About Reach Out and Read Illinois

ROR of Illinois is a partnership with the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP) and the Reach Out and Read National Center. Reach Out and Read of Illinois strives to increase literacy and a love for books among children by ensuring that all Illinois children have access to books at an early age. Our goals are achieved by recruiting new ROR sites, providing technical assistance, coordinating provider training on literacy and how to promote reading, facilitating communication among existing sites, and assisting with fundraising to support book distribution.

Coalition Announcements

August 7, 2008—Join us at the ballpark to watch the White Sox vs. Tigers and support a great cause! The Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP) and the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) are partnering with the White Sox to support the Reach Out and Read IL and Tar Wars programs. To order tickets to the game, please contact Christina Boothby at 312/733-1026 ext. 204 or at cboothby@illinoisaap.com.

The Reach Out and Read of Illinois Annual Conference at the Harold Washington Library on April 11, 2008 was a tremendous success, with over 100 attendees and exceptional speakers, including Dr. Perri Klass, President and Medical Director of Reach Out and Read National Center. The April conference was the first educational conference for ROR IL since becoming statewide in July 2006-marking an important milestone for the organization. ROR IL staff thanks all who participated in the conference!

Ryan, an amazing nine year old from New Lenox, IL, held a birthday party book drive for ROR IL. Ryan's goal was to donate 3,285 books to ROR-one book for everyday he's been alive. Ryan’s story was featured in the Chicago Sun Times, Daily Southtown and CBS 2 news in Chicago. Ryan far surpassed his goal by donating over 6,000 books to children being served by the ROR program. Thank you Ryan!

How Can You Get Involved?

You can bring books and a love of reading into a child’s life today by making a monetary donation to ROR IL.

 $2,500 and above (Gold Reader’s Circle)
 $1,000-$2,499 (Silver Reader’s Circle)
 $500-$999 (Author’s Circle)
 $300-$499 (Publisher’s Circle)
 $100-$299 (Illustrator’s Circle)

Please mail all monetary donations to Reach Out and Read of Illinois c/o Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics 1358 W. Randolph St., Suite 2E, Chicago, IL 60607

How Else Can You Get Involved?

 Donate new or gently used books to ROR IL
 Volunteer as a reader at an ROR clinic

Please contact Christina Boothby at 312/733-1026 ext. 204 or cboothby@illinoisaap.com with any questions.

Advisory Board Members

Judith Neafsey, MD, ROR IL Chairperson, Chicago Department of Public Health
Mariana Glusman, MD, ROR IL Medical Director, Children’s Memorial Hospital
Jessica Brach, University of Illinois at Chicago
Ronna Jacobson, Ed.M., Evanston Northwestern Healthcare
Molly Tillay Johnson, MS, CNP, Rural Health, Inc.
Elizabeth McChesney, MLIS, Chicago Public Library System
Peter Noronha, MD, University of Illinois at Chicago
Margaret Mary Policastro, PhD, Roosevelt University
Carrie Sharkey Asner, MD, University of Illinois-Chicago College of Medicine at Rockford
Marie Weissbourd, PhD, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

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