April RIF of NOVA News!

April Brings Showers of Books!

RIF RAP

April 2018

Yep! It's time again for DO MORE 24 -- a 24-hour period to show your love for RIF of NOVA...and to help purchase books for deserving children in our region!

Mark your calendars for Thursday, May 17. Beginning at NOON on May 17 and continuing for 24 hours until NOON on May 18, you can contribute to our literacy campaign!

Every two dollars donated to RIF of NOVA = one book! Whoo hoo! So save your nickels and dimes (and dollars!!!) to DO MORE for literacy.

Here's our link: https://www.domore24.org/readbooks.

Do More 24 is the DMV's largest 24-hour online fundraiser powered by United Way of the National Capital Area.

Last year via the Do More campaign, YOU -- our wonderful supporters -- gave over $4,000 to RIF of NOVA -- resulting in over 2,000 books for our kids. Let's top that this year!!!

Combating the Summer Slide

Some of the funds raised through Do More will provide books to help children combat the summer reading slide. The slide is real...and it begins early in elementary school. Research from Johns Hopkins University shows that two-thirds of the achievement gap among high school students is attributable to summer learning loss in elementary school in low-income areas. Reading is Fundamental’s own research shows that, if this achievement gap is not addressed, students can fall behind as much as three years by the end of fifth grade. RIF of NOVA programs help at the local level, throughout Northern Virginia. Other programs focus on a broader scale. Read below about two of them.

National RIF’s research-based literacy program Read for Success is designed to address the risk of losing the learning and skills students develop during the school year over summer break. Read for Success was tested over two years among 33,000 schools in 16 states. When implemented year-round, Read for Success helped improve reading scores for 57% of children in the program. Maybe Read for Success can work for your school!

The PBS News Hour featured a story in late March about another organization that is fighting back. Springboard Collaborative says closing the gap is all about parents reading to their children. Springboard operates programs in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New York City, and several California cities. The number of participating families has grown from about 40 initially to 5,000 this year. A small number...but it's growing! Read more about this organization and its efforts here! (Photo courtesy of Springboard Collaborative)

RIF of NOVA Book Distributions Continue with Fun for All!!!

Lynbrook Lucky Leprechauns Love Literacy!

For RIF of NOVA week, the Lynbrook Elementary School library in Fairfax County became a medieval castle with fire-breathing dragons, stone turrets, and a big sign, reading: “Once upon a time...” The young readers were quick to pick out their books...before slipping into make believe and coloring dragons and other medieval scenes.

Librarian Julie Brannan, a long-time RIF supporter, shared some tangible evidence about the impact of RIF of NOVA books. Two Lynbrook graduates, sisters now in high school and college, returned to their elementary school with a box of the RIF books they had received as students. They asked Julie to pass their treasures on to other children -- with the hope that they, too, would learn to love reading.

The whole school got into the act, with the school sign encouraging the students to read, read, read!

Even a fire-breathing dragon seemed to enjoy the fun of the Lynbrook RIF of NOVA book celebration!

RIF of NOVA on Dr. Seuss Day at Bailey's

The birthday of Dr. Seuss -- Read Across America Day on March 2 -- was not to be missed at Baileys Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences in Fairfax County.

The children wrote thank you notes for their new RIF of NOVA books...

...and showed them off proudly to the paparazzi!

Arlington Traditional School Had a Love-IN!

Will you be my Valentine? That was the theme of the RIF of NOVA book distribution for a reading group at Arlington Traditional School in Arlington. Children were able to choose two books from a table full of good reads. However, they had homework. Yes...they had to take their books home to read with their families! Well done!

Remember...

We cannot do this without YOU!!! So please mark this date: May 17...to DO MORE !

RIF of NOVA is able to provide books to promote literacy only through donations from people like you!

And if you just can't wait until May 17...a little bird has told us that our Do More donation button will go LIVE on May 1!!! That link again: https://www.domore24.org/readbooks .

1) You can also give any time via PayPal on the RIF of NOVA website www.rifnova.org.

2) You can send a check to our mailbox: P.O. Box 7012, Arlington, VA 22207-0012.

3) You can register with smile.amazon.com. Type in Reading Is Fundamental of Northern Virginia, Inc. to select us as the charity you want to support. Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to RIF of NOVA.

Please share the RAP! Forward our newsletter to your friends and anyone interested in providing books to children who need them! Subscribe here !

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RIF of NOVA | rifnova@gmail.com | www.rifnova.org