They tell stories, talk about books and invite each child to select a book to keep from an assortment of colorful, carefully chosen new paperbacks. After RIF volunteers visit a classroom or a homeless family shelter several times during the year, each child has the beginning of a library and, usually, a lifetime reading habit. When youngsters read books, they open their minds and their futures. The need for RIF's program in the Los Angeles area is especially acute. Fulfillment of the requests that pour in from schools and social service organizations is limited only by the number of volunteers and the amount of funds available.
Participation is welcome.
Veteran RIF volunteers invest time in cultivating new volunteers to serve as storytellers, as workers in RIF's tiny office and as coordinators for book selection and distribution. There is a special need for bilingual storytellers. Funding Money to buy books is raised by contributions from individual donors, corporate foundations and matching grants from the Department of Education. Publishers provide RIF with generous discount prices. Donations are tax-deductible, and RIF can be designated to receive any portion of an individual's United Way payroll pledge.