2025-12-10T02:03:49-00:00 2025-06-30 953749711 Sonnenberg & Company CPAs 5190 Governor Dr 201 San Diego CA 92122 990 2024-07-01 330857381 Words Alive WORD 8582749673 770 Park Blvd San Diego CA 92101 Rachael Orose Executive Director 8582749673 2025-12-09 true Leonard C Sonnenberg P00287581 8584575252 2025-12-10 2024 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z Rachael Orose 770 Park Blvd San Diego CA 92101 1192435 false X www.wordsalive.org X 1999 CA At Words Alive, we envision a world where everyone is connected to the power of reading and the innumerable ways it enriches our lives. 13 13 19 786 0 880008 1037465 143252 108040 16383 23000 -3714 1039643 1164791 0 0 708880 801983 0 177446 404552 335732 1113432 1137715 -73789 27076 2975175 3017556 82936 81233 2892239 2936323 At Words Alive, we know that whole communities thrive when everyone reads. Our programs empower learners facing extraordinary life circumstances such as unstable housing, poverty, foster care, and impact by the justice system. Words Alive prioritizes the populations disproportionately impacted by the literacy crisis. false false 392055 17706 Read Aloud Program volunteers share the joy of a good story while helping children develop the cognitive, language, and social-emotional skills needed to be capable readers. Our program inspires students to be curious, courageous, and compassionate by exploring engaging and relevant books together with caring adults. In 2024-2025 program year, we provided weekly read aloud experiences and new books to 3,431 students across 23 Title I elementary schools, 78 out-of-school time providers, and dozens of community-based organizations.Students took home over 14,000 books paired with custom bilingual learning kits to deepen connection to the text. 207455 90334 Family Literacy Program inspires parents and family caregivers to make exploring books a robust family habit by connecting reading and play.Parents and caregivers receive new childrens books to grow their personal libraries and learn engagement strategies and exploratory activities to use reading as a family at home. Families report reading more often together, for longer periods of time, and practicing positive reading behaviors with their children. Offered in English and Spanish, this six-week workshop series reached 1,358 families and 1,508 family caregivers in the 2024-25 program year and distributed 8,148 books, each paired with a custom bilingual learning kit designed to bring the book alive. An additional 2,000 books were distributed through outreach events to help drive program registration and awareness at partner sites in communities most impacted by the literacy crisis. 99434 Adolescent Book Group ignites a love of reading by connecting teenagers with volunteer facilitators to discuss, write, and create projects that bring books alive. As students share perspectives in this safe space, they improve communication skills, gain confidence, and enhance their ability to express themselves authentically. Diverse and contemporary texts are explored through discussion groups, text analysis, writing workshops, and author/illustrator visits. During the 2024-25 program year, we brought reading alive for 95 teens and young adolescents. We distributed 400 engaging books to young readers in the program, resulting in an average increase of nearly 60 percent in the size of participants personal libraries. 698944 true true false false false false false false false true true false false false true false true false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 3 0 true 19 true false false false false false false false false false false false false X 13 13 false true false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true false false CA X Rachael Orose 8582749673 770 Park Blvd San Diego CA 92101 Hampton Nonprofit Mgt Jan -Dec 2024 Executive Director 002.00 X X 79388 0 0 Rachael Orose Executive Director 040.00 X 53125 0 1062 Anastasia Rollins Optima started Dec 2024 Director of Finance 006.00 X 1108 0 0 Meredith Baratz Chair 002.00 X X 0 0 0 Julie Dubick Vice Chair 002.00 X X 0 0 0 Karen Silberman term ended January Immediate Past Chair 002.00 X X 0 0 0 Karen Malin Secretary 002.00 X X 0 0 0 Nick Giordano Treasurer 002.00 X X 0 0 0 Jon Yonemitsu July 2024-November 20 Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Laura Galinson resigned May 2025 Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Collen Smiley Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Bijan Nowroozian Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Tammy Carpowich Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Brian Fidler Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Tami Daiber-Hirst Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Julia Loman Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Rick Seidenwurm elected January 202 Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Jeffra Becknell elected January 202 Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 Kelsey Vasko elected January 2025 Director 002.00 X 0 0 0 133621 1062 false false false 40340 75390 921735 21740 1037465 Educational support 611710 108040 108040 108040 23000 23000 23930 40340 27644 -3714 -3714 1164791 108040 19286 0 0 0 0 180491 73517 82468 24506 0 522014 383519 37868 100627 10633 7414 1351 1868 38548 26212 5397 6939 50297 34202 7042 9053 0 886 886 15335 1660 13236 439 0 0 32781 500 32031 250 0 30187 7402 15483 7302 38306 9305 25795 3206 0 17027 6478 8834 1715 4916 2973 833 1110 0 0 0 0 63707 43321 8919 11467 9556 9556 Employees and volunteers 5104 2482 2362 260 Books 75758 75758 Repairs and maintenance 10697 9202 1495 Program expenses 24263 24201 62 7209 7209 1137715 698944 261325 177446 204272 204268 632595 658398 66175 38000 95126 83889 5534 15539 1101824 123934 1952667 1977890 15078 16511 3728 23061 2975175 3017556 79208 58046 3728 23187 82936 81233 X 2648077 2598749 244162 337574 2892239 2936323 2975175 3017556 27076 1433 15575 X false true X true false X 847267 1232466 2949263 880008 1037465 6946469 847267 1232466 2949263 880008 1037465 6946469 2457411 4489058 1867 700 894 16383 23000 42844 4090 24541 26713 23930 79274 7068587 0.63510 0.63220 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED false 15078 1433 16511 13889 1189 15078 12981 908 13889 13535 -554 12981 10892 2643 13535 1.00000 true false 2000000 110824 1889176 86249 13073 73176 15575 37 15538 1977890 Financial derivatives and other financial products Closely-held equity interests Federal income taxes Operating lease liability 7419 Finance lease liability 15768 23187 1181799 1433 15575 17008 1164791 1164791 1137715 1137715 1137715 dinner 64270 40340 23930 9433 13362 4849 64270 40340 23930 9433 13362 4849 27644 -3714 Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 3 The Board of Directors delegated the executive and finance leadership role to Hampton Nonprofit Management for part of the year while Words Alive Executive Director, Rachael Orose, was on medical leave. Words Alive paid 79,388 to Hampton Nonprofit Management for the calendar year ended December 31, 2024. Starting December 2024, Optima Office, Inc. manages Words Alive financial operations. Words Alive paid 1,108 to Optima Office, Inc. for the calendar year ended December 31, 2024. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b Form 990 is reviewed by the Board of Directors prior to filing. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12 Each Board member upon joining the Board signs a document verifying their agreement to the terms and conditions. Conflict of Interest Certification form is signed annually. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15a The Board of Directors reviews the Executive Directors performance and considers pay scales of comparably sized nonprofits in determining salary recommendations to the Board for approval. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 Governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are available upon request.