Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation's oldest and largest children and families' literacy nonprofit organization, has named Southwest Human Development as one if its three Programs of the Month award recipients for October 2009.

"Southwest Human Development has done a phenomenal job at inspiring young children to enjoy reading," said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. "It has been proven that those who engage in reading at a young age will be more successful in school. RIF is proud to honor this program for the work they have done on behalf of children throughout the Phoenix region.”

Southwest Human Development, Phoenix, AZ.
Southwest Human Development in Phoenix, Ariz. currently serves approximately 80,000 children, about 90 percent of whom are between 0 to 5 years old. Their staff has rigorously worked to uphold RIF’s mission for nine years through events that parents, children, and staff participate in to celebrate books and make reading fun. In addition, the parents are empowered through gaining knowledge of new strategies that help their children develop early literacy skills. The parents and their children are given the opportunity to practice the new learned strategies and enjoy the books together.

Charlotte Forte is the RIF coordinator at Southwest Human Development in Phoenix. Forte states,“Through hundreds of stories told to us by staff, we know parents are developing their children’s love of reading. As children cuddle with parents to read a bedtime story, they gain reading skills and the knowledge that their parents love them. This translates into increased literacy skills, parent-child attachments, and a love of books that will last a lifetime.”
RIF's Programs of the Month initiative was launched to honor the ongoing efforts of local programs to fulfill the mission of RIF, which depends on programs like these to promote children's literacy. Thanks to thousands of volunteers, children all across the country are discovering the joy of reading. The other programs honored by RIF in October were RIF in Chicago (Chicago, IL) and John E. Ford Elementary School (Jacksonville, FL).
About RIF
Reading Is Fundamental, Inc.(RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF's highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.5 million children with 16 million new, free books and literacy resources each year. For more information and to access reading resources, visit RIF's website at www.rif.org .