On June 22, 2026, I had the joy of participating in a virtual read-aloud with Houston’s HYPE Freedom School.

This experience connects deeply to our commitment to literacy and youth empowerment, and WIF has happily supported it since 2021.

This year, I read Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds.

​The book encourages young people to recognize that their voices matter and that expression can take many forms—through words, creativity, kindness, advocacy, or simply having the courage to speak up.

Its message feels particularly timely.

Every child deserves to know that their ideas have value and that their voice has the potential to inspire change.

And every young person deserves opportunities to discover their strengths.

Cover image:
Monique Y. Wells holding Say Something
© Wells International Foundation

Shaltreece Chandler
Development Volunteer and
Brand Ambassador for WIF's Youth Veterinarian Initiative

We first learned about Shaltreece Chandler because of her children's book, Kelsie 100, which teaches kids financial literacy through a girl who saves money to build a zoo. We quickly realized that her numerous skills and interests completely align with ours, and we welcomed her aboard as a volunteer in December 2023.

Shaltreece "Shal" Chandler is a project management consultant who has dedicated more than 25 years leading, serving, building and transforming organizations. Working at her best in environments where she is contributing to a cause or outcome greater than herself, she describes herself as "a creative and strategic thinker who cares about people and leverages both pragmatic and out-of-the-box thinking to solve problems and inspire a shared vision of what's possible."

When we first met, Chandler told us about her desire to support us and shared that she believed she could use her business experience and acumen to help raise money to strengthen our infrastructure as well as fund our projects and programs.  She officially signed up as a volunteer in December 2023.

In addition to being a consummate business professional, Chandler is incredibly creative.  When we learned about her children's book—Kelsie 100—and her love of reading aloud to children, we saw the alignment with our Literacy Strategic Focus Area (SFA).

Because we had combined our STEAM Education and Literacy SFAs in our Youth Veterinarian Initiative, the fact that Chandler's main character was a little Black girl who wanted to save money to build a zoo was an unexpected bonus.

Shal Chandler wearing Kelsie 100 t-shirt

Chandler became passionate about the initiative and began to look for ways that she could bring our work in STEAM Education to Michigan, where she currently resides.

We made her our YVI brand ambassador in January 2024, and she wasted no time in her new role!

In February 2024, she introduced WIF and Dr. Tori Ellis of our partner organization, Mindfulness & STEAM Lab, to the Michigan State University Extension in East Lansing.  This led to invitations to participate in the MSU 4-H Animal and Veterinary Science Camp in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

The 2024 camp was the first to include mindfulness as part of the curriculum and the first to utilize the services of an organization external to MSU.

Dr. Tori Ellis and Shal Chandler at
MSU 4-H Animal & Veterinary Science Camp

In keeping with WIF's mission to expose girls to STEAM careers, Chandler connected us with Girl Scouts of Southeast Michigan (GSSEM).  Through her outreach, we received $1500 from the Girl Scout Troop 78014 (raised through cookie sales) at the University Liggett School to support the purchase of a hydroponic garden. 

We sent the money back to the school, and they purchased the towers directly.

This supported the raising of edible produce for the school while providing hands-on STEM learning experiences and instilling a sense of environmental stewardship in the minds of students.

Shal Chandler and hydroponic towers

As a further introduction of WIF to the Greater Detroit Metropolitan Area, Chandler organized a unique event at the newly completed MaryAnn Wright Animal Adoption and Education Center in Dearborn, MI.

On Thursday, May 29, Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit partnered with the Wells International Foundation (WIF) to host “Sound & Sanctuary: A Concert for Canines and Cats” from 3-4 p.m.

Ackeem Salmon was the featured artist.  He played the harp for the dogs and cats while the general public walked through the facility in search of animals to adopt.

Left to right: Nova Zorok of Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, Ackeem Salmon, and Shal Chandler

In July 2025, Chandler had the opportunity to read Kelsie 100 aloud to two groups of children that WIF serves through our STEAM Education/Literacy initiative in our home town of Houston, TX.  We are excited that her passion for our work continues to grow.

As we enter our second decade of service, we look forward to having Chandler work with us to raise funds to sustain our ability to expand our impact in Michigan, the rest of the U.S., and the world.

June 2023 marked the end of the second consecutive year of our Youth Veterinarian Initiative (YVI) and the end of the first year of our YVI Book Club & Merit Badge Program.

See below for a summary of the results we have achieved.

