Reading Is Fundamental Partners With Viral Sensation Caleb Green To Support Disadvantaged Chicago Schools

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is proud to partner with marathon reader, 4-year-old Caleb Green and his family to support disadvantaged Chicago area schools. Caleb made news when he read 100 books in a single day and his parents shared his accomplishments on Facebook Live, captivating children and adults everywhere.

On National Reading Day, January 23, Reading Is Fundamental will donate 5,000 books and literacy support materials to three Title One schools in Chicago to implement RIF's Books for Ownership program. Many of the books are matched with literacy games, author interviews, educator guides and much more via RIF's free digital platform, Literacy Central. Each student at Gillespie Technology Magnet Cluster, Wendell Smith Elementary School and Richard J. Oglesby Elementary School will select five new books to take home.

"Reading Is Fundamental is thrilled to partner with Caleb Green to bring literacy support to disadvantaged students in Chicago area schools on National Reading Day. Caleb is a testament to RIF's mission of encouraging student book choice to inspire a lifelong love of literacy and learning," says Reading Is Fundamental President and CEO, Alicia Levi. "Caleb's commitment to improving literacy in Chicago is inspiring to families everywhere."

Caleb Green will share his love of books by leading a read aloud event to Pre-Kindergarten students at Gillespie Technology Magnet Cluster. Caleb's mother, Rhoda, is thrilled to help create impact locally, saying "It's a great feeling to not only encourage kids to read, but also provide them with books that will be the gateway to their future of great discoveries through reading. When we set a huge goal of 10,000 books, we tried to pick a number that was so scary it seemed out of reach. Reading Is Fundamental put that number well within reach by donating half the total amount!"

Every child deserves an opportunity to own books, learn how to read, and obtain the fundamental building blocks needed to achieve their highest potential, yet 25 million children in the United States cannot read proficiently1 and 33% of Illinois fourth graders read below a basic level.2

About Reading Is Fundamental:

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is committed to a literate America by inspiring a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content to create impact, and engaging communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success. As the nation's largest non-profit organization for children's literacy, RIF has provided more than 413 million books, impacting the lives of 40 million kids in all 50 states.

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