Routes to Knowledge
Our Story: Who We Are, What We Became, and How the Journey Continues
Every organization has a beginning. Routes to Knowledge began not with a plan to build an organization, but with conversations between an educator and learners who wanted more than corrections on a page. They wanted to understand, improve, and become more confident in what they could do for themselves.
Those conversations planted the idea that would eventually become Routes to Knowledge (R2K).
More than one way to learn. More than one route to knowledge.
The People Behind the Routes Dream
An Idea Inspired by Learners
The idea that eventually became Routes to Knowledge grew from Dr. Brenda Washington’s work with university learners.
From April 2015 through March 2019, Dr. Washington worked as a Writing Coach. Many of the learners she assisted were minorities, and many were the first in their families to attend college. Through that work, she became increasingly aware of an important challenge: some learners had spent thousands of dollars on professional editing services and were still struggling to complete their academic documents successfully.
The problem was not necessarily a lack of effort. Traditional proofreading and editing could improve a document, but simply correcting the words on a page did not always help the learner understand what had gone wrong or how to approach the writing differently the next time.
Numerous learners among the 50-plus individuals she worked with encouraged her to start her own editing business.
What they could not have known was that their encouragement would help inspire something much larger.
Dr. Washington took a different approach.
She offered learners additional time when they needed it and focused not only on what she changed, but also on why the change was needed and how the learner could recognize similar issues in the future.
Learners responded to the detailed explanations, patience, and genuine concern behind that approach. Over time, they told her that they were beginning to understand their mistakes and write more effectively for themselves.
“The earliest inspiration for Routes to Knowledge came from my post graduate and graduate learners.”
BEFORE ROUTES
A Career Centered on Helping Learners Move Forward
Starting a new business had not been part of Dr. Washington’s retirement plan.
She had officially retired in 2014 after nine years as Administrative Assistant for her congregation. Before that, she spent approximately 18 years in the state system, from 1989 through 2006, serving in roles that included Financial Aid Advisor, Academic Advisor, and Enrollment Counselor.
Looking back, some of the work she remembered most fondly involved helping learners obtain the financial resources they needed to continue their education and helping them make sure they had completed the coursework needed to graduate.
The common thread was becoming increasingly clear: helping learners succeed.
After completing her doctorate in 2017, with dissertation work in Reading and Literacy, Dr. Washington began asking a natural question:
What comes next?
For a time, the answer appeared to be an editing business. She considered the name BJ Proof and Editing Services.
But proofreading and editing alone did not feel like enough.
Her experience with learners had shown her that there was a meaningful difference between fixing something for someone and helping someone understand how to do it for themselves.
That distinction would become part of the foundation of Routes to Knowledge.
THE CONVERSATION
Looking Deeper at the Need
In 2018, Dr. Washington reached out to family and friends whose experience could bring different perspectives to the conversation.
Among them were Pauline Tucker and Michelle Sorrey, who together had more than 30 years of K-12 educational experience at the time; Mona Levine, whose background included business and hospitality management; and Dr. Washington’s sister, Madeline Phillips, who brought more than 40 years of experience in healthcare.
The conversations began to move beyond editing.
Dr. Washington’s doctoral research in Reading and Literacy had examined challenges and gaps affecting K-12 learners. At the same time, she was interested in what happened outside the classroom, particularly with parents who may themselves have struggled to complete their own education.
One question especially interested her: if numerous initiatives and resources were available to support children in the K-12 system, what was available for adults who had lost their educational way or needed another opportunity to continue learning?
The group’s discussion began centering on reconnecting adults and parents with learning, helping them better understand changes in education, and finding ways to strengthen their ability to support both themselves and their families.
The idea was becoming bigger.
THE NAME
From Roots to Routes
Every new idea eventually needs a name.
During the group’s discussions, possibilities such as Learning Tree and Knowledge Tree were considered. Because they were talking about getting to the “root” of challenges surrounding learning and parental support, another possibility entered the conversation: Roots to Knowledge. As the program was more about the diversity of the individual than the learning process this seemed the best choice.
