News
Books for African students
Kids READ! and World Youth Clubs recently partnered to provide books for children in the Weaver School in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. This was the culmination of a Leadership Conference organized by the WYC which saw the participation of 37 African Youth Leaders from 10 countries. Headed by Tim Richardson, the 3-day conference was held in Kigali Rwanda. Following the conference, Richardson and Rev. Weaver delivered over 300 children’s books donated by Kids READ! to the Weaver School.
Students at the Weaver School display the books donated by Kids READ! Below are all of the Leadership Conference attendees,
Boo-ks for Treats delivers over 940 books to kids on Halloween
Six locations in Orange County participated in this annual event.
31 oct 2024
Over 200 childern received free books at Pretend City Neurodivergent event
24 oct 2024
KidsREAD Will Be at the OC Book Fair in Old Town Tustin July 13
Kids READ! will have a booth at the OC Book Festival in Old Town Tustin on July 13. All the books are FREE for children at the Festival. We will be on site at the inaugural event from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. giving away books while supplies last. Stop by the booth and say hi!
You can follow KidsREAD on Facebook here
Garden Grove Emblem Club Does It Again!
Working together with Kids READ!, the women of the Garden Grove Emblem Club continue to support the Adopt-a-School programfor the third consecutive year.
The first school to receive books this year is Peters Elementary Grades 4 -6. With almost 500 students of various diverse family heritages, this school is recognized for its excellence in education.
Principal, Dr. Steven Yoon, expressed the school’s appreciation for the donation of books and emphasized that this is the kind of support that raises the literacy level. Dr. Yoon remarked, “there is no substitute for being able to read and for the love of books.”
More Garden Grove students will receive books before the end of the school year with additional support from Emblem Club of Garden Grove which will help them with their summer reading programs.
Thanks, Emblem Club of Garden Grove.
KidsREAD donated National Space Society books to 12 Orange Unified schools
KidsREAD completed delivery of books to the last two Title I schools in the Orange Unified School District. There were 12 schools that received a total of 2542 Space/STEM books for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. The books were completely free to the students and their families. This was the second school district in Orange County to participate in this educational program. The first was Tustin Unified School District with 8 schools participating. 
Tustin Rotary Club donated books via Kids READ! to Tustin and Santa Ana Boys and Girls Clubs
Thanks to the generous support of the Tustin – Santa Ana Rotary Club, over 350 children in the Tustin and the Santa Ana Boys & Girls Clubs received children’s books last December.
Kids READ! has entered into a working partnership with Pretend City Children’s Museum
Kids READ! has entered into a working partnership with Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine, California to provide books for ongoing programs. The first program is “Books for Babes” as part of the Baby Steps program held once a month for approximately 50 to 60 infants from birth to 18 months of age and their Moms. Kids READ! will provide books for all of the children with half of them available in Spanish/English, Chinese/English, and Vietnamese/English. The Baby Steps program is under the direction of Carly Snyder.
Also under Ms. Snyder’s direction is an outreach program with Orangewood Foundation, Moms OC, and Hope Family Foster Agency . Each group of twenty families will attend a once-a-Month experience at Pretend City with each child receiving a book of their choice.
Pretend City Children’s Museum is designed for children to learn how the world works while engaging their curiosities and imaginations. The Museum is a child-size interconnected city that balances rich educational learning experiences with boundless fun, and where children can try on real-world roles and let their creativity rule.
For more information about these programs, contact:
Carly Snyder | Education Manager
NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY ANNOUNCES THREE NEW STEM EDUCATION GRANTS INCLUDING KIDS READ
The National Space Society has announced the next three recipients from its space STEM education program. The grants, which are derived from a grant from the Club for the Future, Blue Origin’s space education nonprofit, are being allocated to deserving space STEM education projects identified and vetted by the NSS.
The first of three new grants will go to Kids Read!, a nonprofit dedicated to providing STEM books to children in need. These funds will be used to purchase and distribute space-related books, as identified on a list curated by the NSS, to underserved elementary school children attending Title I schools. The CEO of Kids Read! is Barry Ackerman, co-founder of the Orange County Children’s Book Festival. To date, they have served over 157,000 children around the world.
Kids READ has announced partnerships with the World Federation of Youth Clubs and Kiwanis International clubs prior to receiving this STEM-focused grant.
Each book will come with a postcard from Blue Origin which can be mailed to the company and then on a future mission to space. The card will then be returned to the child who sent it as a keepsake.
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Kids READ! announces Delivery Day at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital
Kids READ! and Fountain Valley Regional Hospital have a announced a new program where new moms are given a free book donated by Kids READ to take home with them to read to their newborn.
Hospital staff and administrators were thrilled to be the first hospital to receive books from Kids READ!
Keep an eye on this space as a detailed press release and story is forthcoming in the next few weeks.
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Kids READ! and World Federation of Youth Clubs Announce Partnership
Kids READ! and the World Federation of Youth Clubs (WFYC) has announced a partnership. Kids READ! has been selected as a Collaborator for Good by the WFYC. The group’s tagline says it all: “Advancing and Enhancing Youth Development Organizations Around the World.”
The collaboration, arranged by WFYC’s Mission Advancement Advisor, Tim Richardson and Kids READ! Founder Barry Ackerman, will ultimately make books available at no cost to as many of the over 3,000 WFYC affiliates as are interested. These organizations are located in 37 countries worldwide.
Richardson is a former executive at Boys and Girls Clubs of America which makes him a great fit at the World Federation of Youth Clubs as they start and serve similar youth organizations domestically and internationally.
Ackerman founded and led the Orange County Children’s Book Festival for 16 years during which time he assumed leadership at Kids READ! from a service project a young student organized in advance of the Book Festival over ten years ago.
Ultimately, the Collaboration for Good Kids partnership will get new books into the hands of under-resourced youth around the world. Since 2010,READ! has donated over 154,000 books to children in need.
KIds READ! Mission Statement: To put books into the hands of as many children in need as possible, and thereby increase literacy.
World Federation of Youth Clubs Mission Statement: To develop, advance, and enhance global youth organizations that provide a positive environment and a safe place for young people around the world.
To learn more about Kids READ! visit their website. To donate to Kids READ! or to learn more about how to sponsor a school, click this link.
You can find more information about the World Federation of Youth Clubs here.
