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Working to Eliminate Poverty by Providing Children Access to Education

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Overview

Breaking the Chain

Breaking the Chain is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2007 by fourteen-year-old high school student, Riley Carney. Since then, our team and programs have grown, and we are committed to eliminating poverty for children through education and sustainable development, both within the United States and internationally.

To date, we have raised over $140,000, built three schools in Africa, plus water purification and alternative income for adults, and purchased over 25,000 new books for classrooms in low-literacy elementary schools in the U.S.

the team

Riley Carney

Founder, Co-President

Riley founded Breaking the Chain when she was 14 years old. She is the author of the five-book Reign of Elements series and has spoken to thousands of students around the country about her work and BTC. She is a Coca-Cola Scholar, a U.S. Congressional Award Gold Medalist, and an AXA Equitable Achievement Scholar. She entered Harvard University in the fall of 2011. Visit Riley's author website at www.rileycarney.com for more information.

Nick Carney

Chairman of the Board, Co-President

Nick graduated Magna Cum Laude Davidson College in 2011 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Economics. He was a Belk Scholar, a Chidsey Leadership Fellow, co-founder and president of the Davidson chapter of the Roosevelt Institute, President of Engage for Change, and a U.S. Congressional Award Gold Medalist. Nick has worked for Third Way, The Fund for Peace, and Breakthrough Collaborative.

Marybeth Campeau

Executive Director

Marybeth graduated from Davidson College in 2011 with a B.A. in Political Science and a concentration in Gender Studies. While in college, she was Rusk Eating House president, a member of Leadership Davidson, and on the Honor Council. She has worked at Soapbox Studios, EmDash LLC, and The Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training. She is currently the Assistant Director of Communications at McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN.

Donors Individual DonorsRon and Kathe BarronTheresa and Jim BergerCountryside Montessori SchoolsMike and Wendy CarneyPatty and Steve CoffinMichelle CornelisonCathy and Peter CulshawPat and Debbie CurleyGeorge and Marion CurtisKim and Robert DavisErin DealeyChris and Linda DeMarcheTony and Colleen DeNunzioMarilyn and Kramer DuhonDebbie DuncanBrad and Hannah DustoStephanie EvansJune GoodwinTom GraesserChristie GrymesKelley HampersBeth HoffmanLynn Jankovsky and Sally BergaRay and Susan JenkinsBetsy and John JoyceDan and Lisa KellyRandy Kessler and Dawn NakamuraKelly MatzenbacherAnne MazerRandy Susan MeyersBob MohrKaren MonroyMike and Jenny MyersNewton Middle SchoolPatty O'Brien NovakAnn and Doug PattersonElizabeth PoppNan and Chuck ProcknowSharon ProvencioJeff and Nancy PuckettCarol RascoeTerri ReedOlugbemisola Rhuday-PerkovichIris RolandSt. Lawrence SchoolLisa SchultheisMark SchwartzPeter and Janice ThomasJoe WallaceMark and Cathy WiebeBrian and Susan WilliamsKurt and Beth WilliamsSandy and Jerry WilliamsTracy and Beth WilliamsTom and Julie Wilson

Without support from donors, our work would be impossible. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

