December 2011
Tattered Cover Book Store Hosts Book Drive to Benefit Reach Out and Read
On Thursday, December 1 the Tattered Cover launched its 14th annual holiday book drive to collect gently used books for Reach Out and Read Colorado. For every 10 books the Tatterd Cover collects, it will donate one brand new book for the program. Tens of thousands of books have been collected over the years, for which Reach Out and Read Colorado is extremely grateful! Stop by your local Tattered Cover Bookstore and drop a gently used book into one of their bins today. Read about it in The Denver Post.

November 2011
Mile High United Way and Denver Broncos Team Up to Recruit Volunteer Readers
Tuesday, November 29th kicks off a new campaign where United Way Worldwide is inviting key partners like National Football League players to join in recruiting one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors over the next three years in an effort to cut the number of high school dropouts in half by 2018. In Colorado, Mile High United Way is teaming up with the Denver Broncos to find volunteers for nonprofit organizations, including volunteer readers for Reach Out and Read Colorado's clinic waiting rooms. Volunteer readers not only entertain children while they're waiting for their doctor's visits, but also model to parents the many ways to engage children with books and reading aloud.

October 2011
Crowley County Receives National Award
Promoting good health and a good mind is what Karen Tomky, FNP, of Centennial Family Health Center (fourth from left in the picture) and Ronda Knowlton (fourth from right) as the Crowley County Health nurse are doing all with the help of the Reach Out and Read Program. Crowley County received the designation of "Bookend County" by Reach Out and Read's National Office, recognizing that all clinics in the county which serve children participate in the Reach Out and Read program. Read the full article as covered by the Fowler Tribune.

Reach Out and Read Colorado Joins Lt. Governor's Literacy Bus Tour
Colorado Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia, center, visited Sopris Elementary School in Glenwood Springs on October 18 as part of his statewide tour to emphasize early childhood reading and improving third grade reading levels. Megan Wilson, right, executive director of Reach Out and Read Colorado, joined him and his staff as well as Christine Benero, CEO of Mile High United Way, Susan Steele of the Buell Foundation, and many other new and existing friends of Reach Out and Read's, for two days of the bus tour. Read the full story in the Glenwood Springs Post Indepentent article.

Reading Tree and The Denver Post Help Out Reach Out and Read Colorado
Reach Out and Read Colorado's partner, Reading Tree, delivered three pallets of gently-used books to the Denver office. But how to get these boxes of books to the children who need them across the state? Enter the Denver Post! Meredith Goldin, tireless (and strong!) Program Manager, enlisted the help of volunteers Joan Goldin and Drew Hintze to deliver the majority of the 81 boxes to the Denver Post, where Rick "Worm" Charbanneau (shown in picture with Joan) and his crew helped unload and prepare the boxes for being delivered on their trucks across Colorado.

Reach Out and Read's Military Initiative Featured on NBC
On October 12, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams featured coverage of Reach Out and Read's Military Initiative, filmed at Scott Air Force Base. You may even view a bonus segment with extra interviews here. Earlier this year, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Colorado to spread the word about her support of initiatives such as these that provide assistance to military families.

Summer 2011 eNewsletter pdf

August 2011
Senator Udall Visits a Reach Out and Read Clinic
On August 16, Senator Udall visited the Inner City Health Center in support of Reach Out and Read’s Summer of a Million Books campaign. There, he demonstrated his support for the campaign by reading aloud and giving a brand-new book to each of the children in the center's waiting room. “I’m so proud of the difference Reach Out and Read has made for Colorado families,” Senator Udall said.  “This may be the most important prescription families get – reading with kids gives them a boost in school, and it brings families together.  I loved reading to my own kids, and I’m very glad to join the thousands of other volunteers and health professionals across the country to encourage enthusiasm for reading among our youngest Coloradans.”

