$100,000 Gift Made to Early Literacy Fund

Lawrence A. Sanders

(Press Release) ​West Palm Beach, FL (March 11, 2024) – The Lawrence A. Sanders Foundation has announced a $100,000 gift to the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties’ newly established Early Literacy Fund. Founded in 1991, the Lawrence A. Sanders Foundation is primarily focused on promoting literacy. The Community Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that leads partnerships with donors, nonprofits and community members to solve the region’s chronic and emerging issues.
 
The Early Literacy Fund is the Community Foundation’s philanthropic response to the alarming youth literacy rates in Palm Beach and Martin Counties. The Lawrence A. Sanders Foundation’s $100,000 gift will specifically support the UFLI Foundations: An Explicit and Systematic Phonics Program, which will be piloted in four Palm Beach County and Martin County nonprofits this summer. UFLI Foundations is a curriculum designed by Dr. Holly Lane, the director of the University of Florida’s Literacy Institute (UFLI), to help teachers with students who need to improve their reading skills to achieve grade-level status.

---

The participating nonprofits are Banner Lake Club in Hobe Sound, Fuller Center in Boca Raton, Achievement Center for Children & Families in Delray Beach, and Edna W. Runner Tutorial Center in Jupiter.
 
“Mr. Sanders was committed to using his wealth to create a lasting impact in the community,” said the author’s estate planning attorney J. Daniel Brede. “He was comfortable collaborating with the Community Foundation because he knew they had the staff and research ability to identify where his giving would have the greatest impact.”
 
For more than 24 years, the Lawrence A. Sanders Foundation has supported the Community Foundation through the “Lawrence A. Sanders Fund to Promote Literacy” and the “Lawrence A. Sanders Scholarship Fund for Creative Writing.” Since 2000, these funds have invested more than $2 million dollars at the Community Foundation and supported 37 student scholarships in support of literacy.
 
“The Community Foundation truly values the long-standing partnership we have had with the Lawrence A. Sanders Foundation and demonstrates the impact that one individual’s legacy can make in addressing the important challenge of early childhood literacy,” said Danita R. DeHaney, President & CEO of the Community Foundation. “With this generous gift, we will be able to fortify the UFLI Foundations pilot program in our community and look towards its future success.”
 
Beginning in 2024, the Early Literacy Fund will be incorporated into the Community Foundation’s annual competitive “Community Impact” grantmaking cycle – specifically in its priority area of Education and Youth. Competitive grants are a hallmark of the Community Foundation and are a lifeline for those nonprofit partners tackling the area’s greatest needs at the grassroots level.
 
For more information or to donate to the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin County, please visit https://yourcommunityfoundation.org/give-now/. For more information on the Early Literacy Fund, please visit https://yourcommunityfoundation.org/funds/early-literacy-fund/.