Read Ahead

Our 2025-26 program concluded on a high note with our in-person sessions. During the last two weeks, we welcomed our mentors to our partner schools to celebrate the progress their mentees have made throughout the school year. The days were filled with book giveaways, games, and, above all, joy! We are already looking forward to welcoming the students back next year when our program resumes. If you are interested in mentoring for the 2026-27 school year, please reach out to our team at [email protected].

Earlier this month, Paul Hastings graciously hosted us alongside their clients at their New York office for an event dedicated to connection and community impact. ⁠
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During the evening, we assembled literacy kits that were later distributed at one of our partner schools in Manhattan during our in-person sessions last week. We are grateful for Paul Hastings' ongoing support in uplifting our program and the NYC students.

Read Ahead's Authorship Award is presented annually during our gala to inspiring individuals who are writing a better story for New York City children, families, schools, and communities.⁠
Yesterday, Paul Hastings presented P.S. 111's Clara Harvey, Assistant Principal, and Gloria Jean-Bernal, Parent Coordinator, with their Authorship Awards.⁠
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Team Paul Hastings is represented by more than 30 mentors this year, the vast majority of whom are returning for another year of service. We are really grateful to Paul Hastings to have serve as the inaugural Student First Sponsor for our Books & Beyond Gala.⁠
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Yesterday, we honored AEA Investors and the 21 years of partnership between our organizations at our 2026 Books & Beyond Gala. We're grateful for their ongoing support and the 300 mentors who have positively impacted the lives of our students since 2005.

Discover more about how AEA has uplifted Read Ahead's work through our honoree video below ⬇️

AEA Honoree Video - Read Ahead Books & Beyond Gala 2026 AEA Investors and Read Ahead first joined forces over a shared belief in the power of reading-based mentorship for NYC elementary school students. Throughout the partnership, which began in 2005, nearly 300 mentor/mentee pairs have spent an hour per week reading, talking, and building integral liter...

Last night’s Books & Beyond Gala was nothing short of extraordinary. ✨⁠
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Because of this incredible community—our board, sponsors, corporate partners, mentors, and friends—we came together to celebrate the power of reading and raise critical support for NYC students on their journey to becoming confident, joyful readers.⁠
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We were proud to honor AEA Investors for over 20 years of steadfast partnership and volunteerism, and to celebrate Assistant Principal Clara Harvey and Parent Coordinator Gloria Jean-Bernal of P.S. 111 for their unwavering commitment to building a thriving Read Ahead community.⁠
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To everyone who showed up, gave generously, and believes in the potential of every child: thank you. Your support ensures that our students don’t just read—they grow, explore, and succeed beyond the page.⁠
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If you were not able to join us but would like to show your support for our mission, donate here: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/booksbeyondgala2026/

This Volunteer Appreciation Week, we honor the volunteers who dedicate their time each week to mentor our students throughout the school year. Through their support, our mentees gain the confidence they need to thrive in their reading journey.⁠

We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the 11 runners who ran the streets of New York City earlier this month. Not only did they complete the , but they also added significance to their miles by running for Read Ahead. Through their efforts, they raised over $27,000 to support our program's needs, including weekly mentoring and family engagement initiatives.

We're delighted to announce that our Annual Books & Beyond Gala will take place on Wednesday, April 29. Read Ahead is proud to honor AEA Investors at this year's gala, and celebrate our partnership to make a positive impact in New York City schools.

AEA Investors and Read Ahead first joined forces over a shared belief in the power of reading-based mentorship for NYC elementary school students. Throughout the partnership, which began in 2005, nearly 300 mentor/mentee pairs have spent an hour per week reading, talking and building integral literacy skills to help foster academic and lifelong success.

AEA Investors’ longstanding commitment provides the resources needed to ensure Read Ahead can serve 625 students annually through our high-quality, high touch-point programming.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit our website: https://readahead.org/books-beyond-2026/
We hope to see you there!

Since the start of the school year, our corporate partners have played a crucial role in supporting our program through their valuable volunteer efforts and generous donations of books and essential program supplies.⁠
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Discover the full extent of our impact by reading our midyear report at bit.ly/MY2526, and to learn more about how you can get your company involved, check out our supporters page: https://readahead.org/read-aheads-partners/

We were delighted to partner with the Black Leadership Network at Colgate-Palmolive in February for to assemble literacy kits for our students at P.S. 67 in Brooklyn. The kits contained books that celebrate black heritage, school supplies, and dental hygiene products donated by Colgate-Palmolive. We are incredibly grateful to partner with companies to organize events that serve our NYC Public school students while also uplifting important values we want to share with our community.⁠
Thank you Colgate!