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I Believe I Can Fly

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries Literacy Resource Office, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, shared Jesse’s story with us. 

“Jesse Cradduck is the smartest person I know. He was functionally illiterate until age 30, but reached for his dreams and never gave up.”
—Leslie Gelders, Literacy Director, Oklahoma Department of Libraries

When Jesse was 3 years old he was involved in a car accident that scarred his face and left him with partial hearing loss. Another car accident when he was 7 killed his mother. He was left with deep physical and emotional scars. After his mother’s death, he was raised by his grandmother and lived in extreme poverty. 

Jesse never learned to read during school. He made it through the sixth grade before dropping out to find work. 

By this point, Jesse was 13, and he had been moved to his aunt’s house where he had a room on the back porch with no insulation from the cold winters, and no relief from the hot Oklahoma summers. 

He worked an average of 60 hours a week mowing lawns, performing odd jobs, and cleaning his uncle’s bar until late in the night.

During this time, Jesse met Shirley. He married her at age 15 and they had their first child a year later. Life was difficult for this new family, but Jesse was determined to provide stability. He did not want to live off relatives or take handouts from the government. He worked hard to find stable and sustainable employment, but Jesse continuously ran into obstacles due to his inability to read. 

After years of hardship, Jesse’s strong faith led him to ministry. This was extremely challenging and stressful because he still could not read. With Shirley’s help, Jesse memorized scripture and began preaching in a small church in Oklahoma City.

The pressure of “faking it” in life became too much for Jesse to bear and he ended up in the hospital with what he thought was a heart attack. The doctor recognized that his condition was caused by overwhelming stress, and that his inability to read was causing much of his anxiety. Jesse was referred to a local literacy program where he was matched with a literacy tutor who taught him how to read.

As his literacy skills started to improve, Jesse’s desire to learn also increased. He went on to earn his high school diploma and enrolled at Southwestern Christian University, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree and a master’s in church growth studies. He later received a doctorate from the American Bible School and Seminary.

He even wrote a book—I Believe I Can Fly. In it, Jesse shares his story and encourages others to learn to read or teach someone to read. 

At age 68, Jesse is still married to Shirley, still serves as a pastor, gives speeches around the world, and inspires others to reach for their dreams.

Read Across Oklahoma Returns with Free Book Giveaway and Both Live and Online Entertainment and Activities

Read Across Oklahoma, the state’s premiere literary event for preschool and early grade children, returns on Tuesday, April 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with a free book giveaway at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. The first 1,000 children with paid Zoo admission or ZOOfriends membership pass that day will receive a free book and are invited to participate in a variety of interactive learning stations and special performances.

Families and classrooms participating virtually can visit the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) at libraries.ok.gov/read to enjoy a special video of children’s author Dennis Mathew reading this year’s featured book, My Wild First Day of School. Online visitors will also be treated to musical performances, storytelling, and a variety of activities. The video also provides a look at the OKC Zoo and some of its animals and habitats.

Read Across Oklahoma is part of the statewide My First Library program coordinated by ODL, an early literacy initiative that helps develop literacy skills and promotes family reading. During a regular school year, the program distributes 1,900 books to early learning classrooms each month.

“Children who are exposed to books and have books to call their own at an early age develop better vocabularies and are better prepared for school,” Gelders said. “Getting books into the hands of young children is so important, and our partnership with the Zoo is another important avenue to help young children discover the wonderful world of books and reading.”

 “The Zoo is always excited to support Read Across Oklahoma,” said Candice Rennels, OKC Zoo’s director of public relations. “Seeing the animals at the zoo, taking home a book, and participating in activities that celebrate reading makes for a wonderful day of discovery for young children.”

My Wild First Day of School, by Mustang author Dennis Mathew, is a great feature book for this year’s event, Gelders said. “The animal characters in the story are excited about what they will accomplish during their first day of school. Characters identify different goals but they all want to do their best.”

The virtual side of the event provides opportunities for children and classrooms across Oklahoma to participate, Gelders said. “The online activities we provided during the pandemic proved to be very popular, and we wanted to continue this opportunity for young people to connect to the event no matter where they live in the state.”

Visit libraries.ok.gov/read to find the virtual activities. Families planning a visit to the Zoo can purchase their tickets in advance at www.okczoo.org/tickets. Families can also continue the reading adventure by visiting their local public library to find books and services for all ages.

Additional Read Across Oklahoma sponsors include Target, Tinker Federal Credit Union, Krueger Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Simply Country Ranch, Oklahoma Literacy Coalition, OKC Metro Literacy Coalition, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Teacher Prep Academy, Metro Technology Center, Metropolitan Library System, Junior League of Oklahoma City, Capitol Hill Graffix, and Pizza Hut.

For more information about Read Across Oklahoma, contact Katie.Bell@libraries.ok.gov or call 405-521-2034

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries is the official State Library of Oklahoma. It serves the information and records management needs of state government, assists with public library development, coordinates library and information technology projects for the state, and serves the general public through its specialized collections.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35. The Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, Oklahoma City’s Adventure District and an Adventure Road partner. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry at 4:00 p.m.  Regular admission is $12 for adults and $9 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Visit okczoo.org for more information.

Dennis Mathew is an elementary school speech pathologist, singer-songwriter, and author. Through his music and books, including Bello the Cello, My Wild First Day of School, and How Grizzly found Gratitude, Dennis has reached tens of thousands of students worldwide. Visit his website at booksbydennis.com.

We had a wonderful and enlightening discussion in July. We discussed events in the past and what we can do to move forward. Due to the overwhelming amount of awareness, our next discussion is a continuation of the July conversation. In August, we will continue the discussion of “Where Do We Go from Here: Race and Literacy in Oklahoma, Part 2” on Wednesday, August 19 at 10:00 am-noon. If you weren’t able to join us in July, you are still welcome to join us in August.

Our conversation will be led by Suzette Chang. She will help us to untangle our thoughts and provide tools and recourse as we discuss, “Where do we go from here?”

Registration is closed.

Suzette Chang is the founder and CEO of Thick Descriptions (TD). Thick Descriptions’ mission is to provide awareness, tools, resources, and context of science (natural and social) for kids, tweens/teens, and adults. For more information, please visit their website.

This year the grant was for $2,000. The following organizations met all of the qualifications and submitted winning applications. Congratulations!

In these uncertain times, this grant is even more meaningful to these organizations! Thank you, Tinker Federal Credit Union!