VOLUNTEER
Make a difference to children in your community.
Reach Out and Read’s impact is magnified and enhanced by the work of thousands of volunteers nationwide. Reach Out and Read’s dedicated volunteers can help support programs in their community by improving literacy-rich waiting rooms and reading aloud to children in the waiting area. There are also intern opportunities available.
Become a Volunteer Reader
Volunteer readers provide a positive reading experience for children in the pediatric waiting rooms, and model reading aloud for parents. Volunteer readers show parents just how much fun reading with children can be, and they provide helpful tips for getting children excited about books.
Please keep in mind the need for volunteers varies according to the needs of each Reach Out and Read program site.
Donate Items to Create a Literacy-Rich Waiting Room
You can help to improve the waiting room of a Reach Out and Read program site in your community. Consider donating:
- New bookcases or child-sized furniture (benches, tables, chairs) to help create a reading corner
- Story time rug
- Gently-used books
- Children’s or parenting magazines
- Art students or artists can create murals, artwork, or photographs with literary themes or characters (within the parameters of the individual Reach Out and Read program site.)
Fundraise for Literacy
For every dollar of public funding, Reach Out and Read raises $2 in private funds, through the generous support of individuals, corporations, and foundations. This public-private partnership was created by, and continues to be fueled by, the strong evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of Reach Out and Read. The partnership has enabled Reach Out and Read to expand from its original flagship program in Boston to more than 4,900 locations nationwide, serving more than one-third of American children living in poverty.
Become an Intern or Volunteer at a Reach Out and Read Program
Reach Out and Read offers a number of internships and volunteer opportunities at both the National Center in Boston and our coalition offices nationwide. Interns and volunteers provide critical support to all facets of the Reach Out and Read organization, including program support, communications, fundraising, finance, and government affairs.
