U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius hands out books to the children at the ROR Program at Takoma Park Pediatrics in Maryland.      Reach Out and Read Takes Part in President Obama's United We Serve Initiative As one of the nation's largest volunteer organizations, Reach Out and Read was proud to participate this Summer in United We Serve, President Obama's effort to encourage all Americans to volunteer in their communities. More than 2,000 ROR Programs nationwide offered volunteers the opportunity to read to children in their pediatrics waiting rooms or organize local book drives to benefit the children we serve. President Obama launched the United We Serve Initiative on June 22, and top White House officials volunteered for a day during the first week to demonstrate support. Reach Out and Read was honored that U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius decided to volunteer for Reach Out and Read! Secretary Sebelius visited Takoma Park Pediatrics in Maryland and served as a volunteer reader for children in the waiting room before taking a tour of the program. As the volunteer reader for the day, Secretary Sebelius read "Silly Sally" and "From Head to Toe" to the young patients of Takoma Park Pediatrics. She also spoke with the children about the importance of reading and how much she loved to read to her own children when they were growing up. Secretary Sebelius then gave each child a copy of "The Okay Book" by Todd Parr to take home. Dr. Sith Sadhasivam and Dr. Lavanya Sithanandam from Takoma Park Pediatrics and ROR's National Medical Director Perri Klass, M.D., thanked Secretary Sebelius for her support of early literacy and joined her in challenging all parents to read to their children daily and all Americans to give back by volunteering in their communities through the United We Serve initiative. Continuing its commitment to providing volunteer opportunities, Reach Out and Read recently became a member of the ServiceNation coalition. ServiceNation is a national campaign to increase service opportunities and elevate service as a core ideal and problem-solving strategy in American society.   Return