In the fall of 1990, I interviewed for a job that ended up changing the course of my life. The ad to which I responded was for a tutor in the then 1-year old Intergenerational Literacy Project, a collaboration between Boston University's School of Education and the Chelsea Public Schools in Chelsea, Massachusetts. I had no experience, but wanted a work-study job that was meaningful and rewarding. It turned out to be both.

I spent the remainder of my college career teaching English to adults from Central America and Southeast Asia. These individuals were struggling to courageously improve their lives, not just for themselves, but for their children as well. They were nothing short of inspiring.

The program works to improve the literacy skills of adults and the literacy knowledge among pre-school and school-aged children. In essence, the remarkable educators who run the program, Dr. Jeanne Paratore and Dr. Barbara Krol-Sinclair, are empowering the community in Chelsea.

For that reason, Ari Kaplan Advisors has established a fund for multicultural children's books to help the next generation of readers enjoy storytelling and the power of sharing those stories with their families.

Learn more at http://www.bu.edu/ilp/staff.