About Reach Out and Read Iowa

The mission of Reach Out and Read-Iowa(ROR-Iowa)is to make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric care so children grow up with books and a love of reading. ROR-Iowa is an integral part of the Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (IA AAP).

Since ROR-Iowa's inception in early 2006, ROR-Iowa has grown significantly. Initially comprised of 17 sites in the state. As of May 1, 2009, the coalition has expanded to 68 ROR sites and serves nearly 47,000 children.

ROR-Iowa targets children ages 6 months to 5 years growing up in poverty who are most at risk for reading difficulties and school failure. ROR-IA recruits and supports all prospective ROR sites and providers, but it specifically targets children served by Community Health Centers (CHCs), Pediatric and Family Medicine residency training programs, and other clinics serving Iowa and children with risk factors for school failure, like low income, public or no health insurance, being of minority race or ethnicity, or not having English as a primary language. This specific focus allows ROR-Iowa to serve children who will benefit most from ROR.

ROR-Iowa’s primary role is to serve children in poverty who are most at risk for reading and school difficulties, through site recruitment, training and technical assistance, quality assurance, raising awareness, advocating, and funding a significant proportion of the sites annual book costs.

We are dedicated to promoting literacy as a standard part of pediatric care, with the goal of helping all children grow up with books and a love for reading. Reach Out and Read trains medical providers to integrate literacy into well-child visits by giving new, age- and culturally-appropriate books to children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years, and counseling parents about the importance of sharing books together and reading aloud. Fostering emerging literacy skills helps children enter school with a love for reading and ready to learn.

Coalition Announcements

1st Annual Green Eggs and Ham Benefit Breakfast for Books
Reach Out and Read Iowa kicked-off it's 1st Annual Benefit Breakfast for Books on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines, Iowa. The event hosted nearly 80 people and over 15 children. Table centerpieces were a mix of Dr. Suess books and a Dr. Suess Hat. The event began with a brief video about Reach Out and Read followed by a green eggs and ham breakfast. Following breakfast, Marcus McIntosh, KCCI TV-8, and Maureen Korte(dressed as Cat-In-the-Hat) from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, performed a reading of "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Suess. Three of the longest established ROR sites in Iowa were recognized: Blank Children's Hospital - Des Moines (April 1998), Gunderson Lutheran -Decorah Clinic (July 1998), and House of Mercy Free Medical Clinic - Des Moines (October 1998). Reach Out and Read Iowa Champions honored were U.S. Senator Charles E. Grassley and Christie Vilsack, Honorary Chair, ROR-Iowa.

2009 Birdies for Charity Fundraiser

ROR-Iowa looks forward to participating for the 2nd year in The Principal Charity Classic golf tournament fundraisier, Birdies for Charity. The tournament will take place May 27 - May 31, 2009. Birdies for Charity is a fundraising vehicle designed to give participating charities an opportunity to generate contributions based on the number of "birdies" made by PGA Champions Tour players. As a participant in this program, ROR-Iowa will keep 100% of the pledges made on its behalf. To support ROR-Iowa with your pledge, please contact Molly Olinger Topf at mollyroriowa@gmail.com or 515.991-0872.

1st Annual Reach Out and Read Iowa Site Coordinator Conference

The Reach Out and Read Iowa Coalition looks forward to its 1st Annual ROR-Iowa Site Coordinator Conference, "Making Your ROR Program the Best It Can Be!" taking place Thursday, May 21, 2009.
Conference attendees from around Iowa will have an opportunity to network, hear about ROR fundamentals, friend-raising and fundraising, advocacy and public awareness, grantwriting, community partners, Coalition events, and bookdrives.

2009 St. Pius Mission Awareness Day Supports ROR-Iowa

Thank you to the students and staff of St. Pius School in Urbandale, Iowa for their work in supporting ROR-Iowa through their Mission Awareness Day in March 2009. Through their generous support and enthusiasm for Reach Out and Read Iowa over $500 was raised and several hundred books collected to support literacy promotion to at-risk children in Iowa. ROR-Iowa looks forward to working with St. Pius in the future and thanks them for their wonderful support.

