• Sandy Reed, President
  
  Ms. Reed joined the board in 2006 after nearly three years as a tutor. She has more than 35 years of experience in the journalism field, at both daily newspapers and technology publications. She worked for The Miami Herald and the San Jose Mercury News and served as editor in chief at Personal Computing, Macintosh Business Review and InfoWorld. Ms. Reed has edited six books and contributed as a writer to three books.
  
  
• Jennifer Low, Secretary
  
  Ms. Low has served as a board member for Friends of Vision Literacy since 1997. Currently the Manager of Financial Planning, Budgets, and Analysis for Neopost Inc., she received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Hayward. Ms. Low has volunteered at Elmwood correctional Center and with Vision Literacy’s family program.
  
  
• Yvette Briddell, Board Member
  
  A board member since 2000, Ms. Briddell joined Vision Literacy as a learner at the age of 22, and upon improving her literacy skills, left the program in 2000 to attend community college. Ms. Briddell’s accomplishments include being a founding member of the Learner’s Council and receiving second place in the California Literacy, Inc. award program. She is currently working full-time as an Office Specialist II for the County of Santa Clara.
  
  
• Carolyn H. Brown, Board Member
  
  Ms. Brown was appointed to the Board in June 2004. As Director of Performance and Outcomes Management at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Ms. Brown has played an active role in the collaborative development of the Community Learning Centers.
  Ms. Brown was named one of the YWCA’s 2004 Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) honorees.
  
  
• Kathy Campbell, Board Member
  
  Ms. Campbell was invited to join the board in 2008. Her own enjoyment of reading led her to volunteer as a tutor for the program. Over the years, she has also volunteered with Team in Training, the Brown Bag program at Second Harvest Food Bank and the Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County. Kathy graduated from San Jose State University, with great distinction, a degree in Business Administration and is a Certified Public Accountant with a San Jose CPA firm.
  
  
• Larry Hayes, Board Member
  
  Mr. Hayes is publisher of the ActiveOver50 magazine and founder of Hayes Marketing Communications, Inc. He has a Masters degree in literacy journalism from Syracuse University and worked under Dr. Frank C. Laubach and son, Dr. Robert Laubach, founders of Laubach Literacy which is now ProLiteracy. Mr. Hayes served as a Peace Corps volunteer in India and is a past president of SVAAA and BMA’s Norcal chapter of business marketing professionals.
  
  
• Candace Levers, Board Member
  
  Ms. Levers has been a board member for Friends of Vision Literacy since 1998. In conjunction with her board service, she also volunteered as a tutor for Vision Literacy. In addition to this volunteer work, she has served other community services, including leadership roles and as a church board member for the last two years. Having worked in the past as a freelance public relations specialist in the high-tech field, she is currently Vice President of Marketing for an international start-up firm. Ms. Levers is a graduate of San Jose State University, with a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations.
  
  
• Michelle Rose, Board Member
  
  Ms. Rose joined the board of directors in 2004. Ms. Rose previously worked as the VP of business development for several high-tech start-up companies including I-borg and Vivotech Inc and is a member of the Los Altos Hills parks and recreation department.
  
  
• Steven C. Toy, Board Member
  
  Mr. Toy is Past President and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Friends of Vision Literacy. Mr. Toy is currently President and Founder of Beema, Inc., a video and animation company specializing in the mobile marketplace. Previously Mr. Toy served as Vice President of Sales for Software Secure, a company focused on the education marketplace and as Vice President of Finance and Business Development at ICTV, a pioneering Silicon Valley interactive television company. Mr. Toy has also served on the Board of Directors for Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts, that State’s largest literacy volunteer organization.
  
  
• Steve Wozniak, Board Member
  
  Mr. Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, joined the Board in 2005. Mr. Wozniak received the National Medal of Technology in 1985 from Ronald Regan. In 1997, he was named a fellow of the Computer History Museum. Mr. Wozniak was a key contributor and benefactor to San Jose’s Children’s Discovery Museum. In September 2000, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Mr. Wozniak has many philanthropic endeavors in the field of education through his organization, Unuson (Unite Us In Song). Mr. Wozniak supports the technology program for the Los Gatos School District.
  
  
• Pat Lawson-North, Executive Director
  
  Ms. Lawson-North is Executive Director of Vision Literacy. Previously Ms. Lawson-North was Program Manager of Professional Development at San Jose State University and Director of Special Events at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo. She also served as Director of the San Luis Obispo County Literacy Council. She has held leadership positions in several education systems and served on national and state organization board of directors.
  
  

Friends of Vision Literacy

Friends of Vision Literacy is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that allows individual and corporate contributors to become involved in promoting the cycle of literacy in our community. These dedicated volunteers and contributors play an important role in our development. They are our most important community partners who are truly making a difference.

Donate to Vision Literacy

Local partners

Bay Area Literacy (BALit)
BALit serves adults in the Bay Area who choose to improve their reading and writing skills. BALit.s 25 member programs serve some 26,500 adults, helping them to achieve their goals and expand their opportunities.

Bring Me A Book Foundation

Bring Me A Book Foundation is a 501(c)(3) award winning literacy nonprofit founded to serve children who do not have access to quality books and who are not read aloud to on a regular basis.

Kidango

Kidango provides quality child care and child development services to children and families. They are committed to inspire all children and their families by promoting their potential and diversity through quality education and nurturing relationships.

MACSA - Mexican American Community Services Agency

MACSA is a leader in offering community services to Latinos, including advocacy, the development of affordable housing and youth, family and senior services in San Jose.

Mayfair Improvement Initiative

Mayfair Improvement Initiative on San Jose is focused on building the housing, employment and early childhood education foundations to ensure that every family in Mayfair has homes that are safe, affordable and stable and the basic educational foundations to succeed in school and at work.

Partners in Reading
This volunteer-based adult literacy program servies the San Jose City Public Libraries.

The Plane Tree Health Library
A community service of Good Samaritan Hospital, the Plane Tree Library at Mission Oaks in Los Gatos offers over 3,000 of health books, medical texts, videos, and computer services.

Public Allies

Public Allies advances diverse young leaders to strengthen communities, nonprofits and civic participation.

Read Aloud Collaborative

Read Aloud Collaborative is a coalition of parents, caregivers and teachers in Santa Clara that understand the lasting benefits and value of reading to children from infancy. Their work includes making sure that families have quality literature in the home, at school and accessible from the workplace.

Read Santa Clara
This volunteer-based adult literacy program serves the Santa Clara City Public Libraries.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC)
A division of the Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System, VMC provides high quality, cost-effective medical care to Santa Clara County residents regardless of ability to pay.

State and National Partners

California Library Literacy Services
This statewide organization seeks to enable all Californians to reach their literacy goals and use library services effectively.

California Literacy
The oldest, largest statewide literacy organization in the U. S. supports agencies like Vision Literacy with tutor training, consulting, and ongoing education.

ProLiteracy Worldwide
Represented in 45 developing countries as well as in the U.S., ProLiteracy serves more than 350,000 adult new learners a year worldwide.

Meet Our Funding Partners

• Bank of America
• Boston Scientific
• California Literacy Inc.
• California State Library
• Community Foundation of Silicon Valley
• Community Solutions
• First 5 Santa Clara County
• The Health Trust
• Kaiser Permanente
• Latino Community Foundation
• Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
• Library Sservices Technology Act
• City of Mountain View Public Library
• ProLiteracy America
• Reading is Fundamental
• Santa Clara County Department of Correction
• Santa Clara County Library
• The Sobrato Family Foundation
• Taproot Foundation
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
• The UPS Foundation
• The Valley Foundation
• Individual contributors like you

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