Thank you to everyone who has donated to Rx for Reading through our Detroit Mercy Giving Site! With the site closing down in two days, this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate what YOU have accomplished as a community of dedicated supporters.

We received our first donation the day after Thanksgiving in 2016: $10 to get us started. In the two and a half years since, we have raised $15,785 through the site. And what an impact those donations have made!

Just think about this: Since our first online donation we have purchased 22,092 brand new children's books. That's an estimated retail cost of $287,197--not a bad Return on Investment!  (Enormous thanks to First Book and Barefoot Books for helping us stretch your donation dollars as far as possible).

As you probably know, 100% of donations to Rx for Reading go directly to purchase new children's books and raw materials to build Rx for Reading Free Community Libraries. Zero overhead--and a squad of dedicated volunteers--means every dollar you give goes directly to the children and families we serve. 

Since we were founded in 2014, we have purchased almost $500,000 worth of high-quality children's books. Yes: Half. A. Million. Dollars.

This summer, I hope you take a moment to imagine these scenes:

• A 2nd grade camper visits Parkman Branch Public Library and chooses How to Survive as a Shark from the "Book Monster" library (even though she doesn't have a library card).
• A new mom picks Mimi and Bear Make a Friend to take home and read with her new baby after they meet with their WIC dietician.  
• A preschooler selects Doc McStuffins, one of books he took home this spring from Emmanuel Head Start, to read with his dad before bed.
• A toddler is excited to show his grandmother Abuela, the book he chose after his checkup at Covenant Community Care Heath Clinic.

These are the moments you have created.

Thank you to our village,

Mary-Catherine

______________________________ 

Mary-Catherine Harrison, Ph.D.

Chair, Associate Professor | Department of English

University of Detroit Mercy

Executive Director, Rx for Reading Detroit

mc.harrison@udmercy.edu

(313) 993-1081

What's Your Impact?

With zero overhead and a volunteer staff we are able to put 100% of the funds we raise towards purchasing books and building free community libraries.

Read more about how far $10 can go in "Tales of a Donation!" 

Rx for Reading Community Partners "Make Space" for Reading

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In a city characterized as a “book desert,” how do you grow an environment that is rich with print?

Take a few minutes to see how your donation has helped build over 30 Rx for Reading Community Libraries in community centers, churches, schools, and shelters. Kids and families have chosen 15,000 books from these little birdhouses for books, in addition to over 55,000 books distributed through our other programs. 

If you would like to sponsor an Rx for Reading Community Library, a donation of $150 places a library with a new community partner. Every $20 purchases 10 new books for kids to "Take, Read, Share!" Give here: https://impact.udmercy.edu/rxreading

Read more about our work at our website, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or contact us by email.

And THANK YOU to all of our supporters who make this work possible!

The Rx for Reading model is based on community collaboration. There are so many incredible organizations working on behalf of kids and families in Detroit--our mission is to help them integrate books and reading into their mission.

We have over 50 community partners in Detroit, including low-income health, dental, and WIC clinics, Head Start programs, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, churches, and community centers. With their help--and yours--we have distributed almost 65,000 books to children in our local community. 

Take a few minutes to see how your donation has made a difference for the patients and families at Covenant Community Care. 

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

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Over the past 15 weeks, 28 college students have performed 537.5 hours of community-engaged service for Rx for Reading Detroit.  They have read with preschoolers and elementary students in our community, established 10 new Rx for Reading libraries in Detroit and Hamtramck, run book drives at their churches and dance studios, sorted and delivered donations, and distributed 12,043 new and gently used books to kids and community partners throughout Detroit.  

This is what one student said about the experience: "It is not possible to promote the educational growth of students if they do not have access to books. In the future, I look forward to continuing my work in Detroit because I think my best chance of increasing social justice is by starting first in the community I live in."

This work would not be possible without the generosity of donors like you. We are almost 80% of the way to our fundraising goal, which will help purchase thousands of new books and ignite a passion for reading in our next generation of community leaders.  THANK YOU!

Read more about our work at our website, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or contact us by email.

We are immensely grateful for the incredible support we received this #GivingTuesday.  Just a few days into our 2016 fundraiser and we are halfway to our goal!  But we still have a long way to go.  The funds we raise now will allow us to continue our operations throughout the year.  

What are your donations used for?  

Simple: Donations purchase high-quality children's books and establish free libraries in low-income health clinics, homeless shelters, and other community organizations. We are particularly committed to purchasing books with characters from diverse cultural backgrounds so that all children see themselves reflected in the books they read.  Rx for Reading has zero overhead and no paid employees.  100% of donations go directly to support reading for kids and families in Detroit.  

Your dollar goes farther!

Rx for Reading is lucky to be a literacy partner with both First Book and Barefoot Books, allowing us to purchase brand new children's books for a fraction of the retail cost.  This is why your $25 donation can purchase 10 brand new books for kids (and sometimes more)!  

Help us spread the word.

People want to have a positive impact in this world, but sometimes we don't know how to start.  Please tell your friends and family that a donation to Rx for Reading, however small or large, has an immediate impact on the children who will be our next generation of readers and leaders in Detroit.  And thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your support!