Reach Out and Read National CEO on MSNBC
In a segment about the current state of education in the country on August 16, Reach Out and Read National CEO Earl Martin Phalen appeared on NewsNation with Tamron Hall on MSNCBC. Highlighting Reach Out and Read's efforts in the Summer of a Million Books, Earl spoke about the issues facing children of low-income families and what Reach Out and Read is doing to change their educational outcomes.

June 2011
Denver Bronco reads to kids
On June 30, Denver Broncos free safety and founder of SOUL (Serving Others through Unity and Leadership) Quinton Carter, read to a group of children at KinderCare in Golden. The event kicked off the Nationwide Read. Share. Give. Book Sharing Program. A generous donation of the program's books were given to Reach Out and Read Colorado. Read the Denver Post article online.

Summer of a Million Books

Doctors Group Joins Reading Outreach
Western Colorado Physicians Group, a division of Primary Care Partners, now joins Western Colorado Pediatric Associates and Family Physicians of Western Colorado, also divisions of Primary Care Partners, as participants in the Reach Out and Read program. The news made the Health Briefs section of the Grand Junction Sentinel on June 21.

Reach Out and Read CEO on Kids Home Alone in Summer
Earl Martin Phalen, Reach Out and Read National CEO and Founder of Summer Advantage USA, wrote a column for HuffPost Education on the downside of children being out of school and home alone or with older siblings. They may not have nutritious meals, may be unable to go outside to play, and may resort to sitting around and watching TV. Studies show children typically lose two months of academic gains during the summer months. Summer Advantage provides an alternative to that scenario, and Reach Out and Read encourages everyone to read to the children in their lives every day.

April 2011
Reach Out and Read CEO Interviewed
On the heels of the launch of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, a national effort to raise awareness of the importance of ensuring all children can read well by 3rd grade, Maureen Kelleher of Education Week interviewed Reach Out and Read's National CEO, Earl Martin Phalen (click on Education Week for the Q&A).

In an online article posted by Fundraising Success, Earl talks about the organization's fundraising history, current strategies, and what he'd like to see the organization focus on in the future. With an emphasis on shifting Reach Out and Read's fundraising efforts from focusing on books to building infrastructure, Earl imparts his insight on what is working, what could be done differently, and gives advice to similar organizations.

Meghan Treitz Receives Young Investigator Award
Meghan Treitz, a Pediatrician at The Children's Hospital in Denver and avid Reach Out and Read supporter, was awarded $15,000 in funding for her project, Promoting Early Childhood Literacy with Low Income Families in a Primary Care Pediatric Clinic Using a Video Tutorial to Teach Dialogic Reading. The project was selected for funding by the 2011 Academic Pediatric Association Young Investigator Award (YIA) Program for Primary Care Strategies for the Promotion of Early Literacy and School Readiness Supported by Reach Out and Read. Congratulations, Meghan!

The New York Times Recognizes Reach Out and Read
On April 15 The New York Times ran a wonderfully in-depth article about the many benefits of the Reach Out and Read program. Interviewing Dr. Perri Klass, Reach Out and Read's National Medical Director, Earl Phalen, Reach Out and Read's CEO, and Dr. Barry Zuckerman, who along with Dr. Robert Needlman founded Reach Out and Read, the article expounds on the history, the present and the future plans of the program.

Alamosa County Public Health Department is Newest Reach Out and Read Site
The Valley Courier ran a story in its Education section on April 13 announcing that the Alamosa County Public Health Department is now participating in the Reach Out and Read program. Mary Vozar, Reach Out and Read Colorado's Southwest Regional Coordinator, helped train the staff in the Reach Out and Read model, and a child-friendly reading area was created in the waiting room with donated gently-used books for all ages.

March 2011
Eagle Valley Medical Center joins Reach Out and Read
The Eagle Valley Enterprise posted an announcement about one of Reach Out and Read Colorado's newest clinics. Eagle Valley Medical Center doctors Angela Ammon, Mike Cassat and Crystal Roney will join in with more than 4,654 programs nationwide who are helping prepare America's young children to succeed in school. Welcome aboard!

