NEW YORK, NY — May 10, 2010 — What would YOU give up this summer to put books in the hands of kids who might otherwise not own a single book? Two iced coffees? A movie and popcorn?

Scholastic and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) are asking parents, teachers and anyone else who believes, as they do, that every child deserves to have books of his or her own, to give up a little something this summer to support summer reading and literacy for all children. The two organizations today announced a new awareness and fundraising campaign – GIVE TO RIF – to help RIF put books in the hands of kids in need, and promote the importance of reading this summer to prevent learning loss. 

Every day throughout the summer, donors can support the campaign at The Scholastic Store Online®, a leading destination for books and products that parents trust and kids love, or The Scholastic Teacher Store Online, a source of learning materials, books and resources for classrooms and schools. 

"Scholastic is proud to sponsor the GIVE TO RIF program and help expose more kids to the amazing information and inspiring stories that can be found in books," said Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer of Scholastic. "Just by donating the amount it costs for a couple of iced coffees or a movie and popcorn, those who contribute will be putting the required four or more books for summer reading into the hands of a child."

Research shows that two-thirds of low-income children in the U.S. have no books in their homes; but research also shows that regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic level, or previous achievement, children who read four or more books over the summer fare better on reading-comprehension tests in the fall than their peers who don’t read over the summer. "Books are a simple remedy to a serious problem," Alexander added.

"Scholastic is an important partner in helping RIF place quality, low cost books in the hands of children who need them most," said Carol H. Rasco, CEO and President, Reading Is Fundamental. "It is our goal to see that all children have the chance to experience the joy of reading and have books to call their own – and campaigns like this one help us move closer to reaching that goal."

Scholastic kicked off the donations with a pledge of 50,000 new books going to RIF as part of the Scholastic Summer Challenge, a global summer reading program that challenges kids to “read four or more” and participate in Scholastic’s Read for the World Record. Launched on April 30 at www.scholastic.com/summer, the Scholastic Summer Challenge™ features a robust online community for kids plus expert advice, engaging activities on Facebook and summer book lists for parents, as well as resources for librarians and educators – and it's all FREE.

For 44 years, RIF and Scholastic have supported each other in their shared mission. "RIF has such a long history of getting books into the communities that need them the most, and we’re proud to help them along the way as we continue working together to bring information and inspiration to all children through books," Alexander concluded.

One hundred percent of the funds collected through GIVE TO RIF will be remitted to RIF, helping support their mission of motivating and inspiring children to read and helping ensure that all children will have the chance to have books to call their own. Donations can be made online with a credit or debit card, either as an add-on to a purchase or as a straight donation. With a $5 donation or more, parents and teachers can receive 20 percent off coupons to The Scholastic Store Online or on selected items in The Teacher Store Online.

To learn more about the GIVE TO RIF campaign and make a donation, visit: www.scholastic.com/givetorif.

For more information about Scholastic, visit our Media Room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF's highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provided 4.4 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources last year. Visit RIF.org for more information.

Contact:

Tyler Reed
Scholastic
212.343.6427 / treed@scholastic.com

Melissa Mills
Reading Is Fundamental
202.536.3528 / mmills@rif.org