Photo Gallery
Events
August 2024
Back to School Extravaganza
We enjoyed meeting local families and giving away FREE books and school supplies. The weather was perfect for the event held on our property on the NE corner of 16 th and Spruce. Thanks to our volunteers who helped with face painting and games for the kids. Special thanks to the Springfield Fire Department and to our Board members: Eli Goodman, Shakera Bridgeford, Alleen Thornton, Shari Kozar, Donna Brown and Rickey Brown, who had the hot dogs flying off the grill.
We would also like to thank individual donors and the following businesses for their donations: Kim Derringer, McDonald’s Owner; Advanced Dental, Bank of Springfield and Humphrey’s.
May 2024
Painting Fundraiser
Combining our love for literature with spending time with friends, we held a post Mother’s Day event at the Springfield Art Association. We re-created covers of some of our favorite books: Lady Sings the Blues, Sula, The Color Purple and The Wedding. We also painted the covers of children’s books: The Rainbow Fish and Madeline. We hope to make this an annual fundraising event.
May 2024
Certified Dyslexia Instructor
Founder, Donna Brown completed a year-long training program offered through the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Springfield. The program included a 100-hour practicum and instruction in best practices for working with students with dyslexia.
“I learned a lot about English in a way I hadn’t before,” says Brown who has an undergraduate degree in English from DePaul University. “It was a difficult course. I struggled, but I was determined to master the content. Because private tutoring is expensive, I got this training to help children who don’t come from wealthy or privileged families.” Brown has incorporated what she learned with iMagicNation volunteers. She says the coursework she received can help all children, not just those with dyslexia.
april 2024
Distinguished Volunteer Award
Founder Donna A. Brown received the Distinguished Volunteer Award, recognizing her for her commitment to literacy and for creating numerous tutoring and in-school and summer reading programs. “Receiving the award gave me another chance to talk about our mission and to shed light on need for tutoring services in our community. Most people don’t know that the majority of students in our school district are not proficient in English and Language Arts.” As a result of Brown’s recognition, iMagicNation was featured in the local news media, reaching new readers and listeners with its message.
