Our "Back to School Fun" summer reading clubs are nine days away on August 8th, and cancelations keep opening up spots!
If our volunteer spots are full when you check www.readingtokids.org, please keep checking back over the next eight days as more people realize they need to cancel.
Scroll down to see how we especially need more of our experienced volunteers to help as Check-In Helpers & Site Operations Helpers.
(If you are signed up for the August 8th reading clubs but can't join us, please
cancel your RSVP now so that another volunteer can take your place.)
We'll also be giving school supplies to the kids on August 8th, so see the school supplies item below for how and what to donate for the kids!
A note about MacArthur Park and White Elementary:
Those two schools remain closed the weekend of August 8th, so we have closed the RSVPs for MacArthur Park and White.
For our August 8th reading clubs
we encourage you to volunteer at any of Reading to Kids'
other schools! For a map of all of our school sites,
click here.
Our summer reading clubs are smaller, but check back for August 8th
and mark your calendars for our larger September 12th reading clubs.
Experienced volunteers only:
When our reading clubs are full, they are only really full for those who want to read to the kids.
For those experienced volunteers who are open to it, we can add in your RSVP as a
Volunteer Check-In Helper, Training Coordinator, a GLC, or especially being a second or third Site Coordinator or Site Operations Helper
at any of our schools.
If the schools are full you might not get to read when you fill any of the above roles, but you still get to participate in creating a magical experience for the kids and volunteers that morning!
For August 8th, please e-mail us at info@readingtokids.org if you can help in any of the below roles:
- Check-in Helper at Alta Loma, Esperanza, or Magnolia
- Bagel Runner (picking up from a shop in Santa Monica next Thursday, 8/6 at 2:20pm)
- Site Operations Helper at 8am at any school - your Site Coordinators always welcome help!
You can read about those roles here and email info@readingtokids.org if you want to help in any, even if your school is full! 
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READING TO KIDS AMBASSADORS
NEEDED TO HELP KICK OFF
THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR IN AUGUST!
With the 2026-27 school year beginning in two weeks on August 12th, we have many opportunities for experienced volunteers like you to help us promote Reading to Kids at our partner schools as a Reading to Kids Ambassador.
There are three different ways you can help:
Kindergarten Orientations, Teacher Breakfast Deliveries on August 11th, and
Back-to-School Nights.
We'll supply everything you need, including what to say at the Kindergarten Orientations. Although it's great if you can speak Spanish (even a little), all of our parent materials are bilingual, and there's always someone who can translate for you at the school.
These events set the course for the rest of the year and are
a wonderful way to interact with the
kids, parents, and teachers. There are always more events than the three of us in the office can manage alone, so we'll really need help from our experienced volunteers!
If you are interested in being an Ambassador, please e-mail us at
info@readingtokids.org or call (310) 479-7455.
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MORE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SUPPLIES
NEEDED FOR AUGUST 8TH
On our Facebook page you can see behind the scenes as we prepare bags of school supplies!
Please help us gather enough school supplies for each kid who attends our August 8th "Back to School Fun" reading clubs!
To make that happen, we need your help purchasing from our Amazon wish list items, including blue bags for the kids to carry home their school supplies that morning!
The above wish list indicates the priority of the items we are hoping to receive from you, and it will update automatically to show only those items we still need.
Here's how it works:
- Order an item (or a few!) from our Amazon Wishlist at
https://a.co/0h3CUwdv.
-
Download and fill out our quick In-Kind Donation Form with your information and what you ordered.
-
Email the form to us at
info@readingtokids.org
-
We'll send you a personalized thank-you letter / charitable giving receipt for your records!
(The In-Kind Donation Form helps us keep accurate donation records and provides you with documentation for tax purposes.)
The above directions are also provided at this micropage link at
https://micro.page/4a2605a2:
For those who prefer to shop back-to-school sales in physical stores, or if you happen to have the following lying around, these are the
specific items we are looking for:
NEW
Spiral notebooks
Colorful 2-pocket folders
Colored pencil sets and marker sets
Pencil pouches
Glue sticks
Large erasers
Mechanical pencils (especially "fun" ones)
Stores such as Office Depot, Staples, and Target promote
great back-to-school specials. If you're going to be there
anyway, why not pick up a folder or ten for the kids?
Please email
us at
info@readingtokids.org or call us at (310) 479-7455 if you have purchased for us any of the items on our wish list. Let's make the first day of school exciting for the kids!
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MARKETING COMMITTEE ZOOM MEETING
THIS TUESDAY 8/4 AT 7PM
Join us this Tuesday, August 4th for our
Marketing Committee Zoom meeting from 7pm - 8pm!
E-mail us at
info@readingtokids.org and we'll send you the Evite with all the information to join the meeting where we'll plan for our Annual Fund Drive and outreach efforts!
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THANK YOU, ROSS STORES FOUNDATION!
We are delighted to welcome the Ross Stores Foundation as our latest, new Reading to Kids supporter!
Their recent grant of $10,000 through their Ross Regional Giving Program supports us all in our efforts towards inspiring underserved children with a love of reading, thereby enriching their lives and opportunities for future success! Together we are bringing books to the thousands of kids we read to all year long!
Perhaps your employer also has grants or other ways of recognizing your volunteering with Reading to Kids. If so, please contact us at
info@readingtokids.org and we'll help you apply!
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