Being able to read is the most critical skill for anyone who wants to fully claim and realize the freedoms America promises; this is why Freadom exists. Freadom is a social enterprise created to accelerate and amplify the awareness of and advance the cause for literacy. Freadom designs and sells high-quality, responsibly made apparel and products from which 100% of the net profit supports literacy initiatives throughout America.
Freadom has the audacious goal of investing $100 Million to literacy annually.
We're donating 100% of net profits to fight for literacy for all.
Yes, 100%.
What that means:
Simply put, Freadom defines net profit as revenue from all sources minus all ordinary business expenses and necessary working capital.
*We are just getting started! Therefore, until we are profitable, Freadom commits to donating 10% of all revenue.
The mission:
Advance the cause for, and accelerate and amplify the awareness of, literacy in America.
Our brand promises FREEDOM FOR ALL by fighting for LITERACY FOR ALL. Every single penny of net profits at Freadom will be donated to literacy initiatives which are efficient, effective, scalable and sustainable. At Freadom, we believe the better you read, the more free you will be.
OUR PLEDGE:
Because traditional philanthropy alone will never solve the literacy problem in America, we pledge to:
Raise Awareness
Significantly increase awareness around our country’s literacy crisis and make literacy a national priority.
Commit 100% of Profits
Once established, commit 100% of our profits to literacy non-profits which are proven to be effective, efficient, scalable and sustainable.
$100 Million
Aspire to donate $100 Million annually to promising literacy initiatives throughout America.
THE CHALLENGE:
More than 30 million adults in America cannot read or write and 61% of low-income families have ZERO books in their homes.
We're fighting for literacy for all.
WE BELIEVE
We believe in the idea of The American Dream, but only when it is accessible to ALL.
We believe in an equitable pursuit of happiness, for ALL people who call America home.
We believe your probability to succeed in life should be determined by how hard you work, and NEVER by where you are born or who you are born to.
We believe reading is the foundation for true freedom.
We believe in the transformative power of reading; literacy for all should be a key performance indicator in defining our success as a country.
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We believe in citizenship, not just in how it outlines our rights and privileges BUT more importantly how it defines our duties; we must all get into the “arena” to make our communities better for future generations.
We believe in servanthood, thinking of others first.
We believe in striving to live a life of significance, not just success.
We believe significant people do things NOW, especially when it comes to inequity; there should be no patience or tolerance for imbalance in equitable opportunity.
We believe in taking risks, innovating and iteration, especially on behalf of others who are less fortunate.
We believe in being unrealistic.
We believe there is incredible redemptive value in giving; when we give, we receive.
We believe if you are going to wear something or utilize something, it should always be taken as an opportunity to stand for something.
We believe in having uncomfortable conversations and taking uncomfortable actions on behalf of the most vulnerable.
We believe Freadom is worth the fight.
CURRENT BENEFICIARIES
Beneficiaries are proactively researched, identified, vetted and selected by Freadom based on the criteria below. As such, there is NOT an open application process; we kindly ask literacy initiatives to respect this approach.
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Deliver a literacy focused, direct service to children
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Think BIG and have a commitment to an entrepreneurial culture, willing to take risks
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Demonstrate a bias towards prevention over intervention
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Show a focus on being effective, efficient, sustainable and scalable
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Operate like a business and think like a brand
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Maintain a compensation philosophy for their employees which matches the passion for their mission
The leading provider of quality (culturally relevant and highly engaging) books to under-served children in the Chicagoland area; serving more than 300,000 children annually. We also support Bernie's Book Bank National Replication Effort to establish metropolitan-based children’s book banks in other major American cities.
$7,750
Funding reinvested to date
Little Free Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving book access for all. There are more than 100,000 Little Free Library boxes in all 50 United States and beyond, sharing millions of books each year. A recipient of the 2020 World Literacy Award, Little Free Library utilizes its donor-driven Impact Library Program to bring little libraries full of books to under-resourced communities.
$7,750
Funding reinvested to date
Read Alliance works to accelerate the educational trajectory of early elementary students through the power of teens who provide one-to-one literacy tutoring in under-resourced communities.
