TVPI IS UNITED
We are proud to announce that one of our volunteers will be honored during the United Way Monterey County’s LIVE UNITED Awards ceremony. Karen Brown is to be recognized for her exemplary work in the Education and
Youth Services category! She has recently returned to volunteering with us following the COVID-19 pandemic and we are thrilled to see her being honored during this event. As a retired librarian, Karen has been a driving force to innovate the way students of our Mae C. Johnson Education & Cultural Enrichment Academy interact with books. Her knowledge, expertise, and vision have helped to shape and create a space for students to learn and gain an interest in reading. In our library, she ensures there is a multitude of books that are both fiction and non-fiction, featuring BIPOC characters. Karen strives to create a library space where students can find books that relate to their cultural identities and celebrate their histories. She believes students should be able to see themselves in the books they read and that historically, the selection of books provided to students in schools has been Euro-centric and lack the diversity to encompass all readers. Each month, she organizes the library with themes to highlight different books and call attention to certain historical figures or topics.
Karen’s achievements and continued commitment have created a positive impact on our young readers. Her attention to detail and genuine care for our community has led to students gaining an interest in reading as they can easily access books. Karen is currently working on creating an online database for all our library books and hopes to create a digital check-out system as well.
The Village Project, Inc. would like to say thank you to all of our volunteers! Our amazing volunteers help to fill in the gaps to ensure our programs are running smoothly. From office assistants, equine therapy drivers, after-school tutors, and even librarians, our volunteers bring their diverse skill sets and passions to help us create lasting change. Though coming from a variety of backgrounds, our volunteers share a common goal of wanting to make a positive impact in the community and the dedication to take action. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all you do.