Donate and Volunteer
Donate to Support Our Programs
The Reading Is Fun Program, Inc. is a local, volunteer-run organization providing needed reading readiness support to our community’s underserved children. Your tax-deductible donation supports our work to recruit and train Reading Partners and distribute books across Schenectady’s public elementary schools. You can donate by completing form to the left. Also, checks may be written to “The Reading Is Fun Program, Inc.” & mailed to Reading Is Fun Program, P.O. Box 9437, Schenectady, New York, NY 12309. The Reading Is Fun Program’s EIN number is 99-4988221.
Volunteer as a Reading Partner
RIF’s 100 trained volunteers called “Reading Partners” are the ambassadors of the Program. Each Reading Partner is assigned to a specific classroom at one of Schenectady’s 11 elementary schools. The Partner goes to the classroom each week at a specific time during the school day, and works individually with children. Each child and Partner work together 20-30 minutes, reading, talking and playing literacy games. At each meeting, the child is gifted a book to take home. Over the course of the year, the child builds up a home library of books.
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What age are the students?Students in the program are in Pre-K through Third Grade at all 11 of the Schenectady public elementary schools.
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What qualifications are needed?Reading Partners must be age 17 and above. Background checks are performed on all Partners before working with children.
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Is experience required to be a Reading Partner?No experience is needed, just a willingness to make a difference in a young student’s life on a weekly basis. Our RIF training helps Reading Partners learn to instill a love of reading and teach youngsters the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.
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When and where are sessions held? How long is each session?Reading sessions will be during the school day 7:30 am to 3:00 pm (convenient day and time agreed upon between teacher and volunteer). Each reading session is 20-30 minutes long. A Reading Partner works with one or more specific students during the visit. Weekly visits run through the school year (usually beginning in October). Reading sessions are at the elementary schools, in public seating areas outside of the child’s classroom (e.g., hallway, cafeteria, library or other public area).
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How did you get involved with RIF?In April 2013, I first met Al Magid, Founder and Executive Director. I had read an article in The Daily Gazette where Al discussed the woefully low reading and literacy scores for Schenectady City School District students, and he described his plans for helping. So, I contacted him to offer my fundraising experience to help build the program.
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What are you most proud of?The knowledge that RIF has impacted so many children! Since RIF was founded, our Reading Partners have helped more than 1,500 students work to attain critical grade-level proficiency. In addition, Reading Partners have given at least 50,000 books to these students to keep and bring home. Currently, in 2025, we have over 100 volunteers working one-on-one with 234 students in all 11 elementary schools.
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What are RIF’s greatest challenges?(1) Recruiting enough Reading Partners to work with all of the students who need the additional reinforcement and (2) raising funds to purchase the many books we distribute.
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As RIF grows, what are the biggest surprises?I am always amazed by the progress that is made when a group of individuals come together to reach a common goal. RIF continues to grow because of the Reading Partners who are committed to the successful progress of the program. Special activities spearheaded by our volunteers include the Spring into Reading is Fun event sponsored by the Wright Family Foundation. Also, our newest project is Fall into the Alphabet, in which RIF purchased and distributed over 1,100 alphabet books to all Schenectady Pre-K & K students. I never envisioned either of these two projects, and so, I can’t even imagine how RIF will continue to grow and impact the youngest among us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Other Volunteer Opportunities
The Reading Is Fun Program also welcomes volunteer support in Event Planning, Fundraising, Marketing, Social Media, and other areas. If you would like to offer your expertise, please email: readingisfunabc123@gmail.com.
Donate books
We seek books for children ages 4-9 in very good to new condition. Please see below for more details on the kinds of books we need. As we have limited space, we aim to ensure that the books we receive are appropriate for our mission. Please email riflibrary@gmail.com if you would like to donate books.
Specific book ideas:
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Early Reader books - With large print and limited vocabulary. Series include: Step Into Reading; I Can Read; etc. with a 1 or 2 on the cover, Non-fiction about animals.
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Shorter Dr. Seuss books - Hop on Pop, Fox in Socks, 10 Apples Up On Top, Put Me In The Zoo.
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Popular Character books – Such as Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, Fly Guy, Pete the Cat, Super Heroes, Lego, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dora, and Daniel Tiger.
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Beloved themes – For example, princess, unicorn, trucks, airplanes, & animals.
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Classic books - Eric Carle (Brown bear, Polar bear, Caterpillar), Eve Bunting, Rhyming, Going on a Bear Hunt, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc.
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Newer Classics - Mo Willems and Ted Arnold.
Gather your community to donate!
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Host a book drive for RIF (new and gently used)
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Have a “birthday” fundraiser for RIF on Facebook
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Ask friends to bring a book for RIF when hosting a party
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Any other ideas are welcome!