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Corporate Sponsors

Scholastic Literacy Partnerships

Usborne Books

Noble Energy

Breaking the Chain buys new books with 50% Matching Grants through Usborne Books & More.Educational Development Corporation, a publicly traded company on NASDAQ (EDUC), is a company dedicated to providing the best educational children’s books available in the marketplace; award-winning Usborne books - the books kids love to read! In addition, they also offer Kane/Miller books, award-winning children's books from around the world to introduce children to books from other countries, cultures and communities.Educational Development Corporation has implemented a 50% matching grant program, Literacy for a Lifetime, which partners with local businesses and individuals to support schools and charitable organizations working to increase literacy among our youth.Usborne books and Kane/Miller books that are purchased through the Literacy for a Lifetime program are matched by Educational Development Corporation with 50% additional Usborne and Kane/Miller books for free both for recipients to make their grants and donations stretch farther and to those giving to make their grants or donations even larger!For more information, visit matching-grant-program.com.
Breaking the Chain gratefully accepted a grant from Noble Energy.Building on a legacy of collaboration and civic involvement, Noble Energy proactively seeks constructive partnerships that improve the quality of life in the areas where they operate. They are proud of their employees’ volunteer efforts to positively impact their communities, and they provide financial support to worthwhile organizations and projects.
Breaking the Chain works with Scholastic Literacy Partnerships.Since its inception in 1999, Scholastic Literacy Partnerships has had one simple goal: to assist literacy programs in their efforts to get more books into the hands of children in need. By providing special book discounts and other benefits, Scholastic works to both sustain and expand the outreach of these programs. Last year alone, these organizations distributed over 4 million books through the Scholastic Literacy Partnerships program

WHAT

CLASSROOM LIBRARIES

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Classroom Libraries

Breaking the Chain works to put new books in high-risk, high-need elementary and middle schools.The program focuses primarily on elementary school students, since kindergarten through fifth grade is the most critical time for literacy. After fifth grade, children are no longer taught basic literacy skills in school, and children who have not learned to read by age ten will likely be illiterate for the rest of their lives. To date, we have bought over 25,000 new books for classrooms. Breaking the Chain seeks to increase literacy rates by providing opportunity. Often, children in low income neighborhoods are only exposed to books at school, but since their schools are very underfunded and are not able to put books in their classrooms, they have very little exposure to books. Since a child can only truly learn to read through constant practice and exposure to books, the absence of books greatly decreases the chance that these children will achieve literacy.In 2008, Breaking the Chain created a literacy center for children in a women's shelter in Denver, Colorado. The room was equipped with many books, shelves, bean bags, table, colorful rug, pictures, educational games and toys, large chalkboard, arts and crafts supplies. This room provides a safe, happy place for the children to create, problem-solve and talk to the counselors about their emotions.The goal of the literacy center is to begin counteracting the anxiety, withdrawal, and anger associated with the children's past experiences, and begin to minimize the cognitive behavior changes that cause poor school performance and greater risk of illiteracy.

Partner Schools

A new initiative for Breaking the Chain, we pair high schools with elementary schools. The high school collaborates amongst its own community service organizations to raise money to donate to a specific elementary school classroom. The high school sets a fundraising goal, and Breaking the Chain identifies a classroom in need. Once the school reaches its goal, Breaking the Chain purchases the age-appropriate books at a discounted rate and delivers them to the elementary school classroom. Breaking the Chain provides t-shirts and promotional material that students can sell to raise money at their high schools.We ask the elementary school where they need books the most--whether it's in the library, learning center, or in the care of teachers in individual classrooms--and we act upon what the school sees as the best use.

International

International Work

Breaking the Chain has built three schools in Africa, one in Kenya and two in Sierra Leone.To help, please donate to Breaking the Chain and indicate that you'd like your donation to be towards international development. We'll keep you posted on the progress as we reach our goal of building another sustainable school system in Africa.The region of Massai Mara has an illiteracy rate of 82%. Sub-Saharan Africa has the greatest school drop-out rates, as well as the highest child labor figures in the world, especially for girls. The current government education fund only supplies each child with 12 exercise books and three pens per year.Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation, where 70% of its citizens live below the poverty line. The literacy rate is only 35%, overall, and only 24% for women and girls. The median age in Sierra Leone is 17 years.Six years ago, an eleven year civil war over the countrys diamond mines finally ended. Tens of thousands of people were killed, more than 2 million people were displaced, and at least 10,000 children were forced to fight as soldiers in the war. Democracy has been reestablished since 2002 and the country has stabilized, however, most of the schools were destroyed during the conflict.The funds we raised were enough to build three schools, one in Motony, Kenya and two in Sierra Leone. We were also able to adopt two of the villages where we built schools.The funds were enough to:Build schools and provide desks, supplies, and teacher salaries for each of the schoolsBuild clean water systems for two of the villagesProvide sources of alternative income sources, such as goats and sewing machines, for the adults in the villagesProvide basic medical suppliesBuilding clean water systems will reduce disease, and eliminate the day-long walk to gather water at dirty rivers that is assigned to girls, so that they can attend school. This form of child labor prevents girls from receiving an education. Alternative income projects will provide cows, goats, sewing machines, and other sources of income so that the children are able to stay in school, and do not need to work to support their families.For the sake of efficiency, we partnered with the organization, Free The Children on our African projects.

