It Takes a Village to Raise a Reader: Introducing The Reading Pantry Project
Some of my most meaningful childhood memories weren't made in a classroom. They were made at the Boys & Girls Club, where I learned new skills, discovered interests I didn't know I had, and built friendships that have stayed with me throughout my life.
I learned to play chess and foosball. I explored dance and step. I developed computer skills that would become increasingly important as I grew older. More than that, I experienced the joy of being part of a community where I could learn, participate, build relationships, and simply be a kid.
Those experiences helped shape the person I am today. And now, as a creative entrepreneur, former preschool teacher, and advocate for children's literacy, I want to help ensure that today's young people have access to those same kinds of opportunities.
That's why I'm launching The Reading Pantry Project, my fundraising initiative in support of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
More Than a Place to Go After School
When I think about the Boys & Girls Club, I don't just think about an after-school program. I think about the skills I developed, the friendships I formed, and the experiences that helped me discover more of who I was.
Chess taught me to think strategically. Foosball gave me an opportunity to play and connect with others. Dance and step introduced me to movement, rhythm, and teamwork. Learning computer skills gave me another way to explore the world and develop abilities I could carry into adulthood.
Each experience offered something different, but together, they gave me opportunities to learn beyond the traditional classroom.
And those friendships? They became part of my story, too.
Looking back, I understand that youth organizations can offer so much more than supervised activities. They can create spaces where children discover their interests, develop confidence, build relationships, and begin imagining what is possible for their futures.
I know this because I experienced it myself.
Why Literacy Still Matters to Me
My commitment to children continued into adulthood. As a former preschool teacher and a lifelong advocate for literacy, I've come to appreciate how important it is for children to have access to books, supportive adults, and environments that encourage curiosity.
Reading opens doors. Stories help children develop language, explore different perspectives, and imagine lives beyond their immediate circumstances.
But just like learning to play chess or mastering a new dance routine, developing a love of reading takes opportunity, encouragement, and practice.
Children need adults who make time for stories. They need communities that value learning. They need spaces where asking questions, trying something new, and making mistakes are all part of growing up.
That's the heart behind The Reading Pantry Project: the belief that investing in children means investing in the resources, relationships, and experiences that help them thrive.
Literacy is one important part of that picture. So are creativity, technology, recreation, mentorship, and friendship.
I want children to have opportunities to discover what they're good at, explore what they love, and build relationships that encourage them along the way.
Remembering the Village That Raised Us
My vision for this work is rooted in something many of us understand: it takes a village.
Our villages include parents, grandparents, teachers, neighbors, coaches, mentors, librarians, and the people who show up when a child needs encouragement. Some are related to us. Others become family through the care they give.
The Boys & Girls Club was part of my village. It gave me experiences that extended beyond childhood and friendships that became part of my lifelong story.
As I reflect on those experiences, I'm reminded that we don't always recognize the full value of the places and people who help shape us until we have the opportunity to look back.
Supporting young people today is one way we can honor the people who invested in us yesterday.
It's also an opportunity to ensure that the next generation has room to learn, create, discover, and imagine a future beyond what they can see today.
Every child has a story worth nurturing. Every young person deserves opportunities to discover their strengths. And every community has something worth passing down.
Help Me Give Back
I've established an initial fundraising goal of $250 in support of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. It's a starting point for giving back to an organization that was part of my own childhood and helped provide experiences I still carry with me.
I'm inviting my family, friends, fellow creatives, educators, and community partners to join me.
You can be part of this effort by:
Making a donation: Contribute any amount through my fundraising page.
Sharing the campaign: Help spread the word among people who believe in youth development, literacy, and community care.
Encouraging young readers: Share books, read together, and make space for children's questions and imagination.
Investing in the village: Support youth-serving organizations that give children opportunities to learn new skills, develop friendships, and explore their potential.
My hope is that this campaign becomes more than a single fundraising effort. I want it to remind us of what can happen when communities invest in children and continue showing up for them.
Because sometimes, a childhood activity becomes a lifelong skill. A game becomes the beginning of a friendship. An opportunity becomes a passion. And a place that gave us room to grow becomes a reason to give back.
The Boys & Girls Club was part of my story. Now, I want to help make room for the next generation to write theirs.
Will you join me in supporting young people and the communities that help them thrive?
Contribute to The Reading Pantry Project!
The Village Is Still Raising Us: Turning Childhood Memories Into a Future for Our Children
When I shared why I'm supporting Boys & Girls Clubs of America through The Reading Pantry Project, I found myself reflecting on something that doesn't always get enough attention: the experiences we carry with us long after childhood ends.
For me, the Boys & Girls Club was more than somewhere to spend time after school. It was a place where I learned chess, played foosball, participated in dance and step, developed computer skills, and formed friendships that have lasted a lifetime.
At the time, I wasn't thinking about how those experiences might influence the person I would become. I was simply learning, playing, connecting, and growing.
Now, as a mother, creative entrepreneur, and former preschool teacher, I see those memories differently.
I see the value of having somewhere to belong. I see the importance of being exposed to opportunities beyond your immediate environment. And I understand why investing in children must extend beyond the classroom.
Sometimes, the things that shape our futures begin with someone giving us a place to grow.
What We Give Children Today Becomes Part of Their Tomorrow
As parents, we spend so much time thinking about what our children need to succeed. We think about their education, their safety, their friendships, their interests, and the opportunities we can provide.
But some of the most meaningful experiences happen outside the plans we make for them.
A child discovers a talent while trying something new. Another finds confidence by joining a team. Someone learns to solve problems over a chessboard. Another discovers a love for technology, music, movement, or storytelling.