Open a child's mind with an open book
Reach Out and Read Colorado's Southwest Regional Coordinator, Mary Vozar, wrote an article for the Cortez Journal, beautifully describing what early literacy means and how the Reach Out and Read model is a perfect avenue for achieving early literacy in young children. By creating a fun, verbal and stimulating environment, a child's interest in books and reading increases, thus opening the door for success in literacy, reading and, ultimately, school.

Can you read this? You have someone to thank
The Durango Herald published an article by Dr. Matthew A. Clark, a board-certified physician in internal medicine and pediatrics practicing at the Ute Mountain Health Center in Towaoc. Dr. Clark describes the numerous benefits for children of reading (and being read to), and encourages parents to read aloud to their children every day.

February 2011
Reach Out and Read: Best Rx for School Readiness
The February issue of Pediatric News featured an article by Dr. Suzanne Boulter, adjunct professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, and medical director for Reach Out and Read in that state.

Reach Out and Read Program Expands in Durango
Dr. Pakhi Chaudhuri and the Reach Out and Read program at Pediatric Associates of Durango were featured in an article in The Durango Telegraph. The clinic has participated in the program for five years, and Reach Out and Read Colorado's presence in Durango is about to expand: The Nurse Family Parntership is applying to incorporate Reach Out and Read into their program, which visits first-time mothers to provide care and support for the first two years.

Reach Out and Read Colorado Named Nonprofit of the Month
Bruce DeBoskey, a Denver-based philanthropic adviser with The DeBoskey Group, not only included Reach Out and Read Colorado in his Denver Post article about involving your kids in your philanthropic giving, but named Reach Out and Read as the Nonprofit of the Month! Read the full article here.

Med Prep High School Students Host Book Drive
Meghan Treitz of The Children's Hospital of Denver (far right) poses with a group of Med Prep high school students displaying the results of their recent book drive, where they collected gently used books for Reach Out and Read Colorado. This dedicated group of students, interested in pursuing careers in medicine, not only collect books for the program but also participate as volunteer readers in the waiting room at Children's Hospital.

January 2011
Western Colorado Pediatric Associates Receives Richard Robinson Award
Nana Hastings, the waiting room reader at Western Colorado Pediatric Associates, is in the spotlight again! This time with Cathie Clark as part of the team that won the Richard Robinson Award, the highest honor Reach Out and Read National bestows upon its clinics, named after the President and CEO of Scholastic Inc., Reach Out and Read’s strongest and longest-standing partner in literacy.  The award recognizes the extraordinary implementation of the Reach Out and Read model by an individual Program. The clinic will receive a special gift of 1,000 books from the Reach Out and Read National Center and a clinic representative will be presented the award at a dinner on March 2 in Washington, DC. Read an article by the Grand Junction Free Press and watch the Channel 5 news coverage.

Pediatrics of Steamboat Springs' Reach Out and Read Program Gets Press
While it's one of Reach Out and Read Colorado's newest sites, having just joined in November 2010, Pediatrics of Steamboat Springs is not off to a slow start. A recent article in Steamboat Today spotlights Nikki Casteel, practice manager, and the wonderful effects the Reach Out and Read program there is already having on its youngest patients.

October 2010
Englewood Teen Collects Books for Reach Out and Read
Alex Izbiky collected 356 books for Reach Out and Read Colorado for his Bar Mitzvah service project. His book collection happened over the course of September and culminated on the date of his Bar Mitzvah, October 2nd. Alex put Reach Out and Read Colorado book collection bins at Temple Sinai and also reached out to neighbors and friends for donations. Additionally, every person who RSVP’d for his Bar Mitzvah received a letter explaining a bit about Reach Out and Read and his Book Drive. Temple Sinai donated several books from their pre-school classrooms. Alex and his family found out about the Reach Out and Read program by Googling “nonprofit book children” while looking for a project. Thank you Alex and your family and friends for your generous donation and spreading the word about the program!

