Reading Is Fundamental, Buddig Be A Reader and Marquette University’s College of Education Partner to Boost Children’s Literacy in Milwaukee

Support Young Readers with Donation to Be A Reader Virtual Book Drive

[Milwaukee, Wis.] – (Aug. 10, 2012) – To help nourish young minds, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and the Buddig Be A Reader campaign have partnered with Marquette’s College of Education to support local children’s literacy initiatives. For a second year the lunchmeat brand will donate a minimum of $100,000 to RIF. RIF motivates young children to read by working with them, their parents and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. Last year RIF distributed more than 100,000 books to nearly 40,000 children in the Milwaukee area through its Books for Ownership program. Marquette supports local childhood literacy, in part, through the Hartman Literacy and Learning Center, which provides tutoring to inner-city children in Milwaukee.

The Be A Reader campaign is calling on compassionate friends to join the cause by giving through an online Virtual Book Drive this summer to provide free, new books to underserved children. Help give them a head start by donating to the Be A Reader Virtual Book Drive at http://www.buddig.com/be_a_reader.aspx. In addition, for everyone who visits rif.org/like and “Likes” Reading Is Fundamental’s Facebook page during the month of August, Buddig will make a $2.50 donation matching up to $5,000 to support local RIF literacy programs.

“Access to books and early literacy resources is critical to improving reading proficiency among Milwaukee’s at-risk youth,” said Dr. William Henk, dean of Marquette’s College of Education and professor of literacy. “Today there’s an average of just one book for every 300 children in low-income neighborhoods. The Be A Reader campaign is helping Reading Is Fundamental to close that gap.”

As students head back to school, RIF and Dean Henk offer these timely tips for raising readers of every age:

• Start reading to your children when they are very small and make this time together a special time without everyday distractions. Continue reading aloud to children even after they’re reading on their own.

• Choose books carefully and ask your kids what they like and don’t like. Your children’s input will help you guide them to good books.

• Encourage your child to read aloud to younger brothers, sisters, family members or friends.

• Make a commitment to read aloud at least once a day. Even 15 minutes of daily reading can make a big difference in your child’s reading comprehension and literacy development.

• Set a good example by reading frequently and sharing your enthusiasm for reading. Talk about the books you read and your favorite authors.

Visit http://www.buddig.com/be_a_reader.aspx to make a donation of $5 or $10 and you’ll receive a coupon from Buddig lunchmeats. Larger donations could earn you an insulated lunch bag or backpack. Funds raised through the Be A Reader Virtual Book Drive will be used to purchase new books for participating RIF youth.

As the nation’s largest children’s literacy nonprofit, RIF has provided 400 million books to more than 35 million children since its founding in 1966. Due to RIF’s loss of federal funding last year, corporate funding and consumer advocacy have become important keys to achieving the organization’s mission.

To learn more about the Be A Reader campaign visit www.rif.org or www.buddig.com.