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Reading Is Fundamental Announces Winners of Read With Me: The 2004 RIF Community Reading Challenge

94 RIF sites recognized for excellence in literacy campaign sponsored by MetLife Foundation

WASHINGTON — Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF®) today announced two national champions and 92 state winners of Read With Me: The 2004 RIF Community Reading Challenge, made possible by MetLife Foundation. This year, more than 1,200 RIF sites serving nearly 350,000 children pledged to participate in the program, and RIF selected winners from each state, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. One small site (fewer than 350 children) and one large site were eligible to be recognized in each state.

The 2004 large-site national champion is Juan Linn Math & Science Magnet School in Victoria, Texas, which earned its second national title by engaging its 500 students in a myriad of literacy activities involving more than 4,000 community member visits to the school and read-ins at a local mall. The 2004 small-site national champion is Longfellow Elementary School in Rock Island, Ill., where the school’s 178 students and staff recruited more than 1,000 reading volunteers from local businesses, the nearby college, local sports teams, and even an adult care center close to the school.

The Community Reading Challenge is a two-week competition to engage family members and communities across the country in motivating children to read. Participating RIF sites chose two weeks in January or February to coordinate reading events and invite community members to visit the school to read with children. RIF and MetLife then determined winners through a scoring system that factors the number of children at the site who met reading goals and completed bonus literacy-related activities and the number of community volunteers who participated.

“We are so pleased to see the tremendous response from children across the country to the Community Reading Challenge, a project made possible through the generous support of MetLife Foundation,” said Carol H. Rasco, RIF president and CEO. “All our winners represent the finest examples of how educators, parents and community members can work together to motivate children to develop a life-long enjoyment of reading.”

“RIF and MetLife Foundation have a long history of challenging children to read more books,” said Sibyl Jacobson, President and CEO, MetLife Foundation. “We are delighted that this year so many families and communities joined the challenge and supported young readers in every corner of the country. Congratulations to the hundreds of thousands of children who participated in Read With Me and the volunteers who helped them achieve their goals.”

The two national winners receive the following prizes: the Margaret McNamara Readers Cup, named in honor of RIF’s founder; $500 gift cards to buy library books; medals for each child; a national champion banner; and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. in May for four people. The 92 state award-winners will conduct local celebration ceremonies before July and will receive the following awards: $200 gift cards to buy library books; a certificate of achievement; a state champion banner; medals for each child; and community recognition items.

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.6 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources each year. For more information and to access reading resources, visit RIF’s website at www.rif.org.

 Discover the Joy!

For more information, contact:
Layla Wright-Contreras,
Media Relations Manager
202-536-3528
lwright@rif.org