2021-2022:
YVI Podcast and "Careers in Veterinary Medicine" Curriculum

During the first year of the program, we hosted twenty-eight (28) podcast episodes featuring veterinarians and others who work with animals in the U.S. and abroad.  Sixty-plus (60+) youth attended the calls live, and we made the recordings available at no charge for youth and educators across the country.

The podcast inspired Danielle Corbin, a 6th-grade science teacher at the South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA) in Bronx, NY, to create a curriculum called “Careers in Veterinary Medicine.” Ms. Corbin taught the curriculum to 25 students during Spring Semester 2022, and two of her students interviewed podcast speakers.

The podcast also inspired Bailey Brown, who was a 6th-grade student in Houston, TX at the time, to achieve perfect attendance during the first two months of the program in 2021 and volunteer at her local animal shelter to prepare herself for her future application to veterinary school.  She continues to volunteer there today.

SBECA students worked with microscopes during the semester and earned the first merit badges that we awarded during the program.

This, in addition to our donation of books to SBECA in December 2021, inspired us to launch the YVI Book Club & Merit Badge program the following year.

During the summer of 2022, in collaboration with Danielle Corbin and Dr. Tori Ellis of the Mindfulness and STEAM Lab, WIF provided owl pellet dissection and gelatin frog dissection labs to HYPE Freedom School in Houston, TX.

Read HYPE's testimonial about this experience HERE.

2022-2023:
YVI Book Club & Merit Badge Program

WIF launched the YVI Book Club & Merit Badge Program while continuing to offer the YVI podcast series (36 episodes recorded as of June 2023).  One hundred and forty-two (142) students from middle schools in Bronx, NY; Newark, NJ; Chicago, IL; and Houston, TX read eight (8) life-science-themed books and joined monthly Zoom calls to discuss their readings.

Students earned a total of 400 merit badges for completing homework assignments, drawing their favorite characters/personas in the books, and attending monthly Zoom calls and YVI podcasts.

Additionally, two students received letters of achievement for interviewing podcast speakers.

Fifth-grade students at Etoile Academy (Houston, TX) and 8th-grade students at Holy Family (Chicago, IL) earned a special merit badge for reading books aloud to younger students or classmates.

Educators reported that participating students increased their literacy skills and/or knowledge of life sciences by one to two levels.

All Etoile Academy (Houston, TX) 5th graders who participated in the book club passed the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam.  Six of them achieved Meets and Masters status, which is one of the highest distinctions for the exam.

Program facilitator Kristen Ray said, "I know reading these books and talking about the questions have been a huge help to their academic success."

The entire 6th grade class at South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA) in Bronx, NY participated in the book club.  Facilitator Danielle Corbin reported that students spent 20 minutes each Wednesday reading book club titles at school from September to June.  This amounted to 14.3 hours per student or over 1,360 total hours over the course of the year.

Unexpected Results

SBECA's Danielle Corbin reported an unexpected, yet powerful benefit that her school experienced because of its participation in the book club - teachers across disciplines were so inspired by the life sciences books that they sought ways to include them in math, social studies, and ELA classes.

Significantly, students and teachers also found themselves discussing the books in the hallways!

Click on the image below to listen to Ms. Corbin describe this phenomenon in her own words (1:05-minute recording).

Another unexpected result of the program was the visit that YVI Podcast speaker Dr. Heather Fowler paid to the 7th graders at Marion P. Thomas Charter School (MPTCS) STEAM Academy in Newark, NJ.  Students commented on how they loved Dr. Fowler's story of pursuing veterinary medicine as a career and the work she currently does as Director of Producer and Public Health at the National Pork Board.

Dr. Fowler said the following about her visit:

... I shared information about my background, current work in the swine industry, and fielded questions from the students. I greatly enjoy these events which give me the opportunity to give back to my community here in the great state of New Jersey.

I am a living breathing example that young black women from New Jersey can achieve their wildest dreams. I hope the students I visited with this spring were inspired by my visit and know they too can achieve such heights.

Ms. Lisa Finn-Bruce, MPTCS' YVI facilitator, was equally inspired by Dr. Fowler's meeting with the students.  She told us how vested they are in the program:

I’m really hoping that some of the scholars who participated this year will be able to participate again.  They have really given their all!

YVI is now preparing for Year 3 of this successful program!

Featured image: Books by the Startup Squad

WIF is pleased to celebrate the recent successes of one of our most valued collaborative partners, The Startup Squad.

