Connecticut team! Our greatest volunteer needs in Connecticut are fundraising, book support, and advocacy work. Please s
REACH OUT AND READ CONNECTICUT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Thank you very much for your interest in Reach Out and Read! We would love to have you join our Connecticut team! Our greatest volunteer needs in Connecticut are fundraising, book support, and advocacy work. Please see below (and on the back) for how you can help make a difference in the life of a child! STUDENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Read-A-Thon: Organize a Read-a-Thon at your school. Encourage students to read for donations by the hour or by the page/book.
Stuff-A-Bus: Have students donate gently used children’s books or new board books – collect them in a bus parked at a school or central location, like a local shopping center.
Car Wash: Organize a weekend car wash and donate the proceeds to Reach Out and Read Connecticut.
Bake Sale: Set up a weekend bake sale outside your local store. Election Day bake sales at election sites are also very successful.
Church or Synagogue Project: Confirmations, Bar Mitzvahs or Bat Mitzvahs offer a special time for young people to celebrate and give back to the community. Having guests make monetary or book donations on their behalf is a great way to support Reach Out and Read. Go a step further and use children’s books as the party theme or as centerpieces for the tables. Or organize a book drive or fundraiser to fulfill community service requirements.
Birthday Party Donations: In lieu of birthday gifts, have friends donate new children’s books or make monetary donations to Reach Out and Read Connecticut.
Waiting Room Makeovers: Need a community service project? Organize a group of friends, a Girl Scout or Boy Scout Troop, or School Club to paint a mural, set up donated furniture or a bookshelf in one of our 68 locations.
Communications/Administrative Opportunities: If you are looking to gain some business skills, some program sites need administrative help like shelving/organizing new books, tracking them, perhaps even ordering them. Or, help our Reach Out and Read staff prepare mailings, research grants, write communications, or complete general office duties.
ADULT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Support-A-Site: Local businesses and corporations can give back to their communities by supporting a site. Through the “Support-A-Site” program, businesses pledge money and/or book support for a particular Reach Out and Read site of their choice. The site may be located within or outside their community. Most pediatric and family practices and clinics do not have time to initiative these sorts of contacts, so making these local connections on behalf of the sites is invaluable!
Be a Reach Out and Read Advocate: Create awareness in your local community: Contact local schools, Parent Teacher Organizations, Literacy Volunteer Organizations, churches, libraries, etc. to educate them about Reach Out and Read. Ask them to conduct book drives or help support the Reach Out and Read programs in their community. Have a town-wide “Reach Out and Read Day.”
Engage Civic Organizations: Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Junior Leagues are just a sampling of common civic organizations. Educate them on Reach Out and Read Connecticut and engage their help in supporting the programs in their community.
Local Bookstores: Have your local, independent bookstore offer a book drive in support of Reach Out and Read Connecticut or have them donate a percentage of their sales from a day to our organization or to a specific local program site.
Meet with your Legislators: Early literacy and early education are priorities in Connecticut. Meet with your local legislators to educate and engage them on the important work Reach Out and Read Connecticut is doing throughout the state.
Sales Donation Days: Engage the support of local retail stores and restaurants. Ask them to donate a percentage of their sales to Reach Out and Read Connecticut or to a specific local program.
Gently Used Book Sale: Collect gently used books and have a used book sale. Donate the proceeds of the sale to Reach Out and Read!
Events: Looking to go big or go home? Round up your friends and organize a fundraising event! Dinner, dancing, silent auction = a fun way to raise funds and awareness as well as engage new people in our mission to prepare every child to succeed in school and in life.
Communications/Administrative Opportunities: If you are looking to gain or use some business skills, some program sites need administrative help like shelving/organizing new books, tracking them, perhaps even ordering them. Or help our Reach Out and Read staff with communications, prepare mailings, research grants, or help with general office duties.
Virtual Book Drives: Reach out to corporations and communities to set-up virtual book drives to provide book support to our Connecticut programs.* For more information on any of the above volunteer opportunities, please contact Meghan Blomberg at
[email protected] or 203-804-2449 *May not be available in every community.
