Literary Charities 2016

I like to encourage everyone I know to give to charity.  It's this time of year that I like to give to literary charities, as literature is the vehicle by which we build upon our world.  Imagination pushes us forward, it changes our world.  Sharing ideas through books has been the powerful agency of progress.

Reading is Fundamental (http://www.rif.org/): the premise is simple, provide over 1,800,000 books a year to children that need them.  Through ownership and encouragement, provide the literacy skills to succeed in school and contribute to society.

First Book (https://www.firstbook.org/): has distributed over 135 million books across the US and Canada, serving low income families.  97% of proceeds go to this effort.

GlobalGiving (https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/give-books-to-children-in-the-philippines/): with 11 million functionally illiterate Filipinos, it is imperative that fellow Filipinos find ways to bring the literacy level up across the entirety of the nation.  Books are a path to ownership of knowledge, especially where internet is not as pervasive as it is in fully developed countries.

Children's Literacy Initiative (http://www.cli.org/shop-2/): outside of providing books, CLI provides workshops, coaching and institutes to 'teach the teachers' in ways to improve literacy skills with their students.

When a child receives a new book, he receives a treasury and a wealth that will serve them for all time.  Give today.