An abundance of gratitude

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude and reflection. As I prepare to gather around the Thanksgiving table with my family, I feel especially grateful for this time spent with loved ones and for the opportunity to pause and reflect upon the year.

As I think back over the past 12 months, it has been full of growth, challenge, and change. While last year was not an easy one, I am hopeful that we are on our way to a post-COVID world, and we will embrace some of the innovative approaches to literacy we learned last year and couple them with a return to traditional learning environments. The impact of the pandemic will be felt with this generation of readers throughout our schools for years to come. As we look ahead, we need to merge what we have learned with what we know works to support children who have lost almost two years of sustained reading instruction. Our work of getting books into the hands and homes of children across our nation has never been more important.

RIF could not continue our mission and provide millions of children with books and reading resources without the generosity of our many RIF partners, volunteers, donors and literacy advocates. Through programs like Books for Ownership, Skybrary, and Rally to Read, we have been working to inspire readers in classrooms across the country. We are grateful to each and every one of you for your steadfast commitment to children’s literacy.

We look to a new year full of hope and promise and are grateful to our vast community who join with RIF in creating a nation of readers.This Thanksgiving holiday, I hope you’ll accept my profound thanks for being a part of the RIF family. To you and yours, happy holidays.

Alicia Levi
President & CEO