Santa is coming, so we expect these reading clubs to be huge!

(If you have signed up and can't make it, please cancel to make room for another volunteer.)

Within the next eight days we need your help to recruit 151 more volunteers to read aloud to an expected 1,200 plus kids eager to hear a story and see Santa on December 10th!

Here are 5 easy things you can do right now to help!

1. If you haven't already, please visit our website now and sign up.
   
   
2. "Join" our December 10th Facebook Event to let your friends know the fun you'll be up to on the 10th!
   
   
3. Whether or not you can volunteer on the 10th, tweet, post, pin, and tumble to all your friends and followers that we need more volunteers. Here's a sample post you can use:
   
   "Santa + reading to excited kids + holiday spirit = the best way to spend your Saturday morning! My favorite volunteer organization, Reading to Kids, is looking for more volunteers for their reading clubs on Saturday, Dec. 10th. The theme is "Winter & The Spirit of Giving", and the kids are eager to see Santa when he visits the reading clubs that day.
   
   Join me at ### Elementary School for a fun, heartwarming morning of reading to elementary school kids near downtown LA. To join me, sign up online today at www.readingtokids.org."
   
   If you write your own post, please be sure to include the following two things:
   
   - The reading clubs are the morning of December 10th near downtown LA
   - Volunteers must sign up online at www.readingtokids.org
   
   If you have people in mind who you think would really like to read with us, tag them in your post. It will alert them to the reading clubs and show up in their friends' news feeds.
   
   
4. Copy from our email template at http://www.readingtokids.org/News/SampleVolRecruitEmail.pdf to encourage people you know to sign up to read with us!
   
   
5. Print out this flyer at http://readingtokids.org/ProMaterials/VolunteerTearOffFlyer.pdf and post it somewhere others will see it. Make it a personal and fun social event by including the school at which you'll be reading or encouraging them to read at your favorite of our eight partner schools!

Please help Reading to Kids bring joy to children on the 10th by inviting your friends, family and colleagues!

The Santa suits will once again be generously provided by the Pasadena Jaycee's Operation Santa. If you are interested in volunteering for this wonderful project, please click here for more information or email them at OperationSanta@PasadenaJaycees.org!

Would your co-workers love to join you at the reading clubs? Is your campus group looking for a fun volunteer opportunity? Does your alumni organization need an event to attend together? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it is time to sign them up for Reading to Kids!

Reading to Kids Volunteer Groups recruit volunteers for the reading clubs. In addition to a fantastic volunteer experience, groups who regularly recruit and bring volunteers are thanked on our website as "Friends & Supporters."

For example, we had 97 members of Junior League of Los Angeles join us on September 10th. 13 members of Stanford Alumni CSC and 13 from the University of Michigan Club - Los Angeles joined us on November 12th at Esperanza and Magnolia, respectively.

If you have a connection with a business, alumni association, campus group, or other organization whose members might enjoy volunteering with Reading to Kids, start recruiting now!

To sign up your group with Reading to Kids, e-mail us at info@readingtokids.org or call (310) 479-7455, and we'll get your group started!

Congratulations to Matthew Jones for being our first 2016 Annual Fund Drive Angel!

Matthew became an Angel when he gathered donations from at least 10 of his friends for our 2016 Annual Fund Drive, and we invite everyone to become a fundraising Angel this month!

Thank you, Matthew, for creating your ambitious Causes campaign to raise $3,000 for us, and for becoming a fundraising Angel!

How can you help today?

1 - Make a pledge to donate by check or donate online by visiting our 2016 Annual Fund Drive page. Contributions of any amount are greatly appreciated!

2 - Can't volunteer on the 10th? Show your support by asking friends and family to contribute! Visit our 2016 Annual Fund Drive page and look under the "Help us Fundraise!" header for many useful resources. We've made it super simple, just print out this donor sheet and start asking, or spend just a few minutes personalizing and sending this sample email!

Once they know about Reading to Kids, many will want to donate - we just need you to ask!

Also, if your workplace matches donations to nonprofits, please share with them your donation, and ask them to consider matching it. In this way you double your donation and share with others your enthusiasm for Reading to Kids!

Reading to Kids Managing Director Charlie Orchard was a recent guest on FM radio 100.3 The Sound's "5900 Wilshire" program with host Tina Mica!

This Sunday morning, December 4th, at 5:40 am you can hear their chat about books and Reading to Kids.

We'll also post the interview on our website, just in case you can't listen to it this Sunday morning.

Penguin Random House is offering you 5 books to donate to your community through their third annual #GiveaBook holiday campaign.

Simply enter your email address and any of our partner schools' zip codes into their online form and First Book will give 5 books to educators serving children in need.

Fill out their form today before all the books are gone! Here are the zip codes for our partner schools:

Alta Loma: 90019
Esperanza & Gratts: 90017
Los Angeles, Magnolia, & Politi: 90006
MacArthur Park & White: 90057