Mini-Grant Winners

The Georgia Association of Literacy Advocates is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026-2027 GALA Mini-Grants: Bethany McClurkan and Tracie Chavis.

Bethany McClurkan, Literacy Coach with Forsyth County Schools, was selected for the FCLA Early Literacy Community Awareness Initiative. This project will increase community-wide understanding of early literacy and equip parents and caregivers with practical, evidence-based strategies to support children’s oral language, vocabulary, and early comprehension development from birth to age five. Through community events and family-focused outreach, the initiative is expected to directly reach approximately 1,200 parents and caregivers and indirectly benefit 1,500-2,000 young children across Forsyth County.

Tracie Chavis, from Liberty College and Career Academy, was selected for Future Teachers Read: Storytelling Through Puppetry. This project will pair high school Teaching as a Profession students with elementary children through interactive read-alouds, puppetry, storytelling, and follow-up literacy activities. The project will support young learners’ reading comprehension, vocabulary development, fluency, listening skills, and love of storytelling while also helping future educators build confidence and practical teaching skills. Approximately 150-200 elementary students will benefit from these literacy experiences each year.

For assistance or questions about the mini-grant applications, contact:

awards@galiteracy.org

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GALA Leadership Team

• Dr. Robert A. Griffin, Chair/President
• Dr. Matthew Sroka, Vice Chair/Vice President
• Dr. Bethany L. Scullin, Past Chair/Past President
• Dr. Jennifer K. Allen, Treasurer
• Michelle Scileppi, Secretary
• Megan Schumacher, Membership Committee Chair
• Dr. Danielle Sachdeva & Paige Williams, Social Media Committee Chairs
• Oluremi Wright, Grants/Scholarships/Awards Committee Chair
• Dr. Vicki Luther, Professional Development Committee Chair
• Dr. Andrea Carter-Robin, Member-at-Large, Conference Chair
• Angela O'Brien-Scheidt, Local Councils Coordinator

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