Make a gift to University Medical Center’s Reach Out and Read program and join the College of Community Health Sciences in giving young children a foundation for success through the powerful effects of reading and sharing a story with a loved one.
Our Reach Out and Read site relies solely on donations and support from individuals like you to maintain and expand this valuable program. University Medical Center cares for nearly 10,000 children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. Your gift today will ensure that more children begin life with books, stories shared and early exposure to the language and the joy of discovery.
Help us meet our goal of $5,000 and put books into the hands of children and their families.
We kicked off the fundraising initiative for UMC’s Reach Out and Read program as part of last year’s Bama Blitz – and it was a huge success. We raised $5,800 to purchase more than 2,000 books, and we are back again this year to continue our effort of increasing access to books for children growing up in economically and medically underserved areas.
In UMC patient exam rooms, physicians and nurses incorporate Reach Out and Read’s evidence-based, three-part model into routine well-child visits:
- Our trained doctors and nurses speak with parents about the importance of reading aloud to their children.
- At each well-child visit from 6 months to 5 years of age, children will receive a new book to take home, with special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities.
- Families become more engaged and read together more often.
For many of our families at University Medical Center, this may be the only chance for their children to have access to books. On average, two thirds of low-income families do not own books for their children. Of the children cared for at UMC, more than two-thirds, or 67%, fall below the federal poverty line. Research has shown that without access to books in their homes, children are less prepared for school and score lower on letter recognition, counting and writing when compared to their peers who have access to books early in life. With your generous contribution, you can make a difference in a child’s journey to reading!