Founded by Brian Weisfeld, this organization’s mission is to inspire girls aged 6-16 years to open their first businesses and to empower them with an entrepreneurial mindset so they can realize their potential, whatever their passions may be.

Weisfeld and co-author Nicole C. Kear have written three novels that depict a multi-racial group of girls who run their own business. The series is recommended by the American Library Association as "a diverse and inclusive read to teach young people about money."

Weisfeld has made a point of reaching underserved girls with his books. He has raised money to donate 14,000 copies of his books to girls in New York City and kids in Appalachia. He also collaborates with existing girls’ charities such as the Girls Scouts of the USA to help them make their programs more effective. He is working on more books, charitable efforts, and other ways to reach and inspire girls as well.

Thanks to our relationship with the Startup Squad, we have collaborated with two of the organization's Girl CEOs - Rosemary Nwaosuagwu and Ava Dorsey.  Both these young ladies are achieving great things and we're pleased to highlight them here.

Rosemary Nwaosuagwu

We met Rosemary during the first year of the pandemic and were pleased to record a video with her for the pilot of a virtual story time program.  On October 9, 2020, she, Weisfeld, and Nazia Frank, Match Events Coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Houston, joined WIF founder and CEO, Dr. Monique Y. Wells for an “Ask the Entrepreneur” encounter on Zoom.

Rosemary was only six years old when she wrote her first book - Lily's Favorite Color.  She was seven years old when she wrote her second book - Come Along and Count with Lily.

Now, at the age of ten, she is a three-time author!

Find Rosemary's books here: https://www.booksbyrossy.com/books

Ava Dorsey

We met Ava when she was thirteen years old. At that time, she had already been running Ava's Pet Palace, her organic pet treat business for five years.  Because she was exploring the possibility of becoming a veterinarian, we invited her to present her business via a Zoom conference organized in collaboration with Pawsibilities, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and the Startup Squad on November 16, 2020. 

The Philanthropy Alliance Foundation, another treasured partner, organized a second Zoom conference on December 5, 2020 in collaboration with all the organizations that came together for the November conference.

Ava's business is growing rapidly, and she and Ava's Pet Palace are gaining nationwide recognition:

• In 2020, she won the Young Entrepreneurship Award.
• In 2021, she revamped her brand, achieved USDA Organic certification for her pet treats, and began selling her treats at all 75 PetPeople stores and at 17 other retailers across the U.S.
• In 2022, she has already participated in the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, FL, retailed Ava's Pet Palace treats in over 1,000 PetSmart stores across the country for a limited time, and donated several hundred dollars in cash and pet treats to multiple animal-focused charities.

Not even the sky is the limit for this brilliant young entrepreneur!

Find organic pet treats made by Ava's Pet Palace here: https://avaspetpalace.com/collections

YVI has enjoyed an incredibly productive year in collaboration with the South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA).  Danielle Corbin and her sixth-grade students have been with us since the beginning of the program and on June 3, 2022, we celebrated our 1st anniversary with them!

Sherita Herring-Oglesby of Philanthropy Alliance Foundation came up with the idea of a merit badge program to support the selection of students for YVI's 2023 summer camp, and she and I decided to award all the students in the class with the first badge of the program - the Microscope Badge.

We also decided to provide the students with certificates to reward them for the great work they've done since Corbin began teaching the 40-week YVI curriculum at SBECA.

In a ceremony akin to a graduation, held during a morning classroom session, each student was called by name and asked to come forward to receive a certificate.

We recorded the event on video for posterity - watch it below.

To extend the celebration, SBECA students participated in an exclusive interview with Dr. Tania Otero on June 10.  Student Madina A. Sissoko posed the initial questions, which Dr. Otero answered with candid enthusiasm.  Other students then asked their questions, and Dr. Otero responded to these as well.

YVI is looking forward to working with Danielle Corbin and SBECA throughout the summer to prepare for our foray into the 2022-2023 academic year.  We all have our "eyes on the prize" - Summer Camp 2023!

Ever since WIF donated twenty-two (22) books to Danielle Corbin's classroom to support her Youth Veterinarian Initiative (YVI)-inspired South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA) elective for sixth-grade students last December, we've increasingly focused on combining our STEAM education and Literacy Strategic Focus Areas through YVI.

Watch the brief video that we created to celebrate the first book donation below.

