Passing the Baton to Trevor, Our Next CEO

Dear LEP family,

This journey started for me as a Soccer Without Borders volunteer in Uganda in 2009 but after more than ten years leading The Literate Earth Project (LEP), I am excited to announce that Trevor Anderson, my good friend, our current COO and a founding board member, will be taking over as CEO on January 1st. LEP has been a huge part of my life since that first trip but fresh leadership is always a positive thing after this amount of time. Trevor will oversee LEP’s expansion into Kenya and Ethiopia in 2023 and beyond, as well as the opening of many new libraries in Uganda.

This change will allow me to focus on other projects, including Athari Group, where I can impart some of the lessons I’ve learned in founding LEP to others who are getting their projects off the ground.

I’ve asked Trevor to write a letter to our community explaining why LEP is something he values. Please see his message below. I hope you will continue to support our work in the years to come, as there are very few nonprofits who have created a model with such high impact and so few administrative costs.

Thank you,
Jeff

From Trevor Anderson, incoming CEO:

Growing up in Middletown, CT is an experience I often find myself looking back and reflecting on. It’s difficult, when you’re in the midst of that type of environment, to fully grasp your circumstances and understand the uphill battles you’ll have to fight to overcome. When I turn the pages back to that time, I see that I was one of the lucky ones.

I’ve had people, circumstances, and sheer luck on my side for a while, but there was also something else, that not only helped me escape my then reality, but also helped to set me apart from my peers. That thing was access to books, and a deep love of reading from a young age.

Reading took my mind away from the noise. It took me away from the daily violence that was taking place all around me. It also took my imagination and drastically expanded it, helping me to create my own stories, and visualize a future for myself that would have otherwise been unthinkable. When I was in 1st grade I was reading at a 5th grade level. I was able to apply my imaginative mind to challenging problems and it helped me flourish in school and has continued to help me succeed in my professional life.

Books were my Excalibur. Books helped to give me a chance in a world where there weren’t many to go around. This is what LEP is bringing to the lives of those who come to our libraries: a chance. A chance to give themselves the tools they need to see life with an expanded perspective. A chance to set themselves apart and succeed in both their present and future lives. A chance to escape their current situation and fully imagine a life for themselves filled with adventure, challenge and success. A chance to write their own story, and impact not only their lives, but the world itself.

LEP provides the hand so many children have been desperately reaching for. I’ve personally seen the eyes of children light up in a way I will never forget, when they opened a book for the first time and saw a picture of snow-covered mountains or people who look like them, walking in a city filled with buildings that seemed to touch the sky. Hope, possibilities, and a chance. It’s been my life’s honor so far, through LEP, to give this mighty gift to so many, knowing there are still many stories waiting to be opened for the first time.

I thank Jeff and our fantastic board of directors for entrusting me to lead this organization and I hope many of you will continue to be part of our impact, whether through volunteering or donating.

Thank you,
Trevor

Info

Action