Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
First Lady of the United States
(1989–1993)
 First Lady Barbara Bush reading to children in the White House Library, July 1990 | |
| Formation | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Barbara Bush First Lady of the United States (1989–1993) |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) organization |
| Purpose | Literacy |
Key people | Barbara Bush (1989–2018) Doro Bush Koch (Honorary Chair) since 2014 |
| Website | www |
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is a non-profit organization, headquartered in Washington D.C., supporting literacy as fundamental to the success of both families and the U.S. economy. The foundation promotes access to resources to build a stronger, more equitable America through literacy.[1] The organization co-sponsored the Adult Literacy XPRIZE and produces a "Gap Map" literacy data mapping tool, the National Celebration of Reading, and other events.
During Barbara Bush's time as second lady, while her husband was Vice President of the United States, she took an interest in literacy issues. She had previously coached her son, Neil, in reading, who was later diagnosed with dyslexia, and believed in family-based approaches to reverse illiteracy trends.[2] Barbara Bush was also inspired by a literacy conference in November 1988, organized by her chief of staff, Susan Porter Rose. The conference hosted Loretta Lynn and other notable people, and after the night was over, Barbara Bush, wanted to create a foundation that would "break the intergenerational cycle of illiteracy."[3] She subsequently began working with several different literacy organizations and spent much time researching and learning about the factors that contributed to illiteracy—she believed homelessness was also connected to illiteracy.[4] In 1984 she wrote a children's book about her family told from the point of view of her dog C. Fred entitled C. Fred's Story, and donated all proceeds to literacy charities.[4]
When her husband became president her most public cause was family literacy. She called it "the most important issue we have".[5] Six weeks after her husband's inauguration, on March 6, 1989, she announced the establishment of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, during a White House luncheon.[6] She appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the situation and spoke regularly on Mrs. Bush's Story Time, a national radio program that stressed the importance of reading aloud to children;[7] some of the program's content is also included in the foundation's podcast by the same name, launched in 2020 and hosted by BBF honorary chair Doro Bush Koch.[8] Her work to promote literacy inspired her husband to sign the 1991 National Literacy Act into law.[9]
Barbara Bush became involved with literacy organizations, served on literacy committees and chaired reading organizations, and helped develop the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.[10] Some funding came from a book, credited to the Bushes' dog Millie but ghostwritten by Barbara Bush, Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush. The book reached #1 on The New York Times bestseller nonfiction list,[11] earning $1.1 Million of royalties to July 1991.[12] All of the after-tax royalties were donated to the foundation.[13]
When the Bush Family left the White House in 1993, she continued her work of family literacy. By its 30th anniversary, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy had been described by CNN as "the nation's leading advocate for family literacy for more than three decades", which had helped raise over $110 million for new and existing literacy programs.[9]
Mission and management
The foundation's mission is "building a stronger, more equitable America through literacy."[14] It is registered as a public charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.[15] The founding chair was Joan Abrahamson,[6] and Barbara Bush served as honorary chairperson until 2012. From then, her children Jeb Bush and Doro Bush Koch served as co-chairs.[16] Jeb Bush resigned in 2015, leaving Bush Koch as the honorary chairperson; Barbara Bush also remained active in the foundation.[17]
Andrew Roberts serves as the foundation's president starting in 2024. Prior to stepping into the role of President, he served as the Barbara Bush Foundation's Chief Operating Officer for more than three years.[18] In 2023, Roberts was honored as a Top 100 Chief Operating Officer by the OnCon Icon Awards.[19] Before joining the Barbara Bush Foundation, Roberts held a number of leadership roles at AARP, including Vice President of Enterprise Strategy and Director of Organizational Effectiveness.[18] In these positions, he helped develop a Malcolm Baldrige award-winning best practice strategic planning process for the organization's social impact portfolio.[20] Previously, Roberts was a management consultant at a number of firms devoted to helping clients in the commercial, nonprofit and federal sectors with strategy and operations projects.[18]