Tis’ the season of thankfulness. Thankfulness is giving thanks to the people, things, or places that have brought happiness and joy to our lives. During this season of my life, I am thankful for my family, loved ones, education, happiness, and of course, A to Z Literacy Movement. My family has been my rock these past four years and I am beyond thankful for their continuous support in helping me achieve my dreams. I have been blessed to receive an amazing education through my university. As I approach the second semester of my senior year, more than ever, I am thankful for the high-quality education and how it is shaping me to be the educator I will be in the future. Last but certainly not least, I am beyond thankful for A to Z. This organization is near and dear to my heart because it combines both of my passions of teaching and giving back to the community. Life has given me so many opportunities to be thankful, all of which have contributed to my happiness. When I live a thankful life, I live a happy life. I look towards opportunities, people, and places that I am grateful for and it has led me to have a happy life and appreciate all the beauty around me.

On behalf of our A to Z Literacy Team, we are beyond thankful for your continuous support in helping us bring our mission to life. This past year, we had a strong community of supporters with donations of books, donations of time, and generous monetary donations at our annual fundraiser. We are thankful to all of you for the success we have had this year which includes giving over 1,000 children’s books away through our summer school outreach program. So many grateful families appreciated our holiday book giveaway at a local food pantry, gifting families with holiday-wrapped children’s books. In addition, we provided a scholarship to Jonathan Mwale to cover his tuition and expenses for his third year at the University of Lusaka in Zambia. We are thankful for your continuous support to be able to change the world one book and one student at a time.

(Thanks to Jalisa Cruz, our guest blogger and A to Z team member)