About Us
LITERACY SOLUTION
Our children's book team showcases empathy, courage, and kindness — treasures that last forever. Magical tales about the Goopy Ghost of the pumpkin and epic adventures about rays, sharks, raccoons, and armadillos hold young readers' attention and spark learning.
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Editor
Award-winning Australian author Graeme Lofts deserves first-place mention for his final edits of our books. This former educator of Science and Physics penned numerous textbooks. He currently writes non-fiction scientific and business books. Graeme pushed for the facts about the iconic animals in the children's books to be added to this website. Facts build on the fascinating subject matter and calm blind fears about wildlife.
Overall Responsibility
Retired mental-health attorney Terry Verduin (pen name V. R. Duin) works to improve childhood mental health with fun characters. She was a certified SCUBA diver. Her content and trademarks are licensed to Little Ray Children’s Books. Her books are in our Bookstore. She serves as President and Director of daily operations, planning, and fundraising, and administers this website and the Goopy Ghost content hub. She joined us in December 2021.
Volunteer Expert
Amie Holton brings 21 years of entrepreneurship and 12 years of volunteer service at multiple schools and diverse sporting events to Little Ray Children’s Books. Her executive skills & experience in child welfare and education are important to our nonprofit. She serves as the Secretary. Amie provided prior service to the board with volunteer recruitment. Her connections contribute to our leadership and management. She joined the board in April 2024.
Financial Officer
Engineer Dick Verduin serves as Treasurer and Director. This founding director is responsible for overseeing, managing, reconciling, and accounting for the financial affairs of this charity. He is not related to Terry Verduin by blood or by marriage. Dick Verduin is a graduate of Northwestern University. He also performs part-time engineering work involving environmental systems and construction permitting. He joined the board in December 2021.
Marketing Guru
Vice President Abby Quigg brings networking power to the children's book team. She is on the board of directors of Little Ray Children’s Books. This founding director is an experienced event hosting planner, realtor, and business owner. She will help plan Waffles for Sharks charitable events to spread awareness about our mission. Abby Quigg is an alumna of the University of Kentucky. She joined the board in December 2021.
Composer/Producer
Composer and film producer Miroslav Vukmirovik uses the stage name ‘Mikey Woodsy’. His original music comes to life in brilliant presentations throughout our websites. This advisory director captures the mystery, adventure, and fun of our children's stories. His ability to process diverse sights and sounds was refined over many years of film and television production. Experience the artful productions of Mikey Woodsy across Little Ray and Goopy Ghost websites. Be sure to explore his offerings on nocturno.
Education
Pilar Jiménez Romero is a skilled scientist and educator. Her expertise in teaching and learning foreign languages brings welcome insights to our board. This advisory director’s expertise includes nonprofits. She is guiding the use of our rhyming books for learners of English as a second language in U.S. schools with an immigrant student population. Pilar speaks, reads, and writes multiple languages. She is also an artist and writer.
Technology
Finley Hadfield is a computer science student at the University of Reading. This advisory director contributes to innovative solutions and impactful projects. Past programming and technical skills include two in-person roles: one in the hospitality industry and another as a coding instructor for children, where I helped them build projects and develop foundational programming knowledge. Finley is helping us manage our technology.
Thank you!
Thank You, Google.com
We are grateful to Google.com for our in-kind search Ad Grant, which provides our nonprofit with almost $10,000 per month in advertising. These donated search ads drive about 60% of our website visits. We also value our product listings in Google Merchant Center, where shoppers discover and explore products. Google Analytics gives us valuable website metrics.
Thank You, Canva!
We are grateful to Canva for its Nonprofits program. Thanks to this program, our nonprofit receives the full features of Canva Pro at no cost. This great benefit enables our organization to create high-quality visuals for everything from social media to reports and presentations. Projects created with Canva are building awareness of our children’s book characters and our missions.
Thank You, Mentors!
SCORE provides one-on-one nonprofit consulting services at no charge. The meetings can be conducted by phone, email, or in person in Jacksonville, Florida. Our board president attends SCORE workshops. SCORE helps empower great decisions for our nonprofit, our donors, and customers.
Sponsorship Opportunity
Sponsor Little Ray books for your classroom —or for wait-listed classes in Palm Beach, Alachua, and Manatee Counties. $150 includes the 4-book set (reserved for the class), plus student incentives: Meme Coins (<25 students) or Certificates (25+). Books open to all after the challenge.
