About Us

Julie Cooke

I am honored to have the opportunity to celebrate the wonder of Julie with you.

Julie was, quite simply, RIFSoCal’s heart.  Her undauntable spirit was the best RIFSoCal had to offer.

Our spirit has dimmed with Julie’s loss, but as she would expect – it will continue to shine as we work to bring the books Julie loved to order, unpack and place on the shelves, to children all over Greater Los Angeles who go home every day to rooms with no books.

Julie will always be in our hearts – every time we open a box of especially wonderful books we will hear her exclamations of delight and pleasure – and every time we grow to inspire more Readers for Tomorrow we will feel her happiness and satisfaction.

The world is a better place because of Julie’s passion, love and dedication and she will be sorely missed. 
~Carol Henault, Executive Director of RIFSoCal

Mission Statement

To promote literacy and motivate children to read by building at-home libraries for underserved children in Greater Los Angeles.

Challenge

“If, at the current pace, America continues to lose the habit of regular reading, the nation will suffer substantial economic, social, and civic setbacks.”

                                                  … Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts

As Los Angeles faces the strains of an economic downturn, it is more important than ever to invest in the literacy of our children and give them the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive world. 

Did you know that…

              … 60% of kindergarteners in low-income families do not have a single age-appropriate book in their home?

              … The only behavior measure that correlates significantly with reading scores is the number of books in the home? 

              … Reading for pleasure correlates strongly with academic achievement?

              … 90% of children living in poverty in Los Angeles have parents with “low or no” literacy skills?

Reading Is Fundamental of Southern California’s primary goal is to compel children to read by putting books of choice in the hands of those who otherwise would not have access to them - books they will be excited to read purely for pleasure.  We seek to create a culture of literacy and an environment that supports it by building the home libraries of children and fostering a community that rallies around literacy. 

Please DREAM with us.  We cannot realize our 200,000 Dreams Campaign without you!