP is pleased to report some wonderful news to celebrate National Volunteer Week. Our Board of Directors has created the David Booth Award for outstanding volunteerism in honour of David, our esteemed board member who passed away in 2018.

We are pleased to announce the first recipient of this award is
Joanne Murphy. Due to the COVID situation, we will have to wait for an
in-person presentation, but for now, we just wanted to share the
good news.



Joanne’s influence on ReadUP’s success has been tangible from the very start. She began as a participant, bringing her sons to the club when they were young, then quickly transitioned into becoming a volunteer, reading with children each week. She liked the club so well that she convinced her local school, Roden PS, that they needed a ReadUP club, and did the necessary footwork to facilitate getting this club off the ground. It has run for many years, serving hundreds of families, and Joanne has attended each week to support the ReadUP teacher and to handle the intake for the club. She also helps at our Duke of Connaught club.

But that’s not all. Joanne is a talented graphic design professional and over the years has worked, pro bono, to help ReadUP with so many of our needs, creating a logo for us, helping to set up a website, designing flyers, and frankly, doing more tasks than it’s possible to describe here. She has always been a champion of ReadUP, and we frankly would not have achieved the successes we’ve had without her. So, we sincerely thank Joanne for her service to our organization and congratulate her on this award. She has been an integral cog in the wheel that keeps us rolling along, and we are most grateful.

We would like to thank the friends and families of two ReadUP supporters who passed away this year.

First is our founder’s mom, Carol Wiggins, who died at 90 years old on August 24, and whose family asked for donations to ReadUP in lieu of flowers. Carol helped Sheilah often over the years, sticking labels on bags, sorting, and delighting in reading the children’s books she was helping to process. Friends and family donated generously to ReadUP in Carol’s name, and we are immensely appreciative.

Ranka Teofanovic was a volunteer at our Regent Park club. She had heard about ReadUP through a friend and started volunteering even though she was dealing with a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatments. Ranka passed away on December 12, and several of her friends decided to make donations in her name, knowing how much she enjoyed volunteering for ReadUP.

Our thanks go to everyone who donated in in honour of Carol and Ranka, two amazing women who, regardless of health issues, still made time
to help others.

Again? Yes, again. Riverdale Share Community Association has once more granted ReadUP a generous amount, which will be used for the purchase of books and materials for ReadUP’s French club at Duke of Connaught school. Thank you to all the wee elves at Riverdale Share who work tirelessly for the community. Your annual holiday show on Danforth is such a treat—incredible musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, children’s choirs, the whole shebang. The atmosphere every year at this concert is so warm and inviting, a balm against December grinchitude. Jim Cuddy playing piano and singing Joni Mitchell’s “River”? — bliss. Mayor Tory onstage in his leather-jacketed civvies? — right on. And so many families coming together to see a live show? — absolutely great. A thousand thanks, Riverdale Share. You rock.

We are so pleased that ReadUP is once more a grant recipient of this wonderful organization, headed by Gerry’s widow, Carol McPherson—it’s people like you who make the world a better place. You have been most generous in your donation, allowing us to expand and thrive and provide only the best books to our legions of young emerging readers. Thank you, Carol, and thanks also to your family members who help to administer the grants. Gerry’s legacy lives on and we truly appreciate the support. Please come and visit a ReadUP club someday when you’re in town—we’d be tickled pink to thank you in person!

It is National Volunteer Week, a fitting time to thank the scores of volunteers who give that most precious commodity—their time—to ReadUP.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life. Some are businesswomen and men who finish a long day of work and head over to a ReadUP club to help out, rain or shine. Others are teachers who spend a full day with students, yet still have the energy and commitment to read with children after school. Others are high school students earning their community service credits, some of whom were ReadUP participants when they were younger, others who are recent refugees and already giving back. Still others are university students, some in teacher training, who manage to find the time to volunteer with us between tough school assignments and exams.

And the list goes on. There are the retirees and homemakers who may live in the community or come from afar, loyally attending week after week; parents of participants who step up to the plate and help wherever they can to make the club run smoothly; administrators of the centres, who offer support and funds and volunteer-wrangling to ensure their ReadUP club thrives; Parent Councils, who hold fundraisers for ReadUP and do everything in their power to support our efforts; and children themselves, who regularly offer to volunteer. Just yesterday, a young girl came to the library at the end of the school day as we were setting up a club to say she had 15 minutes before she had to leave and asking if she could help with the set-up. Nice. And a Grade 6 boy staying at Red Door Shelter who participates in that club decided to become a volunteer for ReadUP at the local school he attends. And there are teams of elementary school children who arrive in the library at the end of the day, roll up their sleeves, and help. These kids, philanthropists by nature, are truly inspiring.

Nope, the list isn’t finished yet. Our friends at Joanne Murphy Design and R.E.A.L. Partners Ltd. have handled our design and website management for many years, offering their time and expertise, pro bono, to help ReadUP despite their prodigious workloads. Same with our Board of Directors, all with busy lives and demanding jobs, yet still making time to give back to their community.

