Why We Matter:

• Nearly two-thirds of low-income families have no books at all in their homes (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007).

• Thirty-three percent of American 4th graders read below the "basic" level on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reading test (NCES, 2007).

• "If more access leads to more reading, and if more reading leads to better reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and a larger vocabulary, this means that the first step any literacy campaign needs to take is to make sure children have access to plenty of books" (S. Krashen, Literacy Network News, 2007).

What We Do:

• We give children the opportunity to choose books of their very own to keep. Many of the children we serve receive their very first book from RIF Pittburgh.

• We impact children throughout their elementary school education, providing consistent books and literacy activities that become an integrated part of the educational experience.

• We serve the most economically disadvantaged children in Pittsburgh in an effort to reduce the literacy gap in our community.

• Last year, we provided more than 60,000 free books and motivational activities to more than 20,000 economically disadvantaged children in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.

Why We Do It:

• A child that masters reading has one of the most critical tools necessary to continue to learn and to develop into a productive, active, and healthy member of our community.

• Every child, regardless of socioeconomic status, deserves the opportunity to discover the joy of reading.

• Research proves that providing access to books is the first step in developing a child into an independent, lifelong reader.

• There is nothing more powerful than the smile on a child's face when he puts his hands around his very first book that belongs to him.