Our History
Our co-founder, Erica Frishberg, struggled with dyslexia and hated to read when she was younger. She told her story to her co-founder, Jacob Carrion, and together they discussed how non-readers miss out on so many great books, so they came up with Hearing for a Change, a fun way to get struggling readers to love books!
In August 2022, they started their first Hearing for a Change club at Olympic Heights Community High School. After training their volunteers on how to listen and discuss audiobooks to foster the love of books, they then volunteered weekly at Hammock Pointe Elementary to work with struggling readers.
In March 2023, their pitch to Philanthropy Tank was awarded $10,000, and since then they have been working hard to expand Hearing for a Change to other high schools. In September 2023, they opened new chapters at Spanish River Community High School and A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. In October 2023, they expanded to 4 elementary schools, increased to 52 volunteers, and helped 48 struggling readers.
They are actively looking to replicate Hearing for a Change clubs at other high schools in Palm Beach County, FL, since they want to change more struggling readers' lives. Their data shows that after struggling readers listen and discuss audiobooks with their trained high school volunteers, they have a more positive opinion of books and are more likely to listen to audiobooks for pleasure!