Reading Is Fundamental

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is a major non-profit organization focused on youth literacy. The group was initially founded in 1966 by Margaret McNamara, wife of then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.

In 1966, Margaret McNamara, a former teacher, brought a bag of used books to four boys in Washington, D.C., whom she tutored in reading. When she told the children they could each pick out a book to keep, their positive reactions led her to discover that these children, and many of their classmates, had never owned any books. By that summer, McNamara had gathered a group of school volunteers, and, on November 3, 1966, they launched the book distribution and reading motivation program they called Reading Is Fundamental. From November 1966 through the early 1970s, RIF expanded from a pilot project at three elementary schools in Washington, D.C., to a program reaching children in 60 of the city's public schools. In 1975, the U.S. Congress created the "Inexpensive Book Distribution Program" (IBDP) which provides federal matching funds to sites that qualify for RIF's national book program. Today, through its contract with the U.S. Department of Education and with private funds, RIF provides 16 million free books for children to choose and keep each year. RIF programs operate in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. RIF is also affiliated with programs in Argentina and the United Kingdom. It achieves high visibility through public service announcements on children's television programs. Its mascot is Riffington, who debuted in 2002.

Lynda Bird Johnson Robb served chairman of the board of Reading Is Fundamental from 1996 to 2001. She continues to serve the organization as Chairman emerita.

Reading Is Fundamental has links to several fraternities and sororities 2004^{[citation needed]}.