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Hands Across the Sea is dedicated
to raising the literacy levels
of Eastern Caribbean children
Donate to Hands Across the Sea
A Clear Vision
We are a group of people who believe in the life-changing power of reading and literacy. We believe that every child in the Eastern Caribbean should have access to a lending library of great books. We see that the Caribbean is a beautiful place, but we also see the real need to raise child literacy levels throughout the region. And we're doing everything in our power to change the child literacy landscape for the better.
. . . with Hands Wish Lists projects
The Hands Wish Lists are the foundation of our assistance. Each year, we ask educators which books and resources they need, we put their Wish Lists up for "adoption" on our website, and we do our utmost to fund and fulfill the requests. But this is a two-way street—we require buy-in from recipients. We insist upon full and proper utilization of the aid we send. And we require their commitment to sustaining the gains in literacy. For how we select Hands Wish Lists projects, please see our CLASS page.

. . .with Hands Literacy Links
Our Literacy Links are passionate, professional people (many are former educators) who live on-island and work closely with Hands Wish Lists projects to maximize gains in child literacy. We depend on our Literacy Links to help get book and resource shipments to their destination, for hands-on problem-solving and mentoring, and in finding and evaluating potential Hands Wish Lists projects.

. . . with authors and publishers
Every year, we purchase tens of thousands of new children's books from two dozen or so leading publishers (Hands Publishing Partners), and we work with—and are looking for—authors of children's books that are appropriate for Caribbean children. Do you have material that fits our needs? Contact us.

. . . with our logistics angels
Without our logistics angels—Harte-Hanks, Inc., AIT Worldwide Logistics, and Tropical Shipping—we woud not be able to get books to Caribbean kids. Please see our Hands Logistics Angels for more about these companies, and see our CLASS page for a quick primer on how we sort, pack, and ship.

. . . with Hands private donors
Much of our support comes from caring individuals. We are happy to channel a gift to a specific project, and we can connect donors with locals to visit or volunteer. Contact us anytime!

. . . with Hands corporate donors
We receive significant, multi-year support from corporate donors and foundations (see our Charitable Partners page). We are happy to publicize their generous funding and to connect members of their organization directly with the children and educators they are assisting.
Amanda Sherlip
Executive Director
Amanda has served in leadership positions at nonprofits with environmental action, community transformation, anti-racism and discrimination, the arts, education, economic development, and financial literacy missions. In addition to her work within organizations. In all of her professional and volunteer work, Amanda is focused on creating meaningful value in the world.

Prior to her nonprofit work, Amanda performed internationally as a violinist, in addition to outreach and teaching string instruments and piano. Amanda is a graduate of the Nonprofit Management Master’s Program, received her BA in Music at Stony Brook University, and spent time abroad at The Chinese University of Hong Kong studying public health and policy. When she is not working, Amanda enjoys nature with her three year old son. e-mail Amanda

Harriet Linskey
Hands Co-Founder
Harriet is utilizing her 13 years growing Hands Across the Sea to support the Executive Director in expanding the reach and effectiveness of the Hands mission. Harriet is a trained secondary education teacher with five years of experience teaching English, Journalism, and Art History in New Zealand and Japan.

At a rural secondary school in New Zealand, Harriet led the refurbishment of a dismal library and saw firsthand how the addition of new and relevant books can inspire all levels of readers. She is a trained secondary education teacher with five years of experience teaching English, Journalism, and Art History in New Zealand and Japan. At a rural secondary school in New Zealand, Harriet led the refurbishment of a dismal library and saw firsthand how the addition of new and relevant books can inspire all levels of readers. e-mail Harriet

Tom "T.L." Linskey
Hands Co-Founder
Tom Linskey uses his 30 years of writing, editing, and photography experience to design and update the Hands website and create print and video materials for Hands. Back in 1986 T.L. built his own sailboat and sailed it, with Harriet, from California to Mexico, the South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. T.L. also raced sailboats; he was a three-time world champion crewman in the Olympic 470 class and a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Yachting team. e-mail TL
Hands Board of Directors
Leah Garratt, Hands Board Chair
Assistant Superintendent, Mono, California, County Office of Education (retired)
Allegra Asplundh
Returned U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer (Dominica) and Philanthropy Advisor
Jane Glennie Babbitt
Children’s librarian (retired) and sailor of the Eastern Caribbean
Heather Bickley
Founder, Basic Kindness
Elizabeth Burns
Former Vice President, State Street Bank, Boston
Joanie Cohen
Literacy Project Director, Creative Associates International
Kym Hoffman
Strategic Director, External Relations, St. Baldrick's Foundation
Julie Kazmierski
Chief Impact Officer, Institute for Social Entrepreneurship
Harriet Linskey
Co-founder and Executive Director, Hands Across the Sea
 Scott Spring
Strategic Product Development, CVS Health
Jim Thomsen
Circumnavigator, adventurer, humanitarian
Katie Thomsen
Circumnavigator, adventurer, humanitarian
Hands Advisors
Shermaine Bardouille Learning Support Advisor, Ministry of Education, Dominica
Jeremiah Hyacinth Founder and CEO, World Scholar and Uni-Recruitment, Inc.
Harry Klein Marketing Consultant
Kathy Oberle Founder, Boaters for Books
Hands Annual Reports: 2018 & 2017
Download, view onscreen, or print to see what we're all about.
Donate   |   CLASS Program   |    Hands Wish Lists   |    Hands Libraries   |    Hands Literacy Links   |    Hands Board
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Amanda's phone: 631-806-4116
amanda.sherlip@handsacrossthesea.net
Harriet's phone: 617-320-3601
harriet@handsacrossthesea.net
Tom: tl@handsacrossthesea.net
Contact Hands
Hands Across the Sea, Inc.
P.O. Box 55071, Suite 85043
Boston, MA 02205 U.S.A.
Tel: 617-320-3601

Hands Across the Sea is approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Hands Across the Sea’s Federal Identification Number (EIN) is 20-5897380.
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