And sometimes, a friendship formed in childhood becomes a connection that lasts for decades.
These experiences matter because children are developing more than academic knowledge. They are learning how to interact with others, explore their interests, navigate challenges, and discover their place in the world.
My own experience at the Boys & Girls Club reminds me that youth development isn't one-dimensional. Children deserve access to learning, creativity, recreation, mentorship, and meaningful relationships.
That's part of why I believe so strongly in supporting organizations that give young people opportunities to grow.
Why I'm Connecting Literacy to the Bigger Picture
You might wonder why a campaign called The Reading Pantry Project is part of this conversation.
For me, literacy is a natural place to begin.
Books introduced me to ideas, experiences, and possibilities beyond my immediate surroundings. As a former preschool teacher, I understand how important early literacy can be. As a mother, I know that helping children develop a relationship with reading is about more than handing them a book.
It's about creating opportunities for discovery.
A story can start a conversation between a parent and child. A library visit can become a family tradition. Reading together can help children ask questions they might not otherwise know how to express.
But I also recognize that every child discovers the world differently. Some are drawn to books. Others find their confidence through sports, dance, computers, music, or making things with their hands.
We should make room for all of those pathways.
My vision for The Reading Pantry Project is connected to that broader belief: children need access to resources, encouragement, and experiences that help them recognize their potential.
And they need communities willing to invest in those possibilities.
The Village Doesn't Stop at Our Front Door
I've always believed that raising children is a shared responsibility.
Families are at the center, but the village includes teachers, coaches, neighbors, mentors, librarians, youth organizations, and friends who show up along the way.
Sometimes, the people who influence us most aren't the people who live in our homes. They are the people who create a safe space for us to learn something new, encourage us when we're uncertain, or introduce us to a possibility we hadn't considered.
The Boys & Girls Club was part of my village. The skills I learned and the friendships I developed remain meaningful parts of my story.
Now, I have an opportunity to help give back.
Supporting Boys & Girls Clubs of America is one way I can honor the experiences that helped shape me while contributing to opportunities for today's young people.
It's not about recreating my childhood for someone else. It's about helping ensure that children have opportunities to create meaningful experiences of their own.
A Small Goal With a Bigger Purpose
My initial fundraising goal for The Reading Pantry Project is $250.
I know that number may seem small compared with the many needs facing children and families. But I believe in beginning with what we have, inviting others to participate, and building from there.
One person can contribute. Another can share the campaign. Someone else can encourage a young reader, volunteer their time, or support a youth organization in their own neighborhood.
Every contribution looks different, and every act of care has the potential to become part of something larger.
If you have the means to give, I invite you to support my campaign. If you aren't in a position to donate right now, sharing the message is another way to help.
Support The Reading Pantry Project:
https://fundraise.bgca.org/fundraisers/cyneciawelch
What Will the Children Remember?
Years from now, the children growing up today will look back on their childhoods.
Some will remember the books someone read to them. Others will remember a coach who believed in them, a teacher who encouraged them, a friend who stood beside them, or an after-school program where they discovered something they loved.
We may never know which moment will become a defining memory for a child.
But we can help create opportunities for those moments to happen.
That's what this campaign means to me. It's a way to connect the experiences that shaped my life with the opportunities I hope will shape the lives of others.
The village that helped raise us deserves to be remembered. And the village we build for our children deserves our investment.
I learned skills at the Boys & Girls Club. I built friendships there. I grew there. Today, I'm giving back because I believe every child deserves opportunities to discover who they can become.
Let's keep showing up for our children, our communities, and the generations still finding their way.
Because the village is still raising us.
And now, it's our turn to help raise the next generation.
Our village is hurting. Our children need us. ❤️💚🧡
FAMU Homecoming should have been a time for celebrating our culture, reconnecting with old friends, and making memories with the next generation. Instead, our community is processing the trauma of a shooting that left 12 people injured, including six minors.
My heart is with the victims, their families, and everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.
As a mother, a former preschool teacher, and someone who grew up benefiting from the Boys & Girls Club, this moment reinforces why investing in our children matters so much to me.
The Boys & Girls Club gave me opportunities to learn chess, play foosball, participate in dance and step, develop computer skills, and build lifelong friendships. Those experiences gave me room to grow, explore my interests, and connect with others.
Every child deserves opportunities to discover their strengths, develop meaningful relationships, and have caring adults who encourage them along the way.
That's why I'm fundraising for The Reading Pantry Project, in support of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Reading is at the heart of this initiative, but the bigger picture is community. It's about creating opportunities for children to learn, explore, build confidence, and imagine a future filled with possibilities.
A donation to my campaign supports Boys & Girls Clubs of America's broader mission of helping young people reach their full potential. It is one way we can invest in the resources, experiences, and supportive environments that young people deserve.
No single fundraiser can solve the challenges facing our community. But we can each do something to help build a stronger village around our children.
If you've been looking for a way to give back, I invite you to join me.
❤️ Donate: https://fundraise.bgca.org/fundraisers/cyneciawelch
💚 Share this campaign with someone who believes in investing in our children.
🧡 Keep showing up for the young people in your family and community.
We cannot change what happened during Homecoming. But we can choose how we continue to care for our community.
Our children deserve more than our concern after a tragedy. They deserve our consistent investment, encouragement, and support every day.
It takes a village to raise a child. Let's be the village.
#TheReadingPantryProject #KeepLiving #BoysAndGirlsClubs #FAMU #Tallahassee #ItTakesAVillage #InvestInOurYouth
