The Secret Garden: Supporting Families & Fostering Literacy

Britepaths was featured as the home page story on The Phil VA titled “The Secret Garden: Supporting Families & Fostering Literacy.”

The article highlights the launch of The Secret Garden at Britepaths, a welcoming, in-office book nook where local children can choose and take home free, new, and like-new books. It describes the space as an extension of Britepaths’ broader mission of holistic support, assisting families in crisis not only through food security and financial assistance, but also through youth-focused initiatives.

The piece explores the inspiration behind The Secret Garden, including reflections from Britepaths Executive Director Abra Kurt, who shared how her lifelong love of reading and the themes of transformation and discovery in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden helped shape the vision for the initiative.

The article also includes insights from Britepaths’ Food Security and Youth Programs Manager, Cora Lundgren, who spoke about how the book nook brings joy to children accompanying their families to the office. It concludes with highlighting the strong community support behind the initiative, from staff and board members to corporate and local partners who donated books and hosted drives.

Read the full article on The Phil VA.