RIF in the News

Check out RIF’s signature campaigns, events, and activities making news.

Ace Your Vibe This Back-To-School Season with Macy’s

In July, Macy’s hosted a month-long campaign to benefit its longtime partner, the nation’s leading children’s literacy organization, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), raising more than $1.3 million to promote RIF’s mission to help children achieve their highest potential through literacy. Throughout its 20 year long partnership, Macy’s and RIF have raised more than $45 million to support RIF in donating over 15 million books and thousands of digital literacy resources to children across the country.

SUMMER GIVING: MACY’S AND READING IS FUNDAMENTAL (RIF) RAISE OVER $1.3 MILLION IN JULY CAMPAIGN SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LITERACY

Funds raised will support RIF’s programmatic work providing book choice and access to children in our nation’s most at-risk communities as RIF and Macy’s partner together to close the literacy gap

Podcast: Slate Studios: Macy’s “Brighter Futures Initiative” Campaign July 2023

Hear from Dr. Ingrid Bynum, a Virginia principal and long-time Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) supporter and program implementer in this brief interview with Slate Studios. Dr. Bynum participated in this promotion for Macy’s 2023 Mission Every One campaign, a social purpose initiative which included an in-store round-up and online donation campaign to support RIF and student literacy across the country.

Listen to the audio

Stamford Public Schools celebrate Read Across America with book giveaways

Children across Stamford went home from school with a new gift from the community Friday.

In celebration of this week's Read Across America Initiative, Stamford Public Education Foundation joined with Reading Is Fundamental to present book giveaways for all public schools in the district. A federal grant funded the event.

Preschool through eighth grade students each chose three new books to call their own and enjoy.

Four Ways to Spark Joy in Reading

When looking at the recent headlines on reading instruction there is one word you won’t see mentioned often—JOY. Yet, building a lifelong love for reading not only involves strong and capable readers who can decode and comprehend but readers who love to read and do so often. Whether you are a librarian, classroom teacher or literacy professional, we all play a role in igniting joy for our students. Here are four tips to spark the joy of reading for your students!

Dollar General and Reading Is Fundamental Partner to Support Kentucky School

Together with Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), Dollar General recently surprised Hindman Elementary’s administration with a $50,000 donation from its Reading Revolution program, which aims to support the school’s literacy programs.

Podcast: American Consortium for Equity in Education

Meet Dr. Alicia Levi from nonprofit RIF and Sam Di Scipio VP of Corporate Communication at Macy's which supports RIF so they can continue to improve reading teaching and learning nationwide.

Also go to http://www.rallyroread.org and http://www.rif.org/literacy-central

Listen to the full podcast here.

Reading Is Fundamental Joins Forces with Trane Technologies to Advance the Power of Literacy and Create Sustainable Futures

Reading Is Fundamental joined forces with Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, at the start of the 2021-2022 school year to deliver on their shared mission to support children's literacy and empower children through reading. Today, RIF announced that through a three-pronged initiative, generously supported with a Trane Technologies donation, they have supported more than 150,000 children with books and reading content. It has been especially important to both organizations to support children in under-resourced communities, specifically in Charlotte, North Carolina and Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as children nationally.

Amazon and Reading Is Fundamental Provide over 27,000 Children With Reading Resources Through Special Partnership

With September marking National Literacy Month, Amazon and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) announced today the culmination of their partnership to support student literacy. As part of Amazon's Global Month of Volunteering, Amazon's work includes providing youth with resources to drive more reading engagement opportunities. Through specialized literacy kits and various reading activities, the program served over 27,000 children nationally to inspire the next generation of lifelong readers in underserved and underrepresented communities.

State setting aside $250K to go toward children's literacy programs in Stamford

Connecticut is putting $250,000 toward supporting children's literacy in Stamford. Two programs, Stamford Public Education Foundation and Reading Is Fundamental, will use the funds to gift books to elementary students.

Summer Giving: Macy's and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) Raise Over $1.52 Million in July Campaign Supporting Children's Literacy

In support of providing books and reading resources to children living in our nation's most under-resourced communities, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy's announced that over $1.5 million was raised last month as part of Macy's Mission Every One social purpose initiative, which included an in-store round-up and online donation campaign to support student literacy across the country.

Macy's partners with Reading Is Fundamental to increase access to children in need

Macy's partners with Reading Is Fundamental to increase access to children in need and shoppers can just round up at the cashier to help.

2022 Halo Awards Honor Top Corporate Social Impact Initiatives

Twenty category-specific winners were selected out of more than 120 entries by Engage for Good at its annual conference in Atlanta, GA. Reading Is Fundamental was recognized for Best Education Initiative for our Back-To-School Round Up in partnership with Macy's.

Self-Selecting Success: A Simple Formula for Increasing Reading

Erin Bailey suggests a simple formula for increasing reading

Motivation Is a Key Ingredient for Reading Proficiency

For decades, reading research has demonstrated that word recognition and comprehension are important ingredients to develop a strong reader. But what role does motivation play?

Podcast: Sheetal Sheth’s (always) writing Anjali

Sheetal Sheth is an acclaimed author, actress/producer, cancer graduate, and activist. She’s the author of “Always Anjali” and its sequel, “Bravo Anjali” - which are among Raman and his daughter’s FAVORITE books. Sheetal’s stories challenge us to bring our full selves to the table, and challenge a world that keeps that from being a reality.

Orion and Don Talk About Reading

Orion Jean, author of A Kids Book About Leadership, and Don Tate, author and/or illustrator of more than 80 books for young readers, talk about seeing oneself reflected in a book and the vast diversity of who is a "reader."

DC nonprofit Reading Is Fundamental participates in World Read Aloud Day

It’s Groundhog Day, but don’t be surprised if the groundhog pops out holding a book.

That’s because it’s also World Read Aloud Day, a global initiative to inspire youth literacy.

“A non-profit called Lit World started it several years ago and now over 173 countries across the world participate,” Reading is Fundamental President and CEO Alicia Levi told WTOP. “It’s really all about celebrating the power of reading and the sharing of stories. … When the world celebrates on a day to read along, we are thrilled to participate.”

COVID-19 Update & Child Literacy in the U.S.

January 30, 2022 • 29 min

Ryan Gorman hosts an iHeartRadio nationwide special featuring Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and attending physician in infectious diseases at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Assoumou offers insight into the latest developments with the Omicron variant and answers common questions about COVID-19 vaccines. Alicia Levi, President & CEO of Reading is Fundamental, also joined the show to talk about the pandemic's impact on child literacy across the U.S.

How to Improve Reading Skills in the Early Grades

Source: US News & World Report
By: Emily Popek | Jan. 27, 2022, at 4:08 p.m. original article

Expert strategies parents can use to give children a strong literacy foundation.

When shapes take on meaning as letters and those letters start to form words, it can be magical for children. It’s the first step into the wonderful world of reading. Yet, for many young students across the United States, the magic just isn’t happening.