U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack reads to young patients at the Ottumwa Pediatrics clinic in March.      PR Success Stories Reach Out and Read Iowa Mary Ann Abrams and ROR Iowa leaders took advantage of an opportunity while attending Hill Day in February. During their meeting with Congressman Loebsack, they invited him to visit a site in his district this spring to learn more about the program. That spark helped create a flurry of media attention for the coalition. During the Congressional recess in March, Rep. Loebsack decided to take up ROR Iowa on their offer, and after speaking with the statewide director, Molly Olinger Topf, visited six ROR sites over three days. To help organize the events, ROR Iowa enlisted the help of their policy group, SPPG. SPPG worked directly with each of the sites to develop an agenda for the visits and to identify key stakeholders and local officials to invite. SPPG also contacted Rep. Loebsack's press secretary, and they worked together to target local media outlets for each of the visits. Although no easy task to organize, the six visits earned ROR Iowa and Congressman Loebsack press coverage in four local newspapers and two local TV news broadcasts. The press helped to increase awareness of ROR in the communities the Congressman visited, and also helped fuel a current state appropriations request. Recapping the visits, Olinger Topf said, "This was a wonderful opportunity for communities to demonstrate the partnerships created with the ROR model, and spread the word about its benefits to children, families, providers, and communities." As a new feature in each edition of our e-newsletters, we will feature a fundraising or PR success story from the field. If you have stories of successful events, press coverage, or positive encounters with donors, please let us know - email communications@reachoutandread.org.   Return