News
Mahalo, ‘Iwalani Hodges!
A big mahalo to ‘Iwalani Hodges, librarian at Nanaikapono Elementary School, who is retiring at the end of this school year.
For 28 years, ‘Iwalani has served both as school librarian and as on-site coordinator for the RIF-Honolulu program. In addition to the usual coordinator duties for the RIF school visits and book distributions, which include scheduling and communicating with teachers, ‘Iwalani made sure that our volunteers knew that they were appreciated with a sumptuous repast at every visit.
The students at Nanaikapono will miss her, and so will the RIF volunteers who have come to know her over the years.
‘Iwalani, we appreciate all that you have done to support the RIF program and volunteers at Nanaikapono, and we wish you all the best as you begin this new chapter in life.
Mahalo and Aloha from all of us at RIF-Honolulu!
We ❤️ books! We ❤️ reading!
It’s February and we’re sharing our love of books and reading with our RIF keiki!
We are midway through our winter book distribution. In addition to providing books to the kindergarten through third-grade students, our second and third-graders are also choosing an extra bonus book!
“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.” —Marcel Proust
Ringing in the new year…Reading in the new year!
At the beginning of 2017, our dedicated crew of RIF volunteers are busy unpacking the towering boxes of newly-arrived books. We are eagerly anticipating distributing all these books to our RIF keiki! We will be visiting our RIF schools from January 17 to February 22.
Here’s wishing everyone a happy new year full of great books!
The Gift of Reading
What an ideal time of year to remember just how special the gift of reading is!
To close 2016, here are a few thoughts about the wonder of books and reading. Enjoy!!
“A book is a gift you can open again and again.” – Garrison Keillor
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” – Stephen King
“So many books, so little time.” – Frank Zappa
“A book is a dream you hold in your hand.” – Neil Gaiman
“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.” – Dr. Seuss
“I cannot live without books.” – Thomas Jefferson
“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” – Groucho Marx
“One of the greatest gifts adults can give – to their offspring and to their society – is to read to children.” – Carl Sagan
“A book is a device to ignite the imagination.” – Alan Bennett
“Turn the pages of your imagination…READ!” – Author unknown
“The greatest gift of all is a passion for reading.” – Elizabeth Hardwick
RIF-Honolulu wishes you holidays filled with joy and a 2017 filled with great books!
Giving Thanks
November is the month to express our special thanks to our many volunteers and the staff and teachers at our RIF schools who give of their time and energy! Throughout the year, they show our RIF kids that reading is fun! We are also grateful for our donors and friends who support our mission of inspiring kids to read.
At the end of October, we wrapped up our fall book distribution. It was a resounding success! We delivered books to 4,137 keiki in kindergarten through third grade, 212 classroom libraries and 55 student helpers in our 16 RIF schools. A total of 5,694 books were distributed including 1,250 “grab bag” bonus books.
We will take a brief break before we begin ordering books and preparing for our winter book distribution which starts January 17, 2017.
October Treats
Last month, we started our fall book distribution. In fact, our visit to Nanaikapono Elementary School coincided with RIF’s 50th birthday so we had a grand celebration!
Our school visits continue this month and we have more treats (no tricks!) in store! Our volunteers always look forward to visiting the classrooms and reading to the keiki. But the best part of all is hearing all the ooooh’s and aaaah’s as the students get their first glimpse of all the shiny new books in the RIF book bag! And what a treat choosing a book to keep as their own!
Happy 50th Birthday, RIF!
Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. celebrates its 50th birthday on September 14, 2016! RIF is the nation’s largest non-profit children’s literacy organization. Since 1966, more than 12 million books have been distributed to 40 million children nationwide.
In recognition of this momentous occasion, Governor David Ige has proclaimed September 14, 2016 “Reading Is Fundamental Day.” Our RIF-Honolulu volunteers will celebrate this special day by visiting Nanaikapono Elementary School and distributing books to the students in kindergarten through grade three. The book, “Happy Birthday to You!” by Dr. Seuss will also be read and presented to each of these classroom libraries.
We look forward to many more years of inspiring kids to read!
Support RIF’s Mission
For nearly 50 years, Reading Is Fundamental has been providing books and literacy resources to millions of kids across the country. For many of these children, their RIF books are their only books. When you donate to RIF-Honolulu, you help us reach children who need us most.
Gearing Up!
With the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, we are gearing up for our fall school visits. And that means books, books and more books! We have ordered a variety of exciting new books and are busily unpacking them. We are eagerly anticipating visiting our RIF keiki this fall!
Let’s Read This Summer!
Make sure your beach bag is packed with all of the essentials: towels, sunscreen, and books! Reading Is Fundamental has book suggestions and free e-books so you can read in the sunshine all summer long! Visit http://bit.ly/rifsummer for books, activities and more for a perfect #RIFSUMMER!