What Gives George Brown Hope

More hope. From the kidlit community, to you.  

No matter where you are. No matter what’s going on around you. No matter what is pulling your attention or competing for space in your mind. May these next few minutes offer you rest, peace, and hope.

Hope - January 31, 2026

George Brown, executive director of the Boyds Mills, shares what is giving him hope today: the storytellers, and the stories they are dreaming of and creating to bring a little optimism and joy to children.

Listen along:

Transcript:

George: "When I think about what's giving me hope today I think about those storytellers who come here to the Highlights foundation, visit us in Boyds Mills at our retreat center, and the stories that they are dreaming of and creating to bring a little optimism and joy to the world for children. 

I think what I'm most excited about is thinking about how we're positioning ourselves for the next 40 years. Like it's a big deal to be 40 years old as a nonprofit, right? As a nonprofit. Our job is to talk about the impact of our work and to think about what we do.

We exist for some good cause, and our impact is talking about positively impacting children, and that takes a long time when your work is nurturing storytellers. The writing process, the publishing process, it can be long. And so we understand the length it takes for storytellers to create stories, but we understand the value of that impact.

So I think what I'm most excited about is just thinking about how we continue to deliver on that mess, that message, and that mission, and how we can continue to evolve over the next 40 years to serve storytellers with what they need."