Ms. Corbin said the following about the gift of books to her class:

"The donation of books sparked curiosity, ... which has been essential to student engagement in scientific topics and careers in science.

"In September, all of my students wanted to build a volcano. Today, they are interested in climate change and how science connects to the real world. They're still surprised to see scientists that resemble them and their culture.

“My students’ interest in reading and their stamina for reading has improved.”

Ms. Corbin recently shared an example of how our biweekly YVI sessions support the reading assignments she gives her class.

One of the chapters in Bill Harley's Night of the Spadefoot Toads includes a passage about a snake shedding its skin. As the students read this passage, Ms. Corbin invited them to pause so they could watch Episode 3 of the YVI video series, during which Dr. Félix Vega discussed comparative anatomy of snakes and other animals, including humans. She said the students could barely contain their excitement!

As the first anniversary for our biweekly podcast sessions (June 5, 2022) approaches, our team will continue to look at ways for these sessions to complement and reinforce reading in the classroom and vice versa.

Stay tuned!

Our Literacy Initiative

Through our Reading Never Stops literacy initiative, WIF focuses on early readers (Kindergarten and Grade 1) and early transitional readers (children who are transitioning from reading picture books and simple texts to becoming self-regulating, independent readers of more difficult texts – Grades 2-3) who are of African descent. We provide opportunities for these students to:

• Learn to love reading
• Find role models in books that “look like them” regarding race and gender
• Be exposed to topics that can inspire an interest in travel and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics).

When we set this initiative in motion, our primary geographical focus was the underserved neighborhood of Sunnyside in Houston, TX. Sunnyside has often been labeled the most dangerous neighborhood in Houston, and in a 2018 report, NeighborhoodScout.com named it the 6th most dangerous neighborhood in the U.S.  Between 2006 and 2016, the community lost 200 businesses.  The poverty rate there is approximately 35%—much higher than the Houston average of 22%.

How It All Began

We successfully launched Reading Never Stops in Houston, Texas in June 2017.

In addition to donating 27 books to the Put It In A Book Foundation for a back-to-school giveaway and partnering in a Storytime event at the Children’s Museum of Houston, we joined forces with the Houston Public Library (HPL) to hold read-a-thons at the Johnson Branch in Sunnyside in 2017 and 2019.  Our goal for the read-a-thons was to stop “Summer Slide” – the learning deficit that occurs when children, particularly low-income children, don’t read or engage in other educational activities over summer vacation.

People & Pajamas 2017

The 2017 and 2019 read-a-thons at the Johnson Branch of the Houston Public Library served a total of 108 children and teens and 32 parents. Eighteen adults – community leaders, library staff, and others – read to participating children, who took over 300 books home to start home libraries. These events successfully increased awareness of the library as a safe and enjoyable place for youth and encouraged community participation and involvement in library activities.  They also encouraged families that aren’t already reading together to begin a new tradition at home.

Children attending the read-a-thons were enrolled in HPL’s Summer Reading Program.  Through this program, HPL’s current mission is to encourage children to read at least 20 minutes a day.

WIF’s arts and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education Strategic Focus Areas were incorporated into both read-a-thons, with kids personalizing bookmarks through coloring (arts) as well as creating and manipulating “slime” (STEAM education).

Funds from WIF’s Dow Chemical’s Dollars for Doers grant supported the STEAM education activities for the 2019 event.

Bloom Academy Charter School

Courtney Sales reading at 2019 People & Pajamas

To date, WIF has donated 1002 books to Bloom Academy to support the 94 children enrolled in the kindergarten through Grade 2 classes.  We have also donated 150 books to Memphis Merit Academy - Bloom's "sister school" in Memphis, TN.  We take special care to select titles that portray representational race and gender role models and characters that combat stereotypes and show young readers the diversity of opportunities available to them in this world.

The books that WIF donated to these schools have been used to build classroom libraries.  Future book contributions to this school will be used to build home libraries for students.

Virtual Story Time

On October 9, 2020, Dr. Monique Y. Wells, WIF’s Founder and CEO, joined Nazia Frank, Match Events Coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters Houston (BBBS), Brian Weisfeld, founder of The Startup Squad, and Rosemary Nwaosuagwu, an 8-year-old Houstonian who has published two books through her company called Books by Rossy, to record an "Ask the Entrepreneur" encounter on Zoom.

(The Startup Squad is an organization that empowers girls aged 7-17 years with an entrepreneurial mindset so they can realize their potential, whatever their passions may be.)