In the coming months we will announce ReadUP’s first annual David Booth Award for Outstanding Volunteerism. It will be difficult to choose just one volunteer to honour as there are so many incredibly deserving people, but we would like to create a legacy for our dear board member, David, who passed away in December. He volunteered so much of his time to others that an award like this will be an apt tribute.

But for now, we send a huge THANK YOU to all our volunteers. You make the clubs what they are—a hub for the community, a gathering place where people support young readers and share the joy of reading. The children who attend ReadUP love coming to the clubs, and that is due to the warmth, familiarity and generosity of our wonderful volunteers. I hope you know that you are doing important work, and that it is valued and appreciated. Bravo!

We are pleased to announce the launch of our 10th ReadUP club! It will take place at Church Street Junior Public School, one of the most diverse schools in the city and home to the Native Learning Centre. The club begins April 8th and will take place in the library every Monday after school.

The school’s Principal, Mark Lasso, has been a friend of ReadUP for many years, having hosted the club at his former school, Roden, where he often made time at the end of the school day to come to the library and read with the kids. Thank you, Mark, for your support of ReadUP, and for the work you have done to bring the club to your new school. Thanks also to the dedicated group of teachers and volunteers who have committed to helping run the club. We look forward to a long and fruitful association with your school. It’s always exciting to help a new group of children advance their reading skills and develop a positive attitude toward reading.

Good news! ReadUP has received a generous grant from The Fyfe Foundation, a family-run organization that provides help to charities who support the well-being of children and families.

Our sincere thanks to the Fyfe family. You have made it possible for us to expand and improve our clubs. What a great way for ReadUP to begin 2019, with plans afoot and funds to boot! We wish your whole family all the best this year, knowing that you are supporting hundreds of children as they become fluent and avid readers.

With heavy hearts we say goodbye to our friend and esteemed ReadUP board member, David Booth, who died on December 22, 2018.

David was a force of nature but a gentle one, like a steady summer breeze. His multifarious accomplishments in the education realm are legendary. If you mention his name to any teacher, the response is usually “David Booth? I love David Booth!”

When I first went about assembling a board of directors for ReadUP, I remembered an inspiring speaker whose lecture I had attended during teacher training, and whose career I had followed. That was David. I wished I could have someone with his expertise and passion for literacy on ReadUP’s board. It was a lofty notion, but I recalled the warmth he exuded, which bucked up my courage to go and see him at his OISE office. I described what I was trying to accomplish with ReadUP, we mutually bonded by griping about the same unsolved literacy issues, and in the space of half an hour David was eagerly ‘on board’, so to speak. I walked out of there hardly able to believe my luck. But of course it wasn’t luck. It was David’s big heart, his humility, and his passion for helping every last child on the planet if only he could. It didn’t matter to him that we were a small, unknown organization. The fact that we were helping lots of kids was enough for him.

Our board meetings were always merry, thanks to David. He loved the shared goal of supporting kids as they learn to read, not to mention the food and company. His wry and sometimes wicked sense of humour kept us laughing, and his ideas were always pragmatic and creative. He was an inspiring guy, someone who grew older gracefully, with the warmest and humblest of hearts.

Our condolences to David’s family, and to his vast network of friends, colleagues and students. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by many, many people. That surely is a life well-lived.

Thank you for your service to ReadUP, David, and for your friendship, mentorship and motivating spirit. In your honour, ReadUP will continue to try and help as many kids as possible.


Sheilah Currie

Sheilah Currie is honoured to speak tonight at a donor and volunteer appreciation event hosted by Red Door Family Shelter at Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. Sheilah will speak on behalf of the legion of dedicated volunteers who give their time and energy to help with Red Door’s many wonderful programs and services. We are proud to have ReadUP clubs at both of their shelters and to contribute in our own small way, not only in boosting the children’s reading skills, but in seeing them bank some happy memories as they read with volunteers and enjoy a good story together.

ReadUP is once more the recipient of a generous grant from Riverdale Share Community Association. Thank you to all involved. We have grown so much due to your continued support, and hundreds of families in the community have benefitted. Thank you Riverdale Share and we look forward to your annual concert in December—it is always a joy.

A friend of ReadUP and IBM employee, Jennifer Macdonald, has made a generous donation to ReadUP, which IBM has matched. Thank you, Jennifer, and thank you IBM! The funds will be used to buy books for our programs, and we sincerely appreciate the support. Many children will benefit from your generosity.

Jennifer’s two children attended our club at Duke of Connaught when it first launched, and Jennifer has remained a loyal friend of the program ever since—even sending her son to deliver a lovely bunch of chapter books for us to use in our club at Duke. Thanks for remembering us, Jennifer, after all these years.

