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History:

Note from the Chairman:

The CHEER Directors and staff are pleased to present an overview of the achievements of the CHEER Corporation. When the Starling/Wilburn families of Yazoo City, Mississippi, founded CHEER 20 years ago, we could envision success, but could not have imagined the enormous technical work that would be required to attain these milestones.

We are proud of the work of the CHEER Board, staff and partners in the United States and abroad. These achievements would not have been possible without the technical, financial and book acquisition support of Drs. Joyce Torio and John Malin of the American Chemical Society, and Gerald Celnik of Contributions and Donations, Inc. For 20 years, Bill Powers of the Greater South Traffic, and Alexander International, both of Memphis Tennessee, have shepherded the CHEER staff through overseas transportation and customs logistics.

The U.S. government, foreign governments, businesses, foundations and financial institutions have been generous with grants and infrastructure support.

These accomplishments stand as a monument to ideas, hard work, sacrifice and the commitment to help eliminate illiteracy throughout the world.

Barbara Starling Ricks

January 2006

Dr. Ricks Reading to Students in Tanzania

Students in the Congo Using a New Textbook

Liberian Minister of Education observing CHEER Books in a Monrovian Warehouse