In a letter today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins today urged the leaders of the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education to request $25,043,040 for the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Inexpensive Book Distribution Program as the committee considers its FY 2008 Appropriations bill.
“Since coming to the Senate in 1997, I have made it a priority to support funding for reading programs and to visit as many schools as I can throughout our state to read to as many children as possible,” said Senator Collins. “It is vital for children to be exposed to books at an early age. The Reading Is Fundamental program enriches the lives of children by providing millions of underserved children with free books.”
RIF is the nation’s oldest and largest children’s literacy organization. It prepares and motivates children to read by delivering free books and literacy resources to those children who need them most. With the support of Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and private funders, RIF distributed more than 16 million books to nearly 4.5 million children across the country last year. In Maine, RIF distributed 95,583 books at 208 locations last year.
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