It only takes one seed to grow a forest. That’s where the story of Words on Wheels begins. It all started when Beth Ragsdale, our founder, was preparing to embrace her next journey in life…retirement. After 40 plus years in the banking industry, it was time to hang up the good old calculator and figure out her next move. She was faced with a difficult decision. Beth had to ask herself, “Do I do nothing for the next 10 years or should I find something else to fill my time?” The contemplation began. Ultimately the decision was made…Beth was not going to find a hobby, she was going to do something impactful. Exactly what that would be doesn’t come till later.
One day, Beth read a statement, having a successful life can be pretty much determined by the number of vocabulary words received before the age of five. That is when the magical seed was planted. At that point, all of her memories from years of volunteering, sitting on boards, volunteering in the community, spending time with her kids, her grandchildren and all of her nieces and nephews hit her. The memories combined with her love for children and her overwhelming drive to make a difference caused that seed to grow even further.
The next phase was the research and testing. First, with her family. They all visited a child care center in a low income neighborhood. They brought books to give to each child, and spent time playing with them. The kids loved it. Beth and her family loved it. They could see the impact was immediate. The seed continued to grow. Next was the research, which was overwhelming. One statistic that stood out, 76% of kindergartners in Lake County have little to no knowledge a book, fed the seed even more.
Thereafter, her grandson came up with the name Words on Wheels. Beth recruited her friends to form the board. They worked together to continue to build up the organization. On 12/22/11, Words on Wheels officially became a 501(c)(3) non for profit. That was the first chapter. The next one begins now.
Today, Words on Wheels brings the words to them. Our mission is to impact the lives and futures of young children through the power of WORDS.
Help us transform society by increasing the early literacy skills among lower income neighborhoods. You can take the first step by either donating a small donation or becoming a volunteer. We could use all the help we can get to ensure the future of the world is in good hands.
