When retired pediatrician Dr. Margaret Siber thinks about WITS, she remembers how her passion started for helping young people. “I spent my career watching children grow and develop; WITS gives me the opportunity to continue my passion for helping children reach their full potential. I love watching the kindergartners developing their reading skills week by week.”
After moving into Brookdale Senior Living and befriending current WITS Kindergarten volunteers, Dr. Siber joined the program. “The WITS program certainly piqued my interest,” Dr. Siber says. “I felt that such a program would be extremely important to children who may have had little exposure to reading. It seemed to me that WITS would provide me the opportunity to make the world a better place.”
For over 10 years, Dr. Margaret Siber has mentored students at Drake Elementary School in Bronzeville. She has enjoyed getting to know her students’ interests, watching their growth and sharing conversations about each other’s lives. All while reading stories.
Foundation of Giving
Dr. Siber’s passion for others has been a lifelong journey, starting back when she was in medical school at McGill Medical School in Montreal, Canada. “Participating in WITS is an extension of activities I have been involved with during and after medical school. As one of six second-year medical students, I helped start a storefront clinic in a low-income area of Montreal. My primary responsibility was to call our professors and ask them to see patients at the clinic for an evening. It was with great trepidation I made those calls, but every single professor I called agreed to volunteer their time.”
The clinic she helped start celebrated their 50th anniversary last year. This significant time in her life led her to seek other philanthropic opportunities. “This successful social action was most gratifying. Investing a little time, some energy, and perhaps some skills to WITS felt like a very worthwhile endeavor.”
Leading the Way
Thanks to a generous investment from Dr. Siber, WITS is closer to being able to deliver on our strategic vision. For many years, WITS focused on serving as many schools and students as possible. Our rapid growth elevated WITS as a leader in advancing Chicago Public School (CPS) literacy. Instead of continuing to grow, WITS is honing our approach by designing and facilitating programs that drive student outcomes. WITS has developed a strategic plan focusing on layering programs, adapting program design, and improving evaluation metrics. We want to ensure literacy is possible for every student we serve. Dr. Siber shares that vision.
“The WITS outcomes show that children who participate in WITS Kindergarten do better in reading scores than their peers. I hope that the program can be extended to more CPS schools. And I hope that information regarding the success of WITS can be disseminated to school systems throughout the country.”
We are beyond grateful for Dr. Margaret Siber’s lead gift in WITS Strategic Vision. For more information on WITS Strategic Vision, please contact Ashley Bloom at 312-422-6206 or ashley@witschicago.org.
