Thoughts, Memories, & Stories

At Johnston Elementary, part of the Wilkinsburg School District, we serve some of the lowest economic population in the Pittsburgh area. Due to that, our entire school is considered a Title 1 school. Every student in our school qualifies for free breakfast and free lunch.

Needless to say, books are not a big priority to the parents of our students when trying to meet their needs for basic living necessities. Our students crave books and constantly ask to borrow books from the library and teachers' personal libraries.

When it is time for a RIF book distribution, there is such an excitement in the air when the students come to pick their book. We sometimes have to really convince the students that the book they are receiving truly belongs to them and they can take it home!

The look of pride in their eyes when we write their name in the front cover is priceless. At times, the book distribution can cause quite a commotion (especially with the little ones) when they are showing each other their new book.

Because I have been the coordinator for the past three years, the students know that I will be distributing books. I am asked (more like hounded) from the first day of school when they are getting books! It is truly a blessing that through RIF, we are able to provide these books to our students, who otherwise may not ever receive books of their own. We like to attribute the rise in our PSSA scores in part to RIF. Thanks to RIF, our students have developed a love for books and an ownership in reading.

Allison Sciullo
Johnston Elementary
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The students love receiving the books and really look forward to the distribution days. Many of these children are unable to borrow school library books because of issues with lost and damaged books, so the RIF program puts a recreational reading book in their hands at home where perhaps there are no books.

The story I always relate is of a 10-year old student who lived in a group foster home. In line to the leave the library after our first distribution three years ago, he could hardly contained himself, bouncing up and down on his tippy toes repeating several times "This is my very first, very first book for my own personal library!"

Virginia L. Lambeth, Teacher Librarian
School District/University Collaborative Site Liaison
Helen S. Faison Arts Academy - Primary Campus
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Your greatest strength is continually providing books to kids in at-risk communities at those sites like Gwen's Girls who follow all your policies and procedures. In other words, you don't just give books to organizations; you have standards that the organizations must meet; i.e. paperwork, returning unused books and routine follow-up calls when required.

Alison M. Boyle
Volunteer Coordinator
Gwen's Girls
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The majority of our families live in high risk and low-economic communities. They would not be able to purchase the same kinds of books that we receive from RIF Pittsburgh. To do so would jeopardize their ability to provide some other necessity for their family. This would include food, shelter, clothing and medicine.

One of the plus factors we have found out is that by encouraging parents to read to their youngest children, the parents' literacy capacity is enhanced. We have noted that too many of the parents we encounter have poor literacy skills. If not disrupted, this could be a generational negative factor. We firmly believe that no academic achievement can be realized in math, science or any other discipline, if a person cannot read. Reading is the foundation of learning.

Beverly Harris-Walker, MSW
First Steps Initiative Program Coordinator
Values for Life Training Coordinator
Center for Family Excellence, Inc.
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I do feel that our children enjoy their books. When they hear that they get to keep the books they get a smile on their face and can't wait to share it with their family at departure. Many of them do not even want to put the books in their book bags. They want to carry them in their hands.

Patti Bartolli
Children's Museum Pre-K
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The GREATEST strength of the RIF Pittsburgh Book Distribution Program is that they are helping children to learn and love reading. They are offering a way for the children to read about various things and have fun.
I do think the children that we serve at our site value the books. They are very excited when they see us because they know that we will take the time to read to them, talk about the story and listen to their comments. They are also anxious to choose a book for themselves to take home and show their parents so that they can have another story read to them.

Personally, I am very proud to be involved with the RIF Pittsburgh Program. I have a love of reading and this gives me a chance to pass that on to others. Watching the smiles and seeing the excitement of the children who are enjoying these books plus the many "thank you's" that we get from the parents and children is enough to let me know that I am helping in my small way to provide opportunities for the children to explore.

Melissa Strader
Coordinator of Manchester Youth Development Center
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One of the preschool children told their mother that the best thing about Brightside Academy is that the teachers read to them all the time. She said she likes when they are read to before taking a nap, after lunch, during circle time and individually. But then the child said "it is best when we get the free books from a man named RIF!"

Tammy Patterson
Coordinator of Brightside Academy
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Most of the children in our medical office are poor, and are medically underserved. We are literally building a library in their homes that they would never have if we didn't help them through RIF.

We had a parent once tell us that when they were young, no one ever talked to them about books or reading, and they grew up without books in their house. Now, coming to the doctor's office, their children look forward to the visit, just to get a book that they love.

Dr. Jonathan Han
Physician at UPMC New Kensington
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The students at our school love the books they receive from RIF and are always excited on distribution day. They can't wait to share their books with the whole class. Many of them do not have books at home, so they love the fact that the book they receive is now their own book that they can keep and read many times over.

The fourth grade teacher at our school told me that one of her students asked when they would be getting their RIF books this year before any posters were on the walls or anyone even mentioned the book distribution. They remember and look forward to getting their books.

There is a difference when you tell the students that this is a book that they can keep. New students always look at me as if they don't believe me when I first tell them that they can keep the books they receive.

Lee Anne Tomanio
Coordinator for Holy Rosary School