Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), the nation’s oldest and largest children’s and family literacy organization, announced that a six-week promotion held at all Macy’s stores has raised a record $2.5 million, which will be used to fund new books for underserved children in a multicultural literacy campaign.
More than 850,000 Macy’s employees and customers made a $3 contribution to RIF during the Be One for the Books promotion, which ran July through September 2007. The promotion offered Macy’s customers an opportunity to make a $3 dollar contribution for RIF, in exchange for a Macy’s savings pass that provided $10 off most purchases of $50 or more. This year’s promotion, a new RIF record for a customer-supported donation, more than doubled the $1.2 million raised by Macy’s customers for RIF in 2006.
"Thanks to the support of Macy’s and the generosity of its customers, RIF can advance its mission to motivate young children to read by expanding its outreach to children and families who most need books and literacy resources," said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. "Local RIF programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia will benefit from these additional resources."
RIF’s multicultural literacy campaign is a multi-year effort to promote and support early childhood literacy in the African-American, Hispanic and Native American communities.