Weisfeld, Rosemary, and Dr. Wells answered questions submitted in advance by BBBS members and Rosemary read from her book entitled Lily's Favorite Color.

Top L to R: Nazia Frank and Monique Y. Wells
Bottom L to R: Brian Weisfeld and Rosemary Nwaosuagwu

The launch of Virtual Story Time has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

When we are able to launch, we will organize sessions where Rosemary and other children who author children’s books will read to the students at Bloom Academy, Memphis Merit Academy in Memphis, TN, and other schools.  The schools that the child authors attend will be invited to participate as well.

Through a collaboration with The Startup Squad, we plan to include children who have written and published children’s books in our list of authors.

In addition to helping the students who listen to the stories, this program helps the authors who read their stories develop presentation skills such as clear articulation, mastering performance anxiety, and audience relations.

Literacy and STEAM Education

WIF has included STEAM education in its literacy events and vice versa since we were founded.  As mentioned above, attendees at our 2017 and 2019 read-a-thons at the Houston Public Library enjoyed STEAM activities during the course of the day.

On June 20, 2017, the Children’s Museum of Houston hosted a session for parents to bring their kids to talk with WIF Founder & CEO, Dr. Monique Y. Wells, about veterinary medicine as a career.  This was followed by a story time session where Dr. Wells read to little ones and their parents about the different things one can do as a veterinarian.

The museum operates a Parent Resource Center in collaboration with the Houston Public Library.  It displayed 10 children’s books about veterinary medicine that it acquired from the library at the story time session and made toy stethoscopes available for participants.

Little girls and their moms attended this event. The kids enjoyed identifying animals in the book Dr. Wells read to them.  One little girl shared her stethoscope with her mom, placing the “business end” of the instrument on a stuffed animal while her mom listened for the heartbeat.

Child using toy stethoscope

As our Youth Veterinarian Initiative grows, we plan to incorporate literacy activities into the program.  Current ideas include a virtual book club and virtual story time sessions, with pre-vet undergraduate students, veterinary students, and veterinarians reading to youth.

On July 30, I was thrilled to be able to participate in the HYPE Freedom School Read Aloud program last month! Thanks to Zoom, I was able to read the book entitled "Richard Wright and the Library Card" to kids in my hometown of Houston, TX. The kids had lots of questions and I had great fun responding to them.

Watch the event here (~28 minutes): https://drive.google.com/.../13mCgABrtz6qr3IUlcjYJ.../view

Cover image:
Monique Y. Wells holding "Richard Wright and the Library Card"
© Wells International Foundation

Through your gifts for our Reading Never Stops literacy initiative, Bloom Academy Charter School in Houston, TX has received over 1000 books from WIF for its Kindergarten-2nd grade classroom libraries since January 2020!

By March 2020, Bloom students had already made remarkable progress with their reading skills:

• 59% of kindergartners were able to read at or above grade level.
• 71% of first graders grew one or more reading levels.
• 31% of kindergarten and first graders grew two or more reading levels.

Reading aloud to young children is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills; it also builds motivation, curiosity, and memory.  Your donations also support the establishment of a virtual story time program so that students will be able to listen to children’s book authors read their stories.

We are actively exploring the possibility of extending this story time to Bloom’s sister institution, Memphis Merit Academy in Memphis, Tennessee, to “plant the seed” of travel in the minds of students at both schools.

Click on the button below to give to support Reading Never Stops and other WIF projects and programs.

Did you know that everything you so generously support through WIF began in a library?

My passion for reading is the foundation of WIF's very existence! It is the foundation for our strategic focus on literacy and our Reading Never Stops initiative. And it all began at the Johnson Branch of the Houston Public Library.

The Johnson Branch is where your gifts have supported two successful read-a-thons to kick off the library's Summer Reading Program and help underserved children in the Sunnyside area of Houston start home libraries.

It is also where WIF became acquainted with Bloom Academy, the new charter school in Houston that you helped WIF support with a donation of over 300 new books for classroom libraries in January 2020.

Bloom shared the image of a happy kindergartner with one of the new books on Instagram and acknowledged WIF for the donation (see image below).

Most Bloom Academy students do not have books to read at home.

Bloom Academy's founder and head of school, Courtney Sales, wants to fill this need.

With your contribution, we can help!

Click on the button below to give to support Reading Never Stops and other WIF projects and programs.