Greetings!
It has been a thrilling year for Kids Need to Read! A beautiful new office, enthusiastic new board members, a devoted new employee, exciting new partnerships—the constant stream of positive support for our passion-filled literacy programs goes on unabated. Over the past seven years, we have provided thousands of high quality reading resources and literacy support services to schools, libraries, and organizations serving children and adolescents in 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. From the recipients of these gifts have come many grateful exclamations, including: “You are such a blessing!” “I thank God for your generosity.” “…they’re already flying off the shelves and out the door!” “They really are wonderful books! So much diversity in content and age levels. We are so happy!” “I can’t thank you enough for motivating our students to value the written word.” These statements of appreciation belong to all of you who have so generously supported Kids Need to Read throughout the years. The blessings and generosity they mention—their happiness—it all came from you!
New for the year 2015 is READ Together, a program inspiring adults to read to children every day. Studies prove this simple act performed on a regular basis directly correlates to higher reading proficiency levels and future success, especially when started at the earliest of ages. READ Together provides books for disadvantaged young students to read with their families every school evening, as well as educational materials designed to inspire caregivers to give appropriate attention to this crucial activity. We encourage all of you to read together with the children in your lives to develop their cognitive, emotional, and social skills.
Children need books to fire their imaginations and to develop necessary skills for future success. Families, teachers, librarians, and literacy organizations need books to facilitate their work. Kids Need to Read needs your help to provide these vital literacy resources and supporting services! Whether you can help with $25 or $1,000, your gift will assist in the provision of reading resources for the hope of the future—children! Of course, your donation is 100% tax deductible.
We know that literacy is learned and illiteracy is passed along. By teaming up with literacy partners and supporters like you to vigorously mitigate this issue head on, Kids Need to Read will continue to connect children with books, and illustrate the connection of books with a brighter future, resulting in more literate, productive communities. Thank you for joining with Kids Need to Read in motivating children to “value the written word.”
Most gratefully,
Denise Gary
Executive Director