Partner with a Practice
Reach Out and Read Iowa is eager to identify and partner with organizations and/or businesses that would like to support the ROR program in clinics in Iowa who offer pediatric primary care. This partnership would involve:

Volunteer opportunities to assist in reading and organization in specific pediatric practices in the community.

Monetary sponsorship of children's book purchases for books to be distributed at well-child visits.

To get started, email Molly Olinger Topf or contact her at 515-991-0872.

Calling All Gently Used Children's Books
Help Reach Out and Read-Iowa create literacy-rich environments in pediatric practices by donating your gently used children's books for pediatric reading corners in waiting rooms. They are also used to distribute to children at various other visits in pediatric primary care providers' offices.

Conduct a used children's book drive in your community, church or business.

Guidelines for Donations:
Used books are accepted if covers and pages are intact, clean and readable. There is a high demand for "board books" with brightly colored pictures for infants and toddlers. We cannot accept encyclopedias, textbooks or books with violent themes or sensitive issues like divorce, abuse or death.

Email Molly Olinger Topf or contact her at 515-991-0872 for further information.

Levels of Sponsorship for Children's Book Purchases
(Books purchased at 40-60% discount of retail price)
$1,000-$2,499: Silver Reader's Circle - Provide six months of books to children at one large clinic
$500-$999: Author's Circle - Provides one year of books to children at one small clinic
$300-499: Publisher's Circle - Provides six months of books to children at one small clinic
$100-$299: Illustrator's Circle - Provides between 25 - 75 new books for children
$80: Provides 20 new books for one child
$40.00: Provides 10 new books for one child

Make checks payable to: Reach Out and Read-Iowa, PO Box 1382, Johnston, IA 50131

Thank You from ROR-Iowa

ROR-Iowa thanks Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Borders, Iowa Empowerment, Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, In-the-Bag Corporate Cuisine, Rotary District 6000, St. Pius X, United Way, and The Vilsack Foundation, for their support. Through their generosity, ROR-Iowa has purchased thousands of books to support Iowa's Reach Out and Read sites, provided quality assurance support, and been able to expand to sites that serve Iowa's most at-risk children.

We would also like to thank the following supporters of ROR-Iowa: Iowa Nebraska Primary Care Association, Blank Children's Hospital, Brick Gentry Law Firm, Iowa Medical Society, University of Iowa and Blank Hospital Residency Programs, Iowa Community Empowerment, Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Academy of Family Physicians, Every Child Counts, Iowa Association of School Boards, and Quality Resources and the numerous individual champions of ROR-Iowa including many state legislators and members of Iowa's Congressional delegation.

Advisory Board Members

Christie Vilsack, Honorary Chair
The Vilsack Foundation

Debra Storey Salowitz, Interim Chair
Strategic Relocation Solutions, LLC/Educator

Nader Ajluni
Mercy Clinics, Inc.

Frank Burns
Pfizer

Jamie Christophersen, MD
Pediatrician

Stephanie Drey
Brick Gentry Law Firm

Carolyn Jons
Raising Readers, Rotary District 6000

Deb Kazmerzak
Iowa/Nebraska Primary Care Association

Angie Martin - Schwarze
Youth Servies Librarian, Des Moines Public Library

Matt McGarvey
The Wellmark Foundation

Jody Murph, MD, MS
Immediate Past-President, American Academy of Pediatrics, Iowa Chapter; and The Children's Hospital of Iowa

Linda Plummer
Blank Children's Hospital Advocacy and Outreach

Kay K. Runge
KKRunge Associates

Rizwan Shah, MD
Blank Children's Hospital

Kathy Weatherwax
Former ROR Site Coordinator

Archie Willard
Adult Learner, New Readers of Iowa

Lynn Woolums, CPA
McGowen, Hurst, Clark, and Smith

ROR-Iowa Staff:

Mary Ann Abrams, MD, MPH
Coalition Leader/Medical Director

Molly Olinger Topf
Program Director