$7,750
Funding reinvested to date
For over 20 years, Reading Partners has empowered students to succeed in reading and in life by engaging community volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring. Since its founding, the national nonprofit organization has mobilized nearly 70,000 community volunteers to provide proven, individualized literacy tutoring to more than 65,000 elementary school students in nearly 450 under-resourced schools across ten states and the District of Columbia.
$7,750
Funding reinvested to date
TEAM FREADOM
Christy Floriani – Owner & Steward
Christy is a champion of human rights, and she believes reading is the foundation for true freedom. She strives to live a life of service that lifts people up, empowers and launches greater access to resources. She believes that, whether intentional or not, we live a life based on our beliefs and values. Christy believes every person deserves to be seen, heard and valued…whether friend, neighbor or consumer. As a consumer, Christy has a firm conviction that we vote with our dollars, accordingly, putting dollars in ethical and purpose-driven companies is a win-win.
Raised by a teacher and school social worker, education, literacy and compassion are in her DNA. Her inspiration comes from her father whose life was transformed by ONE teacher. “That one teacher told my dad that he could lift himself out of poverty through education and, more importantly, that he believed in my dad. He went to work, got better grades, attended community college, and eventually went to Michigan State University through graduate school. My dad taught high school students for over 35 years and was appreciated for his humor and his ability to reach the ‘unteachable’ students.”
Her journey includes a trip through Iowa for a degree in psychology, several years in Colorado working with children and families picking up a master's in social work along the way and winding along through Chicagoland for past 22 years in various domains in both non-profit and for-profit sectors. She cherishes time with her family, snuggling up with a good book and exploring the great outdoors.
Brian Floriani – Founder & Steward
Brian is a believer, a seeker, a reader, a dreamer and a doer; biased to action.
Raised in Dover, DE, Brian now resides in the Chicagoland area.
A recovering Golf Professional with an entomology degree, Brian feels grateful to have found his passion and his WHY – Literacy for All. Brian believes all people should have an equitable opportunity to pursue happiness and has dedicated his life to help ensure this is a reality in America.
At his core, he is an "Entrepreneur for Literacy". In 2009, Brian founded Bernie's Book Bank. Bernie's Book Bank is a children's book bank which serves more than 300,000 under-resourced Chicagoland children with 12 quality books per year from birth through 6th grade. The vision of Bernie's Book Bank is to build an ultra-effective, efficient, sustainable and scalable children's book bank model to be replicated in every major American city to assure all children have the ability to read their way to a better life. Brian remains an integral part of Bernie's Book Bank in Chicagoland and will play a critical role in national replication efforts.
Brian enjoys doing ANYTHING with his children and immediate family, and feels blessed by all things LIFE presents, its triumphs and its trials.
Annie Hansen – Operations Steward
Annie joined the Freadom team in 2021 as Operations Associate with more than 35 years of experience in hospitality, project management and customer service. A lover of people with a generous servant heart, Annie believes words have power to change the world. An avid reader, Annie remarks, "I know how reading exploded joy into my children's lives and I strongly believe literacy should be a birthright available to everyone."
At Freadom, Annie leads fulfillment and quality assurance to ensure efficient day-to-day operations. "Everything happening at Freadom is for the benefit of loving our neighbor," says Annie. "We get to be the hands and feet of God." In her spare time, Annie can be seen kayaking, ice skating, laughing with her family or bicycling in her bare feet.
Andrea Burns – Book Procurement Steward
Andrea Burns loves all things bookish. Andrea is a social-emotional learning advocate and feels strongly about the importance of teaching children about their thoughts and feelings. Andrea believes that literacy is for ALL and that getting impactful stories in the hands of children is one of Andrea's missions in life. Andrea has a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. Andrea loves to write stories that influence children to believe in themselves. Andrea's debut book, Failure Friday, is all about celebrating failures. Andrea is currently a book buyer for a local store in Kansas. She is an expert at giving book recommendations to anyone who is looking for books that drive conversation, special moments and magic with children. Her book recommendations have been featured on Good Morning America and other media outlets.