We enjoyed a great start to the Halloween season with 416 kids, 220 volunteers,
97 parents, and 25 teachers & staff
joining together last Saturday! 
That's the most parents we have seen in more than two years, and 22% of the entire student body of Charles White Elementary joined us on Saturday!
(Click on any image above or below to see it full size)
Many of the kids enjoyed creating Halloween crafts, including the 4th graders above after enjoying Ghosts.
After 5th graders at MacArthur Park Elem. heard the opening chapters of The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez , they were entered into a raffle to win this dinosaur-themed pumpkin carving by volunteer Paul Heinzman. The darker photos show what it looks like when lit from inside, and the 5th grader was thrilled to win it!
(Click on any image above or below to see it full size)
Several volunteers and kids dressed in delightful costumes on Saturday - ask your students if they saw any of these costumes or the magic show!
Please sign up early for our November 8th reading clubs! Submit your RSVP for our "Seasons & the Natural World" reading clubs at www.readingtokids.org.
Then, "join" the
November 8th reading club event on
Facebook and invite your friends!
MERCYWORLDWIDE members volunteering at Politi Elem.
November is our college spirit month,
so dig out your college sweatshirts and ball caps to
wear that morning as we see which college shows the most spirit!
It's back! This Tuesday, October 21st, join Reading to Kids
for
Legendary Bingo at
Hamburger Mary's in West Hollywood!
The drinks are strong, the drag queen bingo is "R" rated,
and seating is limited, so be sure to reserve your seat in advance! All attendees must be 18 years old or older.
If you've been before you know it's a blast. If you haven't, click here for a video on their website to see what you've been missing!
Please click the image above for a flyer in .PDF format and forward it to anyone you know who may be interested in going to our Legendary Bingo Night. You can also print out the flyer and post it wherever many people are likely to see it, perhaps with a note that you are going and inviting others to join you.
WHEN: This Tuesday, October 21, 7pm - 8:30pm
WHERE: Hamburger Mary's Restaurant
8288 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 654-3800
hamburgermarys.com/weho/
Cost: $20 suggested donation (bring cash, please!), which includes 9 regular bingo games and one grand prize bingo game with fantastic prizes!
Book your reservation through their Yelp page. Parking is available at WeHo City Hall across the street (street and meter parking available)
Legendary Bingo is very popular and there is limited seating available. Plan to arrive before 7:00 p.m.
to get a seat. We strongly suggest making a reservation through their Yelp page or hamburgermarys.com/weho/ or (323) 654-3800 to ensure your seat.
BINGO PRIZES YOU CAN WIN!
Amongst the fabulous prizes you can bid on or win are private in-home wine parties, theater and movie tickets, a certificate for four guests to the world famous Magic Castle, and priceless The Simpsons goodies autographed by Homer Simpson himself, Dan Castellaneta!
All proceeds go to Reading to Kids. For more details, visit our
October 21st Bingo event on Facebook and invite your friends!
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FOUR MORE RUNNERS NEEDED
FOR THE 2026 LA MARATHON OR LA 5K!
Do you know any runners? Are you a
runner? Please forward this email to them
and ask them to join
Team Reading to Kids in the 2026 Los
Angeles Marathon on Sunday,
March 8th!
This is our 12th time running the marathon, and we're looking for four more marathon runners to join us in one of the best marathons in the country.
If that distance is too daunting, you can join us in the LA 5K (that's just 3.1 miles) near Dodger Stadium the day before the marathon on Saturday, March 7th.
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 Los Angeles Marathon website.
Our sincere thank you to everyone who helped us kick off our
2025 Annual Fund Drive, including 60 volunteers this past Saturday who
together donated $4,573!
The names of these donors have already been added to our
2025 Annual Fund Drive page, and here are the school competition stats so far:
SCHOOL COMPETITION LEADERS!
Highest percentage of volunteers who donated at the Oct. 11th reading clubs:
1st: Alta Loma (an impressive 54%!)
2nd: Politi (33%)
3rd: Magnolia (31%)
Highest dollar amount raised at the Oct. 11th reading clubs:
1st: Esperanza ($1,290!)
2nd: MacArthur Park ($846)
3rd: Tie between Magnolia & Politi ($750 each)
All of these donations will be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled by our matching donors at every school!
Our overall goal by the end of the year is to raise $70,000 from
500 donors.
Here's
how you can help, with your donations being counted towards the
school competition:
1) Make a pledge to donate by check or donate online
today by visiting our
2025 Annual Fund Drive. Contributions of any amount are
greatly appreciated!
2) Show your support by asking friends and family to
contribute!
Visit our
2025 Annual Fund Drive
page and look under the "Help us Fundraise!"
header for resources, including information on creating your own
personalized fundraising page on Facebook, our handy
donor sheet for raising money with your friends and
co-workers,
tips for fundraising, and so much more.
Once they know about Reading to Kids, many of your
friends and family 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!
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