In 2012 Erin, eighth grade advisor at The Brunswick School in Greenwich, Connecticut, reached out to Sweet Readers having heard about our program at The Eagle Hill School and said “We have boys for you!”. At the time (we were barely a year old), little did we realize the depth and breadth of commitment and meaningful engagement we would receive from Erin and her team and their families.
Erin became part of the Sweet Readers family almost immediately, bringing in a smart, caring and fully committed team of eighth grade advisors for extensive training. Those advisors have become our most seasoned and fearless facilitators bringing their boys to Rye, Briarcliff Manor, Stamford, Tarrytown and back home to Greenwich to impact so many lives for the better, including each of their own.
In 2014 Erin managed to get 57 8th graders on a bus and into the city for our Memory Olympics at the Chapin School and those boys presented a fantastic brain game station complete with 3D models they had created. Erin has also spearheaded numerous Brunswick fundraisers for Sweet Readers, raising awareness throughout the Brunswick community and helping us to reach more isolated older adults in need.
Erin also serves as an advisor to Sweet Readers and to our Young Leaders. When we started the Leadership Council in 2015 and wondered how we were going to train high school students to communicate with middle school administrators and convince them to build new Sweet Readers communities, Erin (with middle school head and follow Sweet Readers advisor Sarah) braved a ridiculously rough winter storm, came into the city and marched up to The Met in crazy cold wind gusts to train our Young Leaders, fully equipped with a well prepared Powerpoint presentation. They delivered what our Young Leaders voted as the most effective interactive presentation of the entire training!
Not only have both of Erin’s sons been trained as Sweet Readers, Erin’s son Luke participated as an Eagle Hill Sweet Reader for three years straight!
In 2016 Erin, Sarah and Brunswick students (Sweet Readers Alumni) Ryan and Hayden joined the Sweet Readers team to create a delegation of Goodwill Ambassadors to launch the first international Sweet Readers Program. That program became self-sustaining within a year, paving the way for future international expansion and proving our training and pilot model to be successful overseas and in different cultures!
We are so blessed to be able to call Erin a dear friend and invaluable part of the Sweet Readers family. Her dedication, gracious humility and generosity make Erin an inspiring Sweet Readers Ambassador.
Thank you Erin!
