Bradenton, FL – May 13, 2025

A Gift of Literacy.

We are honored and deeply grateful to announce a generous donation to the Manatee Literacy Council from The Patterson Foundation, made in recognition of Andrew Spector and his outstanding support of Indiana University’s Study Away program.

As part of their commitment to honoring community partners who uplift and inspire others, The Patterson Foundation offered Andrew the opportunity to select a nonprofit to receive a gift in his name, and he chose us!

Andrew Spector joined The Patterson Foundation as its ninth Fellow in August 2023, working on programs, strategy, and special projects. He’s also a loaned consultant to two other local foundations. Prior to The Patterson Foundation, Andrew co-founded and directed Tulsa Changemakers, a K-12 youth leadership development and action organization working towards a future where Tulsa is a model city for youth-driven impact. Andrew started Tulsa Changemakers as a 6th-grade teacher and Teach For America corps member and incubated it under the nonprofit umbrella of Leadership Tulsa, working there as a program manager.

Andrew employs a values-based leadership approach rooted in training from URJ Eisner Camp, Interfaith America, the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, and the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. In 2018, Andrew was honored with Oklahoma’s NextGen Under 30 Award.  Andrew is originally from Bedford, Massachusetts. He holds a Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, Indianapolis, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the Honors College at College of Charleston.

Why this matters:
Donations like this help us continue our mission to empower adults in Manatee County through improved literacy. With 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. struggling to read, write, or do basic math beyond a third-grade level, the need for accessible, individualized adult education is greater than ever.

Thanks to Andrew’s thoughtfulness and The Patterson Foundation’s generosity, more adults will receive the support they need to read to their children, apply for jobs, manage their finances, and pursue their dreams.

From all of us at the Manatee Literacy Council — thank you.
To Andrew, The Patterson Foundation, and all those who believe in the power of literacy: your support makes a lasting impact.

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