ReadUP’s founder, Sheilah Currie, was honoured to receive an Ontario Volunteer Service Award for her work with Red Door Family Shelter. Also receiving an award was Sheila Spencer, a longtime Red Door volunteer who helps with the ReadUP club at that centre as well. The two Sheila(h)s had a grand time at the event and were grateful to have been nominated by the wonderful staff at Red Door. Thank you. The work you do to support families at Red Door is so important and it is a pleasure to help in any small way to make the lives of these children better.

Sheila Spencer, Sheilah Currie & Vinyse Barber of Red Door

For the second time, ReadUP has been chosen as a grant recipient by the Gerry Egan Children’s Charity. After a long illness, Gerry passed away this winter. Our condolences to his wife, Carol McPherson, and to all of the Egan/McPherson family for their loss. Gerry’s dream of leaving a legacy to help children will be realized through ReadUP’s work in supporting children as they learn to read. From the many ReadUP participants and volunteers, we extend our sincere thanks to Gerry’s family for their generous donation. They are making a tangible difference in children’s lives, just as Gerry intended.

Congratulations to ReadUP participant Rediet Mulugeta! She is the winner of two sets of the nominated titles for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, to be donated to her school library. The contest was part of our Eastview club’s involvement with the TD Kids Book Club in collaboration with CBC Books. The children were challenged to draw a picture and/or write to say what they liked about reading. We received many wonderful entries.

Here are a few more:

Please hover to
view larger images

Great news! We will launch a new ReadUP club in the Regent Park neighbourhood. The club will take place weekly on Wednesdays in the
library of Nelson Mandela Park Public School starting in April 2016. Stay tuned! We’re looking forward to meeting the local families and reading
with the kids.

Our thanks to a team of wonderful people from the legal department of Cadillac Fairview, who came to Sheilah’s home to help sort books, then headed over to our Roden/Equinox club to read with the kids. This was an enormous help and proves the adage that many hands make light work. Special thanks to Shirley Dubois from Cadillac Fairview, who organized this philanthropic afternoon. To top it off, the team presented a cheque to ReadUP—a very generous donation that will help us to purchase books for a new club. Thanks Cadillac Fairview!

We were very lucky to have a team of Scotiabank employees volunteer at our Roden/Equinox ReadUP club on October 6. What a treat! This after-school club is busy, with lots of young children who are eager to show off their skills by reading to the volunteers. It was a delight to have the Scotiabank employees helping out with energy and enthusiasm—truly a special day for the kids and their parents. Thanks Scotiabank for your commitment to the community. We really appreciate it, and you are welcome to come back and read with the kids any time!

Great news! ReadUP’s Eastview club has been chosen to partner with CBC Books & the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award for Toronto’s TD Kids Book Club. The nominated book that we will read is:

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
Written by Christine Baldacchino and Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant.

The Eastview families will read the book, then attend an event at Eastview later this fall to meet the author.

Thanks for thinking of us, CBC Books!

For the second time, ReadUP will receive funding from Alterna Savings through its Community Grants Program. This program assists local organizations that provide support in the focus area of Learning and Education. Thank you to the Alterna Savings team for your ongoing and generous support! It is much appreciated. The funds will be used to buy books for a new ReadUP club. Many children will benefit as a result of your dedication to the community.

ReadUP has received several donations lately in celebration of summer weddings. Thank you! Your gifts will be used for the purchase of books and will go a long way toward helping children with their reading acquisition. We wish all of the newlyweds happiness in their lives together.

Our friends, Karen and Michael, have generously donated to ReadUP in celebration of their marriage. Our thanks and best wishes.

Wedding date: June 27, 2015

Our Director, Maureen Kenny, has donated funds in celebration of 3 weddings. Thanks for all you do, Maureen, and all the best to the newlyweds.

Danielle DuBois & Ryan Barber Wedding date: May 29, 2015

Gillian Paul & Dan Curtis Wedding date: June 5, 2015

Anna Holland & Patrick Arbour Wedding date: June 13, 2015

And finally, Teri Studholme has made a generous donation to celebrate the marriage of Joan & Mark. Thank you Teri. You rock.

Joan Ashdown & Mark Eberhardt Wedding date: July 18, 2015

Our thanks to Julie Kerekes who has made a generous donation to ReadUP in honour of a “dedicated educator and inspiring literacy tutor whose generosity has contributed greatly to my daughter’s love of books.” Thanks, Julie, for helping ReadUP reach out to other children.

ReadUP would like to send a heartfelt thank you to Gerry Egan, who has set up a children’s charity and has appointed his young relatives (Nick MacPherson, Carol MacPherson, Sean MacPherson & Kyla Egan) to choose the grant recipients. Our thanks to Gerry and his family. ReadUP is honoured to be one of the first organizations to benefit from Gerry’s new philanthropic venture. Please know that your generous donation will go a long way toward helping young children learn to read and to gain confidence in their skills. We wish you all the best, Gerry and family.


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