Who and Why We Serve

"WHY WE SERVE"

I am often asked about my passion for literacy and education.

This passion was created and instilled as a family value and articulated and demonstrated in our home by my father whose untimely death occurred on my 21st birthday. Despite the challenges of living with minimal financial resources, my father championed an intentional, structured educational path for his four daughters. No matter what the circumstance, he persevered, working long hours at multiple jobs, to ensure that all of us received an education. My experience is supported by research that shows that parental involvement in a child's educational experience is the number one determinant of a child's educational achievement and NOT the family's socioeconomic status.

Just as I have championed for my son's education, so I have embraced LiFE's mission to assist parents and families to help their children learn to read by 3rd grade by participating in their child's educational experiences in both rural St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica and in New York City. I celebrate LiFE's talented Board of Directors and Advisors for their commitment and giving of their talent, resources, and time to oversight our activities and partner with LiFE in its mission to address the educational needs of underperforming children living in underserved and under-resourced communities. I also am cognizant that without resources there is no mission, and we thank our donors for their giving to advance and sustain LiFE's mission.

In July 2014, Literacy Is a Family Experience (LiFE), Inc. became a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. LiFE's mission is to partner with families, parents, students, educators and our donors to address the educational needs of babies and children so they can read by 3rd grade. We envision a world where all babies and children have parents or family members who champion their educational experiences, ultimately benefiting the community, society and the world.

"We make our impact in a community when we are able to harness the talents and gifts that human beings possess, create partnerships and deliver a product that creates a change that is sustainable"

Pat Rowe, LiFE's Founder

Patricia I. Rowe, RN, MA

has over four decades of clinical, managerial, administrative and executive nursing experience, focusing on the education of healthcare professionals both in academic and community settings. Ms. Rowe served on President Bill Clinton’s Council for Sustainable Communities representing small minority, women owned, businesses. She has developed multiple programs in health care that have advanced the practice of nursing including the innovation of cluster care where home health aides and nursing attendants delivered cost effective, quality care to multiple home care clients living in the same or nearby living settings.

Ms. Rowe has been an adjunct Professor of Nursing at Long Island University, Director of Nursing and Administrator of the Tri-State Licensed Home Care Agency in New York City and a Visiting Clinician at St. John's School of Nursing in Bangalore, India. Her years of experience in home care nursing gives her an advantage and a sensitivity to the disconnect between home and institutions.

OUR TEAM - LIFE'S 2022 Board of Directors

Fredrick T. Sherman MD, MSc, PRESIDENT

has been practicing, teaching, and writing about the care of the elderly for over four decades. He has authored over 100 clinical publications in the care of the elderly and is the recipient of the prestigious Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism award, considered the Pulitzer Prize of the business press, for his editorials in Geriatrics. He has been a Visiting Professor of Geriatrics at academic medical centers in the US, Canada, Taiwan and India. From 2009-2014, he was the Chief Medical Officer for Community and Managed Care Services at ArchCare, the Continuing Care Community of the Archdiocese of New York.

Onalin Williams MBA, Vice President

has over 17 years of experience working with large data and financial institutions on regional, national and international sales, management, team building, marketing and data best practices. Since 2011, she has been a Financial Data Analyst for NCCI Holdings in Boca Raton, Florida, working closely with actuaries and financial data providers to assure data integrity, provide testing and validation support, and perform analytic research. She has championed the cause of underserved children for most of her adult life and is passionate about organizing resources for the education of children from underserved communities throughout the world. She is a graduate of Convent of Mercy Alpha Girl's school in Kingston, Jamaica, W.I. and received her BA degree from Florida Atlantic University, majoring in finance and management, and her MBA from Nova Southeastern University. .

Tanya S. Wallace MBA, Treasurer

brings a wealth of experience in financial management and accounting to LIFE. She has received a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree. Over the past 15 years she has served in multiple capacities in banking, consumer and small business lending, tax preparation and accounting in major financial institutions and privately in the New York City area.

Rosalind Wright-Williams, Secretary

has been working as a Recreational Therapist for over 30 years at the New York Institute for Special Education, designing and coordinating recreational programs for students with developmental disabilities and visual and auditory impairments. She specializes in working with students who are preparing to gain employment in their vocational field. She also leads a mentoring program for interns, provides leadership for the student council and assists recreation/vocation therapists in planning and implementing activities with children with emotional and learning disabilities.

Patrice Allen MS Ed, Member

is a guidance counselor with over 20 years experience as a school counselor working with students, parents, teachers and administrators, training case workers and developing and implementing independent living plans for homeless families. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Education and for the past decade has been a school counselor in New York City.

Rev. Gladstone A. Johnson, Member

has developed and led faith-based and other non-profit organizations in both USA and Jamaica, WI, for three decades. He brings to LIFE a depth of knowledge and skills to expands LiFE's mission and goals in both NYC and Jamaica. Among his many accomplishments he has participated in teams that developed a multiracial, multicultural Gospel Assembly of over four thousand members in Phoenix, Arizona, planned and distributed medical supplies in Jamaica, and formed a leadership Development Center in Westchester , New York.

MISSION

LiFE's MISSION is to partner with families, parents and educators from under-resourced communities to improve their child's literacy and educational experiences by participating in their child's education in the home, at school and in their communities. LiFE partners with families, parents, teachers, principals, administrators and schools to achieve its mission of lowering the achievement gap.

VISION

LiFE Envision's a world where all children living in under-resourced communities who are under performing in academics will have family who partner with them to close the achievement gap by championing their child's literacy and education in the home, at school and in the community.

GOALS

Raise family and parental awareness of the need for and the benefits of them being involved, both in the home and in school, with their child's literacy and education from birth through 3rd grade
Increase the numbers of family members (parents, grandparents, older siblings, aunts, uncles and/or caregivers) involved in their child's literacy and education
Narrow the achievement gap of children from selected underresourced communities by involving and supporting their families to assist their teachers in the child's educational experience
Identify a Family Educational Partner (FEP) who is a family member(s) committed to working with the child in the home and collaborating with their teacher, to improve the child's literacy performance in school
Create a group of volunteer educators, called Learning Navigators, who will work together with the Family Educational Partner to understand the child's educational needs and develop an individual plan to enhance the child's educational experience in the home and in school
Develop workshops called "Literacy Works" to help each family navigate through the educational experience along with their child.
Develop a Family Learning Tool Box filled with grade appropriate learning and teaching resources for improving the parent-child educational experience
Develop a group of volunteers called Learning Coordinators who will assist and support the Family Navigators and Family Educational Partners to achieve the child's educational outcomes
Provide a Learning Plan, consisting of the Family Learning Toolbox, workshops, and ongoing supervision by the Learning Coordinators, to insure the success of the child's educational future

"WHO WE SERVE"

LIFE USA

LiFE Jamaica

LiFE Jamaica

LiFE Jamaica

LiFE Jamaica

LiFE Jamaica

"WHY WE SERVE"

Patricia I. Rowe, RN, MA

OUR TEAM - LIFE'S 2022 Board of Directors

Fredrick T. Sherman MD, MSc, PRESIDENT

Onalin Williams MBA, Vice President

Tanya S. Wallace MBA, Treasurer

Rosalind Wright-Williams, Secretary

Patrice Allen MS Ed, Member

Rev. Gladstone A. Johnson, Member

MISSION

VISION

GOALS

Share the great news and encourage others to help us help children learn to read