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Reading to Kids News
December 8, 2016
 

Dear Friends of Reading to Kids,

Our "Spirit of Giving" reading clubs are this Saturday and we urgently need your help to recruit more volunteers!

We need 37 more volunteers to read aloud to an expected 1,200 plus kids eager to hear a story and see Santa!

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 this Saturday!

  3. Whether or not you can volunteer this Saturday, 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 this 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 this Saturday morning, December 10th, near downtown LA
    - Volunteers must sign up online by 3pm tomorrow 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 any of our schools!

If you previously signed up but can not join us after all, be sure to cancel online to open your spot for someone else. Please note that the deadline for canceling is 3pm tomorrow.

Santa and an elf at Reading to Kids

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

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!

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2016 ANNUAL FUND DRIVE UPDATE:
SCHOOL COMPETITION!

Reading to Kids Annual Fund Drive

December is the final month of our 2016 Annual Fund Drive, our most important fundraiser of the year! Help us reach our fundraising goal with a donation by cash, check, or credit card.

SCHOOL COMPETITION UPDATE!

Highest percentage of volunteers who donated Nov. 12th:
1st: Alta Loma Elementary (42%!)
2nd: Esperanza Elementary

Highest dollar amount raised Nov. 12th:
1st: Esperanza Elementary
2nd: Alta Loma Elementary

Highest percentage of volunteers who have donated overall:
1st: MacArthur Park
2nd: Esperanza

Highest dollar amount raised overall:
1st: Esperanza
2nd: Alta Loma & Magnolia are tied!

Donations you gather from others and bring to the reading clubs this Saturday or send to our offices this month will count toward your school - so download our handy donor sheet for raising money with your friends and co-workers, and bring glory and honor to your school!

How can you help today?

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

2) 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 resources. In particular, please consider personalizing and sending the provided sample email to friends and family, or posting our handy donor sheet.

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 Annual Fund Drive
_______________________________________________

6 MORE MARATHON RUNNERS NEEDED

Are you a runner? Do you know any runners? Please forward this email to them and ask them to join Team Reading to Kids in next year's 2017 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, March 19th!

Team Reading to Kids 2017 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Team Reading to Kids logo

We urgently need six more runners to join us in one of the best marathons in the country. You can share this Facebook group with any of your runner friends to encourage them to join our team!

Runners can run either the full marathon or a half-marathon, and the dollars raised will go to support our monthly reading clubs. 

If you or a runner you know is interested in becoming one of our fundraising runners or creating a fundraising team, please email Chris Martin at marathon@readingtokids.org!

IMPORTANT NOTE: To register to run on behalf of Reading to Kids, you MUST receive from us a special web address to use when registering on the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon website.

Team Reading to Kids 2016 Skechers Performance LA Marathon
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HAPPY HOUR ON WED., DECEMBER 14

Seventy7 Lounge

Next Wednesday, December 14, please join fellow volunteers for our Happy Hour Mixer from 6-8 pm at Seventy 7 Lounge, 3843 Main St, Culver City, CA 90232. Click here for the Meetup!

For details on any of our events, check out our handy calendar on our website!

_______________________________________________

THANK YOU LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS FOUNDATION
AND CROSSWORDS LA

We are once again fortunate to enjoy the financial support of both the Los Angeles Clippers Foundation and Crosswords LA!

Our hometown basketball team, the Los Angeles Clippers, has awarded us a $10,000 grant, their second of this size since 2014! Their support through the Los Angeles Clippers Foundation allows us to brighten the lives and libraries of Los Angeles children.

We also thank Crosswords LA for its continuing support of Reading to Kids with their most recent $1,600 donation! This is the 8th consecutive year Crosswords LA has supported us through their annual tournaments, and below is how you can help them donate even more.

_______________________________________________

Crosswords LA

This year the annual Crosswords LA puzzle tournament is being held online, and you are invited to participate! Whether you are serious competitor, simply a crossword puzzle fan, or know an avid puzzler, every puzzle pack they sell supports Reading to Kids!

Their 2016 puzzle pack includes five custom puzzles that you can choose to solve competitively - all by top New York Times and LA Times constructors. Five bonus puzzles are also included, just for fun.

You can:
- Solve on paper or digitally (online)
- Buy, solve, and know that the funds are going to Reading to Kids
- Submit your results by Christmas to Crosswords LA (honor code!) to see how you stack up against competitors

Go to Crosswords LA and click their "Register Now" button to buy your puzzle pack for $5, $10, or $20 (your choice)!

If you know any puzzlers, please share this email with them or buy them a puzzle pack!

_______________________________________________

Sincerely,

Charlie Orchard, Tiara Johnson, and Jasmine Scales
Reading to Kids
1600 Sawtelle Blvd, Suite 210
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 479-7455
(310) 479-7435 (FAX)
info@readingtokids.org
www.readingtokids.org
www.facebook.com/readingtokids
www.twitter.com/readingtokids
www.readingtokids.blogspot.com

Make a donation:
www.readingtokids.org/HowToHelp/HelpDonate.php

DECEMBER 2016
Reading Club RSVPs
School RSVPs Capacity
Alta Loma 49 50
Esperanza 80 83
Gratts 58 65
Los Angeles 100 100
MacArthur Park 45 46
Magnolia 80 94
Politi 67 76
White 37 39
TOTAL 498 553
DECEMBER Books. . .
Kindergarten book
Kindergarten
First Grade book
First Grade
Second Grade book
Second Grade
Third Grade book
Third Grade
Fourth Grade book
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade book
Fifth Grade

Reading to Kids is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Visit www.readingtokids.org for more information.

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