Pay It Forward – Glen Mourning
Glen Mourning is paying it forward by creating literary diversity for children all over. Glen Mourning, a former teacher, created the Crunchy Life book series so that kids could see themselves in stories and want to read more.
Glen can remember being bullied as a child for not being the best reader, and he is now a 5th-grade language teacher whose goal is to make literacy and reading fun for kids that are reluctant to read.
His book series is called Crunchy Life. The name was created as a way to encourage kids to keep going even when life gets hard or, as he likes to describe it, “crunchy.”
Lamont Geddis, the director of the Freedom School, expressed that having the books like Glen Mourning’s Crunchy Life helps the students to see an African American teacher and author with relatable books and brings the school alive. Students find it empowering to see other children in books that look like them.
Glen was completely shocked when Joel Bassam joined virtually to surprise him with a check for $1,500. Glen was so excited he announced, “Pizza for EVERYBODY!” as the Freedom School students jumped for joy.
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