Reach Out and Read Colorado co-founders Ann Logan, MLS and Dr. Steve Vogler met in 1997. Ann was a children's librarian at the Denver Public Library and Steve a pediatrician at Denver Health's Westside Family Health Center. Steve needed help selecting books for a program he was starting at his clinic called Reach Out and Read.

When Ann left the library, she contacted Steve to see how she could help with Reach Out and Read. The two wrote grants, trained clinic staff and volunteers, did community outreach, and ultimately formed a coalition of Reach Out and Read sites in Colorado.

Reach Out and Read Colorado was “officially” founded on January 1st, 2004 as a project of the Colorado Nonprofit Development Council. Our first two funders, JFM Foundation and the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation have supported the coalition annually. In 2005, ROR CO reached our goal of funding 65% of sites' book money.

Since the coalition began, ROR has expanded from 30 to over 100 clinics across Colorado. In January 2007, ROR CO became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Today, coalition staff expand ROR to new clinics, increase awareness of Reach Out and Read through community presentations and statewide collaborations, and ensure that Colorado's ROR clinics have the tools and assistance they need to impliment ROR and adhere to the ROR model. Annually, ROR CO sites distribute 128,000 books to 78,000 children.

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