Leading with Literacy & a Little Fairy Dust

September is National Literacy Month

Do you believe in Fairies? Maybe when you were a child, you believed in the Tooth Fairy. Or maybe you wished you could have a fairy godmother like Cinderella. Or MAYBE you wished you could BE a fairy like Tinkerbell.

Allow me to introduce you to a new kind of fairy, and instead of cash under a pillow in exchange for a lost tooth, this fairy delivers free books to children in underserved communities. How do you get books out to children who are out of school, sheltering in place, and have no access to books? With fairy dust, of course (and a lot of elbow grease)!

September is National Literacy month, and I’m so honored to bring you two episodes about what’s being done to facilitate literacy in local communities despite the current pandemic.

Today, I’m excited to bring before you one of the women who has been a huge encouragement to me personally: Eileen Minogue, the Executive Director of The Book Fairies on Long Island in New York. Believe it or not, but—and you’ll hear the full story in this episode—The Book Fairies holds a Guiness world record!

When I first met Eileen, she was at an organization she had founded years earlier, but she was still working every day, every night, every weekend, every holiday… and though it was fulfilling, it was also sucking the life out of, well, her LIFE.

You’ll hear in this episode what she’s learned and how she’s adapted to her new organization (and where she’s still figuring out where to set boundaries since the pandemic pretty much threw ALL of OUR boundaries around work out the door). We’ll talk about how her work at The Book Fairies has had to pivot, especially since they rely so heavily on special needs day-hab groups for book delivery.

Eileen is a real force for literacy, and her passion for this amazing organization is palpable. She will change how you think about the books you own that you no longer read and have no use for. This episode is going to inspire you and help you think through why it’s so important to set boundaries with your team (and if you don’t have a team, maybe it will inspire you to get one…even if it’s made up of all volunteers).

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About Eileen Minogue

Eileen Minogue is the Executive Director of The Book Fairies. She is a professional leader with experience in all aspects of business management, program administration, fund development and volunteer engagement.

Eileen brings with her many years of professional experience in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, most recently having been the Co-founder and Executive Director for Patient Airlift Services (PALS) a growing Long Island organization, building it from her basement to serving individuals both nationwide and internationally.

In addition, she has been volunteering her time and talents to a number of other nonprofits for over twenty years including serving on the board of The Massapequa Community Fund, an organization that has provided direct local support since 2001.

Eileen states, “I am incredibly humbled and honored to have the opportunity to work alongside so many talented and compassionate individuals and believe my commitment to literacy, the under-served and desire to level the playing field for all, will be a great match with the mission of The Book Fairies”.

I believe reading is essential and it starts with a BOOK!