READ Surrey and White Rock executive director wins literacy award
Published 10:30 am Thursday, September 10, 2026
READ Surrey and White Rock Society has announced in a release that its executive director and literacy outreach coordinator Shanti Ang is the recipient of B.C. ‘s 2026 Council of Federation Literacy Award (COFLA).
The COFLA is said to recognize outstanding achievement, innovative practice, and excellence in literacy in every province and territory.
In B.C., this award celebrates the achievements of a literacy champion or organization that helps Indigenous, workplace or community literacy learners to acquire the literacy skills they need to improve their lives.
“I am proud to be doing this important work with READ Surrey and White Rock,” Ang said in the release. “I am elated to be part of an organization that strongly advocates for people from all walks of life, ensuring no one is left behind when it comes to literacy.”
READ Surrey and White Rock says they celebrate Ang as a tireless champion who embodies the organization’s values of respect, integrity and kindness.
“Her ability to build meaningful community partnerships while staying connected to the learners she serves exemplifies collaboration, expanding literacy opportunities, and building community capacity,” READ shares.
“Shanti is a transformative leader in our organization. Her hands-on, community-focused leadership continues to create lasting positive change,” said Anne Gardner, Treasurer, READ Surrey/White Rock.
READ shared that through partnerships with Surrey Libraries, the Surrey School district and beyond, Ang has spent more than 10 years with the registered charity.
During those 10 years Ang has championed things like family literacy and helped develop programs such as Read With Kids, StoryWalks, Book Buddies, and Partners Adult Literacy Tutoring.
“I was thrilled to nominate Shanti for this award – we’ve been working with her to improve the adult literacy levels in Surrey and it has been a real pleasure partnering with her over many years,” said Jenny Fry, director of programs and partnerships with Surrey Libraries. “Her dedication and enthusiasm are very inspiring, and I’m so happy that she won this award. It really shows the meaningful contributions she has made and continues to make to local literacy, which aligns so nicely with the work we do at Surrey Libraries.”
Ang and READ are hoping the community will join them in celebrating this achievement through a variety of events taking place in September for Literacy Month.
Those events are:
● Taking part in the Raise-a-Reader Campaign. Running from September 18 to 25, this campaign empowers children and families with tools to improve their reading skills. Proceeds from the Raise-a-Reader campaign support literacy programs for children and families in the community, including READ Surrey-White Rock.
● Getting involved with READ Surrey/White Rock. Opportunities include becoming a volunteer tutor, a board member, or to join Friends of Literacy. Each helps advance the organization’s work.
● Joining the Surrey White Rock Literacy Task Group. This community alliance coordinates and integrates literacy work in Surrey and White Rock. Organizations, businesses, and individuals that care about literacy and want to make a difference in the community are encouraged to join.
To learn more about READ Surrey/White Rock, please visit readsurreywhiterock.com.