In 2012 Sarah, Middle School Head at The Brunswick School in Greenwich, Connecticut, took a chance on Sweet Readers and engaged her 8th graders and five 8th grade advisors to help us build our second Connecticut community. 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 the Brunswick team and their students and families.
Sarah became part of the Sweet Readers family almost immediately, bringing in a smart, caring and fully committed team of eighth grade advisors and eager students 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 Sarah 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. Sarah has also spearheaded numerous Brunswick fundraisers for Sweet Readers, raising awareness throughout the Brunswick community and helping us to reach more isolated elderly in need.
Sarah 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, Sarah (and Sweet Readers Liaison Erin) 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!
Sarah’s sons Charlie and John have served as Sweet Readers and her daughter Lucy has been trained and is ready to go – possibly this spring?!
In 2016 when we questioned the timing for expanding to London, it was Sarah whose clear vision paved the way and her team who made it possible as Sarah and Erin 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!
Sarah’s unwavering support and dedication to the Sweet Readers mission coupled with her generosity, gracious humility and decency make Sarah an inspiring Sweet Readers Ambassador.
We are so blessed to be able to call Sarah a dear friend and invaluable member of the Sweet Readers family.
Thank you Sarah!
