Current Initiatives
Meet A.R.T.I.E.
At Rise To Read, we’re always looking for new ways to meet children where they are and make reading exciting, accessible, and fun. That’s why we’re introducing A.R.T.I.E. — Adventures in Reading Through Imagination & Exploration..
A.R.T.I.E. is our animated character and literacy mascot, designed to help engage young readers.
By combining literacy with animation and play, A.R.T.I.E. helps make reading feel less like a task and more like an adventure—one where every child is invited to participate, grow, and discover the joy of stories.
Bringing Hope to Children Through Literacy
We’re honored to share that Rise To Read was recently featured by the Lausanne Movement, highlighting the heart, history, and mission behind our literacy work in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
GIVING KIDS A HOPE AND A FUTURE
Gabrielle Beam has made it her life’s mission to give children a hope and a future, and she does it through literacy. Gabrielle shares how helping children learn to read (using the Jesus Storybook Bible, no less!) helps them grow into adults who can flourish physically, mentally, and spiritually.
PEACE TALKS
Gabrielle Beam joins PEACE TALKS to talk about the lifelong connection between literacy and justice. Gabrielle is a seasoned inner-city pastor and the founder of Rise to Read, an organization focused on eliminating early childhood illiteracy in her home of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Gabrielle shares about the well-trodden path from illiteracy to incarceration, ways she helps kids begin reading on level, and what happened when Rise to Read began to distribute the Jesus Storybook Bible.