I support groups that help spread the joy of books, reading, and learning; that help feed the hungry; nurture the environment; and lift the spirits and lives of those in need. Here are some of my favorites—I encourage you to learn more about them.
If you have an organization you would like to see added to this list, please contact me.
The Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to instilling a love of reading. Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started the Imagination Library in 1995. Today, her program spans five countries—the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland—and gives more than 1 million books a month to children around the world.
The Good Samaritan Foundation of Haiti
Founded in 2007 by Michael “Beans” Gardner (a popular singer/songwriter who performs in the Caribbean) and Jean Phélix Joseph, the foundation provides free education to children in a part of the world where learning to read and write is not readily available.
Everybody Wins
Everybody Wins believes that when children read or are read to, they can build the skills needed to thrive in the classroom and in life.
Reading Is Fundamental
Through a variety of programs and partnerships, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) provides opportunities for children and their families to experience the life-changing impact of reading. RIF believes, “Reading is the essential building block to all life’s essential skills.”
First Book
First Book believes that education is the best way out of poverty for children in need. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 200 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families.
Children’s Literacy Initiative
Dedicated to the belief that literacy is the foundation of all learning and the pathway to liberation for every human being, CLA collaborates with teachers to improve students’ reading and writing skills while also developing a love of books and learning.
National Center for Families Learning
NCFL promotes education and learning by engaging families, educators, administrators, and literacy advocates.
Heifer International
Heifer International empowers families by giving them a hand-up, not just a hand-out, and helps turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope.
Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.
Reading Across Rhode Island
Reading Across Rhode Island, a project of the Rhode Island Center for the Book, exists to support literacy, involving all Rhode Islanders in a community dialogue focusing on books and reading.
RI Community Food Bank
The Rhode Island Community Food Bank provides food to people in need and promotes long-term solutions to the problem of hunger.
Save the Bay
Save The Bay protects, restores and improves the ecological health of the Narragansett Bay region, and fosters an ethic of environmental stewardship among people who live in or visit it.
Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength® is a national organization that works hard to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.