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Book Drives

Breaking the Chain helps your organization sponsor more effective book drives. For every used book donated to Breaking the Chain, we match it by donating a new one. To participate, simply take a photo of the books that your organization is donating, and send that photo to breakingthechain_linkbylink.org along with the number of books. We ship that organization the same number of new books.For more information, please email breakingthechain_linkbylink.org.

PARTNER SCHOOLS

INTER- NATIONAL

BOOK DRIVES

WHEN

Now.

WHERE Schools That Have Received Books from Breaking the Chain ProgramsAmy Houston Academy, AZArkansas Elementary School, COAtlas Preparatory School, COCeiba Preparatory School, CAColumbus Bilingual Academy, OHFairview Elementary School, COFlorida-Pitt Waller School, COGarden Place Elementary, COKIPP Sunshine Peak Academy, COMonterey Community School, COOelwein Middle School, IAPlace Bridge Academy, COSan Rafael Elementary School, CASilver Creek School, INSt. Rose of Lima School, COSunland Elementary School, AZSunset Vista Elementary School, AZTurman Elementary School, COWyatt-Edison Charter School, CO

WHY

Why Books?Over 120 million children around the world between the ages of six and fourteen are denied access to basic education. Nearly 800 million adults around the world do not know how to read or write. Almost 3 billion people live in extreme poverty. There is a direct correlation between illiteracy and poverty. Often, children in low-income neighborhoods are only exposed to books at school, but since their schools are very underfunded and are not able to put books in their classrooms, they have very little exposure to books. Since a child can only truly learn to read through constant practice and exposure to books, the absence of books greatly decreases the chances that these children will achieve literacy. Two-thirds of children who do not learn to read by the end of fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare.We focus primarily on elementary school students, since kindergarten through fifth grade is the most critical time for literacy. After fifth grade, children are no longer taught basic literacy skills in school, and children who have not learned to read by age ten will likely be illiterate for the rest of their lives.We provide books to classrooms in underfunded, low-literacy schools so that the students have the opportunity to be exposed to books. We believe that this significantly increases literacy rates. We also give students books of their own to take home. In addition to increased literacy, some students will even begin to enjoy reading.We seek to increase literacy by promoting education through various means; providing books to high-need, low-literacy schools, building schools, and literacy centers. We seek to empower children so they can lead independent, healthy lives.

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Get InvolvedTeachers and AdministratorsNominate your school to participate in the school partnership program.StudentsLearn more about:sponsoring a book drivesponsoring a fundraiserstarting a chapter of Breaking the Chain at your schoolselling our t-shirts and stickers and donating the proceeds to Breaking the ChainAnyone & EveryoneDonate directly to Breaking the Chain, and rest assured that 100% of the money goes towards providing children access to books.E-Mail: breakingthechain_linkbylink.org
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To purchase, click on the PayPal buttons below. All proceeds go towards improving children's literacy. After you order, e-mail breakingthechain_linkbylink.org and indicate shipping address. For t-shirts, indicate size & men's or women's). Orders shipped within 24 hours.

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We welcome comments, feedback, and ideas about how to better serve our local and global community. Drop us a line, and we'll be sure to get back in touch lickity-split.

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Breaking The Chain

P.O. Box 100644 Denver, CO 80250-0644

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breakingthechain_linkbylink.org