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ABOUT

 

“No skill is more crucial to the future of a child, or to a democratic and prosperous society, than literacy.”



The Open Book Foundation was created with a simple mission: "Bridge the literacy gap amongst low-income elementary schools". We accomplish this mission by purchasing and donating new books to Title I elementary schools and community organizations with a literacy emphasis.

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​A Dream turned into reality:
 

In 2011, our Founders Carvent Webb II, and Ryan Howell Sr. had a simple dream of doing something impactful for their community. Both having backgrounds centered around education they decided to focus on a specific area, and one they both felt was the most important "literacy".


The biggest challenge for most educators is resources. Carvent and Ryan saw this as an opportunity. Working together while Carvent lived and worked in Kuwait the two decided they would focus on providing literacy resources to teachers.

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As our founder stated "If providing free books to elementary teachers eliminated just one obstacle for our students, its worth it".

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It was with that mindset, and fortitude that TOBF was born. Since our launch we have donated over 100,000 new books to elementary schools across the country!

Why Literacy? Why Not Literacy!

 

Twenty-six percent of children who were read to three or four times in the last week by a family member recognized all letters of the alphabet. This is compared to 14 percent of children who were read to less frequently.

 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics children who were read to frequently are also more likely to:

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  • count to 20, or higher than those who were not (60% vs. 44%)

  • write their own names (54% vs. 40%)

  • read or pretend to read (77% vs. 57%)

  • The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency, according to the Educational Testing Service.

  • The Educational Testing Services reported that students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores; however, students read less for fun as they get older.

Our Staff

Founder/CEO

 

Rocky Mount, NC native Carvent Webb II believes two things are certain 1. Literacy proficiency is the fundamental key to a child's in and outside the classroom; and 2. Equity in education is paramount in the 21st Century classroom. As a former educator and graduate of Fayetteville State University, Carvent prides himself as being a leader in education advocacy.

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Jessica Randolph

Director, Digital Content Development

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Yameen Thomas

Sr. Vice President of Business Development

Latest News

A Grass roots response to education equality.



Carvent ‘Leon’ Webb II is the Founder/CEO of The Open Book Foundation based in Charlotte, North Carolina...
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Jan 19, 2017

Open Book Now, Open Doors Later.



Leon Webb, a former middle school history teacher, wanted to make an impact on improving literacy in low-income schools...
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Mar 3, 2016​

Urban Education aims should be Open Book



A former Charlotte-Mecklenburg teacher, Webb is founder of The Open Book Foundation...
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Jan 28, 2016​

Email our Founders

Carvent Webb: lwebb@tobf.org        Ryan Howell Sr.:rhowell@tobf.org

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