August 2010
Mutual of Omaha's AHA Moment Campaign Interviews Grand Junctionites
Mutual of Omaha hired a production company to tour around the country in a 34-foot Airstream mobile film studio to capture the country's AHA moments. At each stop, they film dozens of people who speak about their own AHA moments. Those clips may be used on Mutual's website, or in a future ad! Western Colorado Pediatric Associates was interviewed for the AHA Moment tour, and Cathie Clark, a Reach Out and Read Site Coordinator and NaNa Hastings, a full time waiting room reader (pictured at left) shared their AHA moments. Read the stories at the Daily Sentinel and at nbc11news.com.

Representative Mike Coffman Visits a Reach Out and Read Clinic
On August 2nd, Representative Mike Coffman visited Doctors Care in Littleton, showing his support of the Reach Out and Read Program. After reading to a group of children in the waiting room, Congressman Coffman toured the Doctors Care Clinic with Megan Wilson, Reach Out and Read Colorado Executive Director, Bebe Kleinman, Doctors Care Executive Director, and Dr. Nancy Mitchell, Reach Out and Read Medical Champion at Doctors Care.

July 2010
Reach Out and Read Included in The Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics' Annual Report
Featured in The Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics' 2009 Annual Report is the story of Thelma, a single mom of four who, along with all the other services she's grateful for at the clinic, loves the Reach Out and Read program. She says her kids devour the books they receive and they always read together before bed. Thank you, Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics for sharing the true impact the Reach Out and Read program is having in the lives of its recipients.

Click on the image for the full report.

June 2010
The Tattered Cover and Colorado State Bank and Trust June Book Drive
The Tattered Cover Book Stores and Colorado State Bank and Trust collected over 1,500 new and gently used books in their 3rd Annual June Children's Book Drive benefiting Reach Out and Read Colorado. The books, which will all go to Colorado children through the Reach Out and Read childhood literacy program, were donated by the Tattered Cover's generous customers and augmented by a matching donation from the Tattered Cover (1 book for every 10 donated at the Tattered Cover collection sites).

April 2010
Reach Out and Read Program at JeffCo Public Health Honored at Good News Breakfast
The Reach Out and Read Colorado program at JeffCo Public Health was honored at a breakfast hosted by The Good News Coalition of Jefferson County whose mission is to bring citizens together to celebrate the positive happenings and spiritual values that link our diverse communities. The Good News Breakfast celebrated some of the positive values and happenings throughout Jefferson County and honored individuals who strive to ensure literacy for life, both for themselves and others within the community. An article posted on YourHub.com featured the good work the JeffCO Public Health Nurses (shown above with their new plaque) are doing at the clinic.

Reach Out and Read Translates National Website into Spanish
Reach Out and Read's National Center unveiled the Spanish version of their website on April 15. Reach Out and Read serves more than one million Latino children and families nationwide, and 86% of Reach Out and Read Programs serve families for whom Spanish is their first language. While Reach Out and Read has 14 published research studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of the program, its impact on Spanish-speaking families has been found to be even more significant.  In fact, one study found that Spanish-speaking parents served by Reach Out and Read were up to 10 times more likely to read to their children every day than those not served by the program.  Those children are more likely to enter kindergarten prepared to succeed.

January 2010
Six New Clinics in January
In January 2010 Reach Out and Read Colorado welcomed six new clinics! This means we’ll be placing new books in the hands of 2,900 more children through new program participants: Peak Vista Community Health Centers in Colorado Springs; Peak Vista Community Health Centers in Fountain; Peak Vista Community Health Centers--Divide Health Center; Peak Vista Community Health Centers--Entrada Health Center in Colorado Springs; Washington County Clinic in Akron; and Glenwood Medical Associates in Glenwood Springs. They join the ranks of the existing 132 clinics statewide which serve over 82,000 children and their families.

For stories prior to 2010, please visit our News and Press Archive.