InTucker Magazine

Citizen of the Month – Terry Preston

Terry Preston is relatively new to the Tucker area, but she has quickly made it her home and found a fun way to serve her chosen community. Terry is a widow, a mother of two, a daughter and sister, as well as a compassionate outreach coordinator for a local hospice company. She is the perfect example of how to dive into your chosen community and make a difference, which is why I would like to nominate her for Tucker’s Citizen of the Month. With a long career in community outreach, Terry is a friend to everyone she meets. The motivation to help and lead others with grace and fun comes naturally to her and it is made obvious in just one conversation with her. Terry is energy and positive vibes incarnated, and she spreads light and joy wherever she goes.

Growing up, Terry struggled with reading. As an adult she became aware of the disparity in academic success in children from various backgrounds and learned it could be directly linked to how toddlers are interacted with, particularly regarding exposure to words. An obvious and well-documented solution is reading to our children. The idea of starting a non-profit to help provide books to underserved children had been percolating for a bit and when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered us all in it was the perfect time for the idea to blossom.  Terry’s inspiration was not only her childhood struggles but also seeing how teachers adapted to engaging students during the pandemic. One teacher started a bedtime story zoom for her students. Terry was so moved she decided to establish her own reading program.

The Radikal Readers Clubhouse is a multicultural and multi-generational literacy program that connects with children and adults all over the world via social media, and in-person events to encourage them to read. Terry focuses on providing sufficient access to books and reading programs for children in low-resource communities. As part of its mission to promote literacy in under-resourced communities, the Radikal Readers Clubhouse regularly organizes community book drives to collect donations of new and gently used books. Through Radikal Reader’s Clubhouse Terry is on a mission “to enhance the quality of life for those in need in our community who do not have access to books or reading resources, and to foster genuine and enduring relationships in our culturally diverse neighborhoods.”  Terry’s outreach includes story time on Facebook Live every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. EST, and a free kids circle which takes place the second Saturday of each month at the Green Park Apartments here in Tucker. The kids that attend receive free books, can participate in awesome arts and crafts projects, are introduced to local authors and a pizza lunch. Green Park Apartments, and the community are a big part of the success of this program.

Terry has partnered with Citizen’s for Family Activities in Tucker for several events, and I am so grateful to her for her mutual support and enthusiasm. Submitted by Camille Mahdi