Arjun Bansal
COO & Co-Founder
A high school junior who runs operations: logistics, inventory, school outreach, and the systems that move thousands of books from donors to kids. Arjun represents the next generation leading this work.
About · Est. 2022
Literacy is a form of care.
Expedition Reading was born from a family-driven conviction: that the first book a child holds is as formative as the first well-child visit. We're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2022 by three physicians and three of their children. What started as book drives in waiting rooms has grown into a partnership model that places books at the very start of a child's life, and keeps replenishing them through kindergarten and beyond.
Our Why
The earliest years decide everything.
One in four American children grows up without learning to read. Ninety percent of brain development happens before age five. Every dollar spent on early literacy returns between seven and ten in lifetime earnings, health, and wellbeing.
We're in the business of moving those numbers. One book, one child, one partner at a time.
Our Values
Six commitments that shape every decision.
Access
We remove the barriers that keep books out of homes: cost, distance, inventory, language.
Equity
We meet each child's needs without judgment, and we measure our work by who we're reaching, not who's easiest to reach.
Joy
A book should feel like a gift, not a lesson. Every handoff carries warmth and wonder.
Partnership
We do this with hospitals, schools, and nonprofits, never around them. Trust compounds when it's shared.
Future
Early literacy is an investment with a lifetime return. We work with that time horizon in mind.
Stewardship
We treat every donated dollar and every donated book as a responsibility. Transparent in numbers, careful in use.
The Team
Three physicians. Three students. One mission.
Dr. Mickey Bansal
CEO & Co-Founder
A practicing physician who has seen firsthand how a child's environment shapes their outcomes. Mickey founded Expedition Reading on the conviction that books are foundational to health, not adjacent to it.
Dr. Alexina Mehta
CFO & Co-Founder
A physician whose work in health equity revealed how deeply literacy and lifelong wellbeing are entwined. Alexina keeps the organization grounded in measurable impact and responsible stewardship.
Dr. Zenobia JonesFoster
Co-Founder
A hospital medicine physician who sees families at their most vulnerable. A book in a going-home bag can change the trajectory of a childhood, and Zenobia leads our hospital partnership program to make sure it happens.
Seniya JonesFoster
Director & Co-Founder
A ninth-grader who helps lead community drives and outreach. Seniya brings a student's perspective to the programs, ensuring the books and materials actually resonate with the kids receiving them.
Nasani JonesFoster
Assistant Director & Co-Founder
A seventh-grader who supports community drives and shelf-stocking at partner schools. Nasani is proof that meaningful work in literacy doesn't wait for adulthood.
Legal Status
Expedition Reading is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Our EIN and audited financials are available on request.
Join Us
Be the reason a book lands in a child's hands.
Donate, volunteer, or host a drive. Every single one moves the number.