Full Circle News

STAIR volunteers work one-on-one with each child for two and a half hours every week — reading to and with them; strengthening and building their literacy skills through an engaging curriculum; playing instructional games; and mentoring them as they grow in confidence and self-esteem. They help students build home libraries throughout the year and keep them engaged with reading over the summer with backpacks full of their favorite books. Each STAIR child will leave the program with at least 25 books of their own, improved reading skills and — hopefully — a lifelong love of reading. Last year, volunteers spent more than 10,000 hours with students, a reading gift valued at more than $360,000 to the AACPS system.

The generous grant received from AAWGT enabled STAIR to strengthen their program by purchasing a new curriculum, hiring a new full-time staff member, and updating their teaching resources. Their new phonics-based curriculum provides explicit instruction in decoding, encoding, fluency, and comprehension skills. Mid-year assessments showed a 44% increase in student reading skills and a 41% increase in spelling since the start of the year. They are excited to see how much more progress their children are able to make in the final semester of the program! The new site manager is a seasoned and dynamic reading specialist who supports tutors and tailors STAIR instruction to meet students’ individual needs. The grant also helped purchase attractive, organized reading carts for each site that contain leveled books, student totes with curriculum and all teaching materials, student binders, and group games.

“With gratitude for the support of Anne Arundel Women Giving Together, they are shaping a brighter future for our children and our county!

Lily was invited to join AAWGT by Carol Cronin, who worked with her on the Founding Board of CCM. “Carol told me there was a group of women who had started a giving circle to pool their resources and assist families in need in our community through charitable grants. I thought that was an amazing idea and was excited to join the group.” Lily joined in 2007 and now volunteers with grants selection and grants implementation. “I am very grateful for the dedication, professionalism, and passion our members bring to fulfill AAWGT’s mission of helping women and families in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. This clarity of mission and the quality of the women who contribute to that mission through donating time and money are the organization’s greatest strengths. I’d love to see AAWGT increase publicity about the amazing work it does. I certainly encourage members to review the grant proposals on this year’s ballot, and VOTE!

Lily is very active in community nonprofits. She currently serves as president of the Bay Ridge Civic Association and is on the boards of the national Public Works Experience, the Scenic Rivers Land Trust, and the Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Association. Formerly, Lily was chairman of the board of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, and president of the Founding Board of the Chesapeake Children’s Museum (CCM), among other non-profit leadership roles.

Lily and her husband of 40 years, David, have four children: Elliana, Sophia, John David and Regina. In her free time, Lily enjoys her book club (of 30 yrs.) and is an avid USTA league tennis player and master gardener.