However, Dr. Washington, who has a particular appreciation for words and the different ways words can be understood and pronounced, saw another possibility. Routes to Knowledge?
When she presented the name in writing to the group, something interesting happened. Even among their group they did not all pronounce “Routes” the same way. Some naturally said it like “roots”, while others pronounced it as “routs.”
For Dr. Washington, that reaction captured the very idea the organization was trying to express.
There is more than one way to get somewhere.
There is more than one way to learn.
There is more than one route to knowledge.
That principle would become central to the developing organization: helping adult learners recognize that one educational path, one challenge, or one previous experience does not have to define what comes next.
The name Routes to Knowledge was agreed upon.
BECOMING R2K
From an Idea to an Organization
What began as encouragement from learners gradually became conversations, and those conversations became an organization.
2015
The Learners Plant the SeedDr. Washington begins working as a university Writing Coach in April 2015. Her work reveals the value of teaching the why and how, not simply correcting documents.
2017
Asking, “What Comes Next?”After completing her doctorate, Dr. Washington considers how her education and experience can be used in her next chapter.
2018
The Conversation ExpandsDr. Washington brings together family and friends. Discussions move beyond editing toward adult learning, parental engagement, and literacy.
Nov 5, 2018
Formal ShapeOrganizational documents for Routes to Knowledge are filed with the State of Florida.
Mar 19, 2019
Nonprofit RecognitionRoutes to Knowledge receives its official 501(c)(3) recognition.
Sep 4, 2019
The Doors OpenRoutes to Knowledge holds its first opening at Carver Ranches Library on Wednesday, September 4, 2019.
From Ideas to Impact
At Routes to Knowledge, we believe knowledge creates opportunity when people can understand it, organize it, and put it into action. The experience behind R2K includes helping authors, programs, and community organizations transform ideas and information into clear, useful resources.
Writing & Editorial Support
Writing coaching and editorial support that strengthen organization, clarity, flow, and presentation while respecting and preserving the author’s voice.
Program & Resource Development
Helping transform program ideas and materials into organized resources that facilitators, participants, and communities can understand, use, and build upon.
Nonprofit & Organizational Support
Supporting organizations through early-stage research, organizational planning, information and document preparation, resource development, and nonprofit-status filing preparation.
Knowledge Into Action
These experiences helped shape the approach behind Routes to Knowledge: listening, researching, writing, organizing information, developing resources, and helping turn knowledge into something people can understand, use, share, and carry forward.
Routes to Knowledge provides research, organizational, and document-preparation support and does not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice.
2021–Today | Building the Organization
A multidisciplinary Board of Directors continues helping guide the organization, drawing on experience across education, social services, healthcare, business, community engagement, and organizational leadership.
WHO GUIDES R2K TODAY
Leadership & Board of Directors
The Routes to Knowledge story has always been shaped by people willing to bring their experience, ideas, and concern for others to the table. Since 2021, the organization’s Board has included professionals from multiple disciplines, strengthening R2K through a range of perspectives and experiences.
Eric Wilson
Vice Chair
Eric Wilson serves Routes to Knowledge as Vice Chair, contributing to the governance and continued development of the organization.
Board Leadership | Governance
Madeline Phillips
Secretary
Madeline Phillips brings more than four decades of healthcare-sector experience to R2K and has been part of the conversations surrounding the organization since its early development. Her experience contributes a long-term perspective on service, responsibility, and organizational support.
Healthcare | Service | Organizational Support
Dr. Tonya Wilson
Assistant Secretary
Tonya Wilson brings extensive experience in social work, healthcare administration, program management, organizational leadership, mentorship, and connecting individuals with community resources. Her professional background strengthens the Board’s understanding of both organizational systems and the needs of the people and communities those systems serve.
