WITS is thrilled to announce a $500,000 investment in our mission from Margaret Siber, a longtime WITS supporter and friend. This gift will allow WITS to pioneer forward in our mission to empower Chicago elementary students to discover themselves through reading and develop foundational literacy skills.
Margaret Siber was a committed WITS participant and advocate for over ten years. A strong proponent of reading education, she rarely missed an opportunity to read to children at Chicago’s Drake School.
Originally from Montreal, Margaret had a long career as a pediatrician and geneticist that covered Chicago, Boston, and New York City. She spent her life working to improve the health of all children. In particular, she focused her professional attention on children from underprivileged backgrounds and neighborhoods.
While sustaining her medical career, she raised three successful children of her own and was the grandmother of four. She possessed a deep love for children and dedicated her life to aiding in their well being. The WITS program of reading to children in CPS schools was right in line with her life’s work of ensuring that children were being given the best grounding possible.
This posthumous gift to the WITS program was very important to Margaret. Her family sees this as both an ideal legacy for her and an essential form of support for organizations like WITS that seek to improve the lives of children.
“When I met Margaret in 2016, she exuded everything we value in our thousands of mentors. She cared deeply for each of her students, the school community, and our broader mission. Not only was she a dedicated mentor, she was a thought partner to and cheerleader of our staff.” Her passing affected us all and we are incredibly humbled and honored to carry on her legacy with this transformational gift,” says WITS CEO Tena Latona.
This generous gift from Margaret will allow WITS to accomplish many of our goals aligning with our five-year strategic plan, which includes:
- Tripling the number of corporations making meaningful, long-term commitments to Chicago neighborhood schools and the literacy development of thousands of students through WITS.
- Doubling the number of students we serve in our Kindergarten through fourth-grade programs. We focus on these critical developmental ages to help students build resiliency, curiosity, grit, foundational literacy skills, and confidence in forming peer and adult relationships, setting them on a path to lifelong success.
- Increasing the number of classroom libraries we build for teachers across CPS from 100 to 300 by 2028. WITS classroom libraries significantly increase access to diverse books across grade levels and ensure students can read stories that reflect their lives.
Every gift WITS receives helps us grow closer and closer toward our ultimate goal of ensuring that every student in Chicago develops foundational literacy skills. WITS impacts the lives of over 3,200 students annually through mentorship and book-granting programs. We hope that Margaret’s story inspires you to give to WITS and help build CPS student’s community through literacy-based mentorship.
