Rep. Mike Levin Honors Local Literacy Program Founder as Constituent of the Month
Oceanside, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) announced that Edward Becerra, Founder of Education Begins in the Home and Vice President of Education of nonprofit, Empowering Latino Futures, is the September Constituent of the Month.
Becerra’s program, Education Begins in the Home, aims to increase literacy in the Latino community through access to free books. The program is one of several under non-profit Empowering Latino Futures, whose mission is to remove barriers to educational and professional success for Latino communities by creating products, services, content, partnerships, and programs that lead to equal opportunities for all.
Becerra started Education Begins in the Home in May of 2015 after learning that 60 percent of low-income families in the county at the time did not own a book at home, according to the San Diego Council on Literacy. To help address this, Becerra partners with community organizations to gather donated books and hosts “book sorting parties” with volunteers to later distribute in the community.
During the pandemic and school closures, Becerra partnered with local food distributions to continue his mission of ensuring all North County San Diego families have access to books at home. Since its founding, his program has hosted over 700 events and distributed 176,500 free books to children in North County San Diego. Rep. Levin’s office recently secured books for Becerra’s program through the Library of Congress Surplus Books program.
See below for Rep. Levin’s statement recognizing Edward Becerra in the Congressional Record:
“Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize Edward Becerra as my September Constituent of the Month. As we begin another school year, we must continue to support and uplift the work of local community leaders who are going above and beyond to help our region thrive. During the pandemic, many kids fell behind on key educational markers, including literacy. Edward’s work with Education Begins in the Home is critical to ensuring all families in my District have access to age-appropriate books for their children.
“Edward’s program, Education Begins in the Home, aims to increase literacy in the Latino community through access to free books. The program is one of several under non-profit Empowering Latino Futures, whose mission is to remove barriers to educational and professional success for Latino communities. He started Education Begins in the Home in May of 2015 after learning that 60 percent of low-income families in the county at the time did not own a book at home according to the San Diego Council on Literacy. To address this problem, Edward partners with community organizations to gather books and hosts ‘book sorting parties’ with volunteers to later distribute them in the community. Since its founding, his program has hosted 700 events and distributed 176,500 free books to children in North County San Diego. I’m proud that my office was able to secure books for Edward’s program through the Library of Congress Surplus Books program.
“During Hispanic Heritage Month, I am proud to uplift Edward Becerra and other Latino voices who contribute to our unique and diverse district. I’m so grateful for CA-49 residents who dedicate their time to the betterment of our community, and I’m proud to honor Edward Becerra as my September Constituent of the Month.”
Representative Levin’s Constituent of the Month program recognizes outstanding North County San Diego and South Orange County Residents who have gone above and beyond to help their neighbors, give back to their community, and represent the best of our country. Rep. Levin’s August Constituent of the Month was MiraCosta College educator Beatriz Palmer. Rep. Levin’s July Constituent of the Month was local reproductive health doctor Dr. Pratima Gupta. Rep. Levin’s June Constituent of the Month was Carlsbad native and LGBTQIA+ advocate Kevin Lee. To nominate a resident of the 49th District to be the Constituent of the Month, fill out this nomination form.
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