John,

For Caleb, a CDF Freedom Schools^® scholar, it was Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. After falling into the pages of this book, Caleb became more engaged. He expressed how Emmanuel inspired Caleb to pursue his own dreams of being both an artist and a dancer. He began to incorporate his skills and passions for drawing and dancing into group activities. The energy that he got from that one book catapulted his learning to new heights.

As an Ella Baker Trainer with the CDF Freedom Schools program, it is my pleasure to train CDF Freedom Schools staff to bring out these moments in their scholars every day.

Today, you can give that experience to more children.

The carefully chosen books we read at CDF Freedom Schools open children up to deeper learning and growth. They feature heroes who look like our CDF Freedom Schools scholars, allowing them to connect in a way they might not have before. The characters’ experiences are familiar and resonate with the scholars’ lived experiences. Representation matters, and it works.

Give the gift of experiences like Caleb’s this Giving Tuesday: make a gift before tomorrow at 11:59 PM and it will be doubled by a generous, anonymous donor. That’s twice as many books to make 2021 truly special!

The Ella Baker Trainers (EBTs) are a diverse group of servant leaders dedicated to training the program staff who work in CDF Freedom Schools sites across the nation and serving as representatives of the Children’s Defense Fund’s mission to Leave No Child Behind®.

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