Help Us Carry Forward Sheridan Hotung’s Legacy Through Literacy

Thank you for being here. If you’re reading this, it likely means you loved Sheridan, learned from her, or were impacted by the way she showed up in the world.

Sheridan passed away peacefully at home on January 2, 2026. While our hearts are broken, we are also deeply aware of how many lives she touched — as a mother, educator, mentor, advocate, and friend. This fundraiser exists to carry forward the work she poured her PASSION into until her very last days.

Sheridan believed, with her whole heart, that literacy is freedom — and that every child, regardless of circumstance, deserves access to the tools that make reading possible.

Why This Fundraiser Matters Now

Sheridan’s passing has been devastating. But what brings us comfort is knowing that her work can continue.

The printers are ready.

The game is complete.

Schools and stores are waiting.

This fundraiser will allow us to mass print VOWEL POWA(R)™ so it can reach classrooms, teachers, parents, and children as quickly as possible — exactly as Sheridan dreamed.

This is not about profit.

This is about access.

This is about continuing her legacy of passion, courage, and belief in others.

Where This All Began

When our daughter Saskia was in kindergarten, Sheridan — after ten years teaching in Montessori classrooms — found herself unable to teach her own child how to read. As a mother rather than an educator, her heart broke as Saskia struggled and cried in frustration.

Sheridan refused to accept defeat — for her child or for any other child like her.

We sought expert advice, invested enormous time and resources, and ultimately made the difficult decision to uproot our lives so Saskia could receive the support she needed. In January 2021, in the midst of COVID, Sheridan and Saskia moved to New Jersey so she could work with trained literacy specialists. Our family reunited six months later.

That journey changed everything.

Once Saskia began to thrive, Sheridan asked a question that would define the rest of her work:

“What if the tools that helped my child could be available to every child?”

The Power of Play + Science

Sheridan knew that play is powerful — but only when grounded in the science of reading. In her private practice, she began teaching complex literacy strategies through play. Engagement skyrocketed. Confidence grew. Learning stuck.

She tested these ideas everywhere:

Around kitchen tables

In tutoring sessions

During free community game nights at libraries

On Zoom with families from Virginia to New Zealand

What she saw was undeniable:

children of different abilities learning together, motivated, capable, and joyful.

VOWEL POWA(R)™

VOWEL POWA(R)™ was born at our kitchen table, first made with recycled materials and refined through countless hours with real learners and real teachers.

And it worked.

Children asked to play it.

Teachers saw shifts.

Parents saw hope.

One night, our eldest son — who also has dyslexia — called Sheridan and said,

“Mom, what you’ve done is the most amazing thing ever.”

She knew then that this wasn’t just a game — it was a way to change lives.

How Your Gift Helps

$50 — One game gifted to a teacher of your choice

$250 — Five games gifted to a school of your choice

Larger gifts — Your name or the name/story of a loved one printed on a Special Edition Commemorative Game Box

(After donating, please use the contact button to share details.)

Even $5 makes a difference.

One VOWEL POWA(R)™ game used in a third-grade classroom can reach 300 students per year — 900 children over three years — for just pennies per child.

Why Literacy Matters

Every day in the U.S., 8,000 students drop out of high school. Poor reading skills are strongly connected to long-term outcomes including poverty, incarceration, and generational hardship.

Sheridan often asked:

“What brilliance are we losing simply because a child can’t read?”

She believed we could do better — and she built something to prove it.

A Gift From Sheridan to You

As an act of generosity she would have loved, we invite you to download the FREE VOWEL POWA(R)™ Mini Game – Level 1 below.

Please share it with:

A child

A teacher

A parent

Or anyone whose life has been touched by a struggling reader

Think of it as Sheridan’s gift — passed forward.

Thank You

Thank you for loving Sheridan.

Thank you for believing in literacy.

Thank you for helping ensure her PASSION lives on in action.

Together, we can continue the work she began — and change lives in the process.