Neighborhood Alliance adds Rock 'N' Read as partner program

LORAIN — Neighborhood Alliance has added Rock 'N' Read to its partnership programs. The group recently partnered with the organization to provide administrative support. Alicia Foss, president/CEO of Neighborhood Alliance, said in a news release that Rock 'N' Read is a natural fit with its early childhood education and family support services. Rock 'N' Read was started in 2017 by Tom and Meg Godlewski in memory of Anne Godlewski, a former Lorain Schools elementary teacher. Anne Godlewski planned to donate rocking chairs and children's books to mothers in need upon her retirement in 2018, but Godlewski died unexpectedly in February of 2017. Anne Godlewski's husband, Tom, and their daughter, Meg, continued the longtime teacher's plans, providing oak rocking chairs and a basket of books in English or Spanish to support kindergarten readiness and remove barriers from mothers reading to their children. Meg Godlewski said Rock 'N Read's mission is to expose young children to literature. "We are beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to partner with Neighborhood Alliance," Meg Godlewski said. "With similar missions and values, it seems to be the perfect fit. We are confident this partnership will enable Rock 'N' Read to make an even greater impact in the community." Since 2017, Rock 'N' Read has donated more than 180 rocking chairs and nearly 3,000 books to new families in need in Lorain County.