Let’s Celebrate Literacy!
Join us in celebrating 20 years of The Literacy Cooperative at the 10th Annual Read Across America Celebration featuring special guest, Randell McShepard on April 23, 2026, 5:30pm at Cuyahoga Community College’s Jerry Sue Thornton Center.
During the event, you’ll hear from families positively impacted by our initiatives and witness the recognition of the fifth Kurt Karakul Literacy Award winner. This $20,000 award, established by The Literacy Cooperative with a gift from the Third Federal Foundation, recognizes organizations advancing literacy in our community.
Sponsoring the event supports children in our community with free monthly, age-appropriate books while adults are provided the resources for the credentials and skills to secure meaningful employment.
We look forward to Randell McShepard as our keynote speaker. Randell is Vice President of Public Affairs and Chief Talent Officer at RPM International Inc., bringing decades of leadership across business, nonprofit, and civic sectors. He previously served as executive director of City Year Cleveland and held leadership roles with the Cleveland Bicentennial Commission. He serves as a trustee of The Cleveland Foundation and Destination Cleveland, and as a director of Citymark Capital LLC.
A respected civic leader, Randell founded PolicyBridge in 2004 and co-founded Rid All Green, an urban farming initiative in Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood focused on sustainability and workforce training. He made history as the first African American president of The Union Club of Cleveland. In 2025, he was elected chair of the board of The Cleveland Foundation. His leadership has earned wide recognition through local and national awards celebrating his impact, service, and commitment to community progress. He also contributed to the 2025 CLE Bee! Watch here.