The Riomar Country Club served as the backdrop for a night of gratitude at an annual Founders’ Dinner hosted by the Learning Alliance that highlighted a legacy of childhood literacy. The evening was a gathering of the visionaries and social venture capitalists who 16 years ago bet on a dream that Indian River County could become the literacy capital of the nation.
Outgoing TLA chairman Ray Oglethorpe, whose passion has been the organization’s North Star, took a moment to offer heartfelt thanks to the guests, acknowledging their steadfast support.
“Without your commitment to those first three years, to allow us to invest, to try things, to fail, and still stick with us, this journey wouldn’t have been possible. That faith has been rewarded. We are starting to turn the thing,” said Oglethorpe.
That “thing” is the Moonshot goal of ensuring that 90 percent of third-graders are reading on grade level, a metric that has transformed Indian River County into a national model.
This past February, representatives from 33 states and districts across the country descended upon Vero Beach for its Wired to Learn Fast summit, where they learned about our county’s “secret sauce.”
The evening also marked a passing of the torch, as Oglethorpe introduced incoming chairman Mike White, the former CEO of DirecTV.
“The most important gift you can give anyone is a good education,” said White, echoing a sentiment passed down from his father.
“Reading is the prerequisite to the rest of the learning journey. As Barbara [Hammond, TLA CEO and co-founder] likes to say, we learn to read so we can read to learn,” he added.
White emphasized that while the progress of the school district is historic, moving from a state ranking in third grade English Language Arts from 38th to second, the effort remains urgent. With 40 percent of local students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the economic stakes of literacy have never been higher.
Turning the focus toward the mission’s longevity, Hammond introduced what she called the G2, the burgeoning second generation of philanthropists, and emphasized the need to engage younger families to sustain the Moonshot Goal.
The evening also celebrated the nonprofit’s partnership with the School District, which has been elevated by School Superintendent David Moore. Hammond noted that his “outcomes-based” leadership is a rare find in public education.
As the evening neared its close, guests echoed their support for the model of the Learning Alliance, an organization built on transparency and social venture capital and conceived at a kitchen table years ago by two mothers and a philanthropist. All agreed that it is working.
For more information, visit TheLearningAlliance.org.
Photos by Stephanie LaBaff
