Spotlight on Sandie Thao
Some people show up to a community conversation.
Others help reshape it.
Sandie Thao is doing both.
Sandie is a nonprofit operations manager at Reach Out and Read and an active leader with Hmong HANDS, an all-volunteer organization serving Hmong families across Wisconsin.
She also serves on Achieve Brown County’s Built Literacy Environments Action Team, where she helps us think bigger about how literacy lives in every corner of our community.
And at the heart of it all? A belief that systems should work for everyone.
“A Book Is Just the Beginning.”
In her role with Reach Out and Read, Sandie supports a national model that integrates reading guidance directly into pediatric care. Families don’t just receive a book. They also receive coaching, encouragement, and support around building strong reading routines at home.
Shared reading becomes:
- A catalyst for healthy development
- A tool for strengthening family bonds
- A foundation for lifelong learning
Sandie understands that early literacy is about more than academics. It is about relationships. It is about connection.
Building a Safe Space for Hmong Families
Beyond her professional role, Sandie plays an active leadership role with Hmong HANDS. This organization is currently the only in Wisconsin specifically serving Hmong families navigating disabilities, autism, and mental health challenges.
Hmong HANDS exists because many families do not access traditional systems of support due to:
- Cultural barriers
- Language barriers
- Stigma around diagnoses
- Lack of culturally responsive services
Their mission is clear:
Create a supportive community where every individual can embrace their unique abilities and define their own future.
As Sandie shared:
“We are trying to build an equitable path where families have agency in their own outcomes. We want to open the windows into the community and shape spaces where every person feels seen.”
Why Data Matters
Sandie connected with Achieve Brown County through a data request.
She was searching for information specific to the Hmong community. She kept running into the same issue:
The data often wasn’t there.
Because Hmong individuals are frequently categorized under broader racial groups in surveys and demographic tools, their experiences are often underrepresented or invisible in local data sets. Sandie noted that other communities, including immigrants and Black Americans, face similar challenges.
As a self-described “data nerd,” she knew good programs require good information.
“We can’t build effective support if we don’t understand the barriers our families are facing.”
The data helped inform critical questions:
- What barriers are Hmong neurodiverse individuals facing?
- Where are the gaps in access to youth and family supports?
- How can we better address undiagnosed needs in our community?
- What is needed to launch a mental health coalition rooted in cultural understanding?
Programs Breaking Stigma and Building Trust
With data in hand and community voice leading the way, Hmong HANDS has developed powerful, culturally responsive programming:
Caregiver Café / Mom Time
Biweekly Saturdays dedicated to building trust and connection. Families gather for activities like:
- Ice skating
- Bowling
- Vision boarding
- Community outings
The goal is simple: build community first.
Community Closet & Food Pantry
Providing culturally sensitive clothing, traditional foods, and sensory-safe food options.
Cultural Arts & Youth Leadership
Youth develop:
- Cultural pride
- Music and dance skills
- Language preservation
- Workforce development skills
Diagnosis Support & Advocacy
Families can receive help with:
- Navigating therapy systems
- Medicaid or healthcare applications
- IEP advocacy
- Translation support
- Understanding and processing diagnoses
Many older generations went undiagnosed. Sandie is working to break that generational cycle of silence and stigma.
“So many families have carried this quietly for years. We want to bring light, information, and support into that space.”
Systems Change in Action
Sandie was drawn to Achieve Brown County because of our systems approach.
Not a one-program fix.
Not a single conversation.
But coordinated action across sectors.
Through her work on our Built Literacy Environments Action Team, Sandie helps pilot projects that embed literacy into everyday spaces. She knows reading doesn’t only belong in classrooms. It belongs in clinics, community centers, grocery stores, libraries, and homes.
Her work embodies what collaboration looks like when it is grounded in culture, data, and lived experience.
And we are proud to learn alongside her.
This Is How We Achieve More
Sandie’s story is one example of how Achieve Brown County uses:
- Data to uncover inequities
- Collaboration to align efforts
- Community voice to inform action
- Partnerships to build sustainable change
When leaders like Sandie bring their expertise and courage to the table, our entire community grows stronger.
Get Involved
If you believe in building systems that work for every child and family, we invite you to join us.
Learn more about Hmong HANDS: https://www.hmonghands.org/
Learn more about Reach Out and Read: https://reachoutandread.org/
Join an Achieve Brown County Action Team
Together, we can build a community where every child, in every zip code, in every language, in every family, has the opportunity to THRIVE.