Fall 2023
Foreword
News for our donors who propel us forward.
Dear Reach Out and Read Colorado Community,
It’s hard to believe I just passed my one-year anniversary at Reach Out and Read Colorado. What a fabulous organization! My admiration for the work of our staff and volunteers, in addition to our many pediatric healthcare providers, site coordinators and medical champions, continues to grow. Last year, thousands of people came together to deliver books and guidance to over 130,000 children and their families. Over 300,000 new and gently used books found new homes with families from all 64 counties of our state – and were read aloud to children every day.
As I often say, I was passionate about our mission when I started last year and have now become a bit of a zealot! I’ve come to understand the critical brain development in the first years of a child’s life, and that we have to ensure parents and caregivers throughout the state know to start reading early. As you know, reading aloud and holding and engaging with your child contributes to brain development, school readiness, and early relational health. Children in Colorado need this simple early intervention. I’m proud that we finished our three year roll out of our Back to Birth program last year, starting the Reach Out and Read program at birth and increasing the opportunity to distribute books and provide literacy guidance by 30% for each child.
There are huge opportunities in the coming year. We are currently in 332 medical offices across the state, but we have 63 offices on a waiting list for our program. That’s an additional 74,000 well-child visits where we can and should be providing books and literacy guidance. Our team is looking at more sustainable funding models, including a monthly giving campaign that you will learn more about in the coming months. We are evaluating new grants and corporate donors that will allow us to offer our program at all the medical offices that are currently waiting.
We are also creating an initiative to engage with parents and caregivers to support Reach Out and Read Colorado throughout the state. Although we regularly hear from our pediatric care providers, it is Colorado children and families that are the ultimate beneficiaries of our work. We need them at the table as well as we continue to expand.
Thank you for your current and ongoing support of our organization. We are an inexpensive early intervention with significant impact. You make that happen and are deeply appreciated. I look forward to working with you in the coming year!
Patty Fontneau
Chief Executive Officer
Reach Out and Read Colorado
P.S. Our 2024 annual benefit will take place May 22, 2024 at The Cable Center on the University of Denver campus. Save the date on your calendar – we hope to see you there!
We've Moved
As of November 1st, the Reach Out and Read Colorado team has a new home.
Although we were sad to leave Clayton Early Learning, we are excited to settle into our new office space!
Our new address is:
1355 S Colorado Blvd, Suite 108
Denver, CO 80222
Early Giving for Colorado Gives Day is Open!
Colorado Gives Day – December 5th – is a statewide movement that inspires and unites thousands of donors to give where they live and support local nonprofits, and it is just 1 month away! We invite you to join us in making this our most impactful Colorado Gives Day yet for the families we serve.
We have an ambitious goal of $50,000, and we hope you can help us reach it!
Mark your calendars, or make a gift now — all donations made between November 1st and December 5th are boosted by the incentive fund!
Learn more at coloradogives.org/RORCO.
Introducing Reach Out and Read Colorado's
New Chair of the Board of Directors,
Scott Hild
Director, Business Development & marketing
Right Triangle
As a senior level sales and marketing executive, Scott Hild has spent the last 25+ years in the technology and management consulting space. He currently leads sales and marketing for the data focused consulting firm, Right Triangle.
Scott has served on the board of Reach Out and Read Colorado since April of 2021. He steps into the Board Chair role having been active on the Executive committee and Development committee, having chaired the Annual Gala committee, as well as helping develop the current strategic plan.
Scott’s love of reading stems from his late grandfather who practiced as a small-town family physician for over 60 years and never went anywhere without a book in his hand. He is also influenced by his mother, sister, and wife who are all in the nursing profession, with his sister and wife both being elementary school nurses.
He and his wife, Mary, are enjoying being new empty nesters this fall. Always curious to engage in conversation, don’t be afraid to ask him about college football, craft beer, pickleball, or what book(s) he’s currently reading.
Working Together to Support Every Child's Overall Health
Reach Out and Read Colorado keeps a child’s overall health at the heart of everything we do,
and we work hard to find partners who do the same.
Thanks to a collaborative partnership between Reach Out and Read Colorado, Colorado’s new Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), and All About Books, families across the state are better able to access a wide variety of supports to improve a child’s overall health and development.
CDEC created the ‘Raising CO Kids Guide’ as a caregiver resource that includes childcare information, developmental supports, parent self-care tools, housing assistance, and more. To make these resources available to families from all 64 counties, Reach Out and Read Colorado has worked with one of our generous book vendors, All About Books, to include stickers on book covers directing parents and caregivers to this guide. These stickers are trilingual – English, Spanish, and Arabic – to ensure accessibility to as many Coloradans as possible.
By combining the resources of CDEC and All About Books with the Reach Out and Read model, this initiative has the potential to create a ripple effect of positive change in the lives of Colorado’s youngest children. The first five years is a pivotal time in a child’s development, and access to high-quality resources can make a world of difference. With these QR code stickers, families and caregivers can easily connect with an in-depth library of educational materials, parenting tips, and community support services. This partnership represents a commitment to the future of Colorado’s children, fostering a strong start that will ultimately lead to a brighter and more promising future for the state as a whole.
This partnership has just been renewed for a second year, and our joint efforts will continue though June 2024 in order to double our reach and impact. We are grateful for this collaborative focus to raise healthy, thriving Colorado kids!
Welcome to the Reach Out and Read Colorado team!
We’re thrilled to welcome new staff members to our team this fall.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out and connect!
The Program is In Demand
Since 1994, Reach Out and Read Colorado has grown from just two partner medical offices to 332 offices throughout the state. We are incredibly proud of the growth and impact that we have had as a community, but there are still more children, parents, and families who need the tools and support that Reach Out and Read Colorado offers.
With over 60 medical offices eagerly waiting to join our transformative program, your support can make an immediate difference. Multi-year grants, corporate contributions, and individual giving can help us bring these clinics off the waitlist sooner, directly impacting the lives of Colorado families. Please keep us in mind when considering end of year giving.
Remembering Bea Romer
It is with great sadness that we remember Bea Romer, longtime Reach Out and Read Colorado supporter.
From our founding to years afterward, Mrs. Romer was an inspiring RORCO champion! As the First Lady of Colorado in 1997, Bea was the VIP at Reach Out and Read Colorado’s grand-opening event at Westside Health Center. She immediately sat down in the reading corner to read with some children, and she was a natural!
Are You Looking for an Easy,
Hands-Off Way to Support Colorado kids?
Do you ever shop at King Soopers or City Market (or any Kroger store)? If so, simply set up Reach Out and Read Colorado as your charity of choice, and every time you shop, a percentage of the purchase amount is donated back to RORCO!
Here’s how to sign up:
1. Visit www.kingsoopers.com/topic/king-soopers-community-rewards and either create a digital account (if you don’t already have one), or simply log in (usually your phone number). Once you are logged in, you can enroll by either searching for ‘Reach Out and Read CO‘ by name or you can enter our specific code ‘PS985.’
2. Shop, enter your rewards number at check out, and raise money for Reach Out and Read Colorado.
It’s that simple!
Save Paper! Only Email Me Future Newsletters, Please.
Sign up for our bi-monthly email newsletter or connect with us on social media to stay up-to-date with everything Reach Out and Read Colorado.
“When I provide books in a family’s native language through the Reach Out and Read program, I see parents getting super excited, and they appreciate getting a book they feel comfortable reading in their own language. They ask me for more books at the next visit. I truly feel that it makes them more excited to read with their kids.”
Dr. Aza Fahed | Pediatrician
