Reading Is Fundamental prepares kids for a lifetime of opportunity. Through partnerships with book publishers, volunteers, community groups, organizations, and like-minded corporations, RIF has distributed more than 422 million books and impacted the lives of more than 129 million children in all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
With help from you and thousands of others, our impact is significant
and life changing.
RIF is committed to making local literacy impact through our many partners. From large to small, each organization RIF partners with is working to create a more literate America. Take a look at these examples of our impact in communities.
Michael R. Null and C.E. King Middle Schools
Houston, TX
Reading Is Fundamental joined forces with NBA Cares, State Farm and the Chris Paul Family Foundation to provide more than 10,000 books, literacy resources and learning tools to 2,100 middle school students in Houston, TX, who were affected by Hurricane Harvey. The partnership kicked off with a coordinated volunteer effort to benefit the kids at Michael R. Null and C.E. King Middle Schools. The event included a community book drive, a donation of Chromebooks for the library and a basketball clinic for deserving students led by Houston Rockets superstars Chris Paul and James Harden. RIF created customized content on Literacy Central with supplemental resources to align with the book titles that the students received. In addition, RIF joined with community partners to rebuild and open the hurricane damaged library at King Middle School as part of an ongoing effort to support communities affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Chief Shikellamy Elementary School
Sunbury PA
Chief Shikellamy Elementary School in Sunbury, PA, sailed into summer reading with their annual Books on the Beach extravaganza. Books on the Beach is a book celebration event where more than 360 students choose a book and head outside to read on beach towels on the lawn. Coordinator Lisa Mertz began the event several years ago to make sure all students had a book to read before heading home for the summer. She got the idea for Books on the Beach because she wanted students to associate reading with happiness and joy and believes a love of reading isn’t something educators always have time to teach. Lisa simply stated that her favorite part of the event is seeing the kids’ big smiles as they bury their heads in a good book.
Southwest Human Development
Phoenix, AZ
Southwest Human Development, Arizona’s largest nonprofit dedicated to early childhood development, has been a RIF partner for more than 25 years. Strengthening the foundation Arizona’s children need for a great start in life is the forefront of the work its over 900 employees provide to 135,000 young children each year. With a special focus on early communication, language and literacy in each of its 40 programs and services, Southwest Human Development distributes more than 100,000 age-appropriate children’s books annually to the families it serves. This includes 12,000 books distributed to 4,000 children through RIF’s Books For Ownership Grant and more than 1,000 books to over 500 children who participate in RIF’s Read For Success reading intervention program.
See how the power of reading can encourage kids to open doors – a skill that stays with them forever and often begins with a RIF book.
Sangita and Ketan
Los Angeles, CA
You never know what kinds of doors a book will open. That's why RIF was so excited to hear how we helped a pair of former RIF kids change their world.
Sangita and Ketan wrote us to say that they had recently come upon Ketan's first RIF book, The Forgotten Door, a book so important to him that he had kept it for 29 years!
So what happened to these two RIF kids inspired by a love of reading?
Sangita told us: “My husband and I came from less-fortunate backgrounds. RIF opened the door to a whole new world of reading for both us and contributed to our growth as adults. He's an electrical engineer and I'm a CEO of a children's education company."
As Ketan said: “We both believe strongly in literacy-not just reading, but the importance of being functionally literate. Literacy leads to freedom, opportunity, and success. Thank you, RIF! Keep up the important work.”
Patrick
Parish, LA
In 1982, in second grade, Patrick selected a RIF book about the discovery of the ancient city of Troy. He wrote to RIF, "I fell in love with archaeology after reading that book. Not many people can pinpoint that eureka moment in their life when they decide to be something, but I can. That day was my eureka moment."
Ashley
Brooklyn, NY
“Giving us books is a good thing and you should keep on doing it because it has given kids a chance to read. I thank you for giving books because it can really change somebody's life knowing that someone cares.”