Social Work | Healthcare Administration | Program Management | Leadership
Pauline Tucker
Board Member
Pauline Tucker brings decades of experience as an educator, with professional service spanning middle and high school language arts and remedial reading instruction. Her background includes teaching students in grades six through eleven, providing basic-skills instruction to help high school learners meet graduation requirements, and serving as a mentor teacher. She earned an M.S. in Educational Administration from Florida State University and a B.A. in English from Barry University. Her extensive classroom experience provides R2K with valuable insight into literacy, instruction, and the educational experiences that shape learners long before adulthood. Pauline Tucker has been an integeral part of Routes to Knowledge development since that first meeting.
Language Arts | Reading | Educational Administration | Literacy
Dr. Mishique Pearson
Board Member
Mishique Pearson brings more than two decades of clinical and administrative social work experience, along with advanced study in public administration and extensive community-focused work. Her experience in leadership, program development, community partnerships, and social services contributes an important perspective on the broader circumstances that can affect an adult learner’s journey. Mishique Pearson’s was one of the early encouragers of Dr. Washington’s exploration of change.
Social Work | Public Administration | Community Partnerships | Program Development
What the Idea Became
Routes to Knowledge grew from a realization that still influences the organization today: helping someone complete a task is valuable, but helping someone gain the knowledge and confidence to move forward independently can have an even greater impact.
Today, R2K focuses on adult learners and the development of practical English literacy and communication skills. Its online learning opportunities are designed to support growth in areas including:
- English reading and comprehension
- Writing and written communication
- Speaking and listening
- Everyday communication
- Digital confidence
- Independent learning and continued growth
The organization that began with conversations about editing had become something different: a route back into learning for adults.
More Than One Route to Knowledge
The philosophy behind the R2K name continues to shape how the organization approaches its work.
Not every adult learns in the same way. Not every learner begins from the same place. Work, family responsibilities, previous educational experiences, technology, confidence, transportation, and available time can all influence an adult’s ability to participate in learning.
R2K therefore works to create routes forward through:
Practical English Instruction
Connecting reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills to situations adults may encounter in everyday life, work, continued education, and their communities.
Accessible Online Learning
Using virtual learning to help reduce geographic and transportation barriers and expand opportunities for adults to participate.
Teaching the Why and the How
Preserving an idea that reaches back to Dr. Washington’s work as a Writing Coach: whenever possible, help the learner understand the process rather than simply providing the answer.
Teachers, Tutors, and Volunteers
Bringing people into the learning journey who can offer instruction, encouragement, time, expertise, and support.
Partnerships and Community
Working with organizations, sponsors, supporters, and community members who can help create additional opportunities and resources for adult learners.
WHY IT STILL MATTERS
The Learner Remains at the Center
Routes to Knowledge has changed since the first conversations that gave rise to the organization, but one principle has remained constant: the learner matters.
Success may look different from one adult to another. It may mean reading with more confidence, expressing an idea more clearly, navigating an online resource, communicating in the workplace, supporting a child’s education, continuing one’s own education, or simply becoming comfortable enough to try again.
There is no single route that defines success for everyone.
The destination may be different for every learner. What matters is having a route to move forward.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Our Story Is Still Being Written
The first chapter of Routes to Knowledge was shaped by adult learners who encouraged a Writing Coach to think differently about what she could do with her experience.
The next chapters were written through conversations, research, the perspectives of educators and other professionals, the formation of a nonprofit organization, the opening at Carver Ranches Library, and the continued commitment of a volunteer Board.
The chapters ahead will be written by the learners who take their next step, the teachers and tutors who guide them, the volunteers who offer their time, the partners who open doors, and the supporters who invest in the journey.
One learner. One step. One journey at a time.
LEARN WITH US • VOLUNTEER • PARTNER WITH US • INVEST IN THE JOURNEY
Routes to Knowledge
Routes to Knowledge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. EIN: 83-2710924. Donors should retain their donation acknowledgment for their records and consult a tax professional regarding their individual circumstances.