It's Still Fundamental

Many of you probably recall that a few weeks ago Misty wrote a post regarding Reading is Fundamental; the program was in danger of losing all funding thanks to Dubya, "The Education President."

Well, Shakers, writing is fundamental, too. Thanks to letters, e-mails and calls from citizens to their members of congress, I was very pleased to receive this email from Carol H. Rasco, President and CEO of R.I.F. today:

RIF’s 5th annual Dear Colleague campaign was a success thanks to the overwhelming number of supporters who asked their members of Congress to sign the letter to appropriators to save RIF’s funding. The combination of more than 45,000 e-mails, phone calls, letters, and faxes from supporters across the nation bolstered our effort to highlight RIF’s services and accomplishments throughout this year’s campaign.

A notable achievement of this year’s campaign is the increase in the number of members of Congress who signed RIF’s funding letter. This year’s impressive increase can be attributed to all who gave their time to contact their members of Congress and voice their support for RIF. This ensured that members of Congress became educated about the important work RIF does in their districts and states and made a compelling argument for saving RIF’s funding.

Whether your legislator is a new supporter or a continuing supporter, it is important to let them know that their work is appreciated. Please see if your member of Congress is on the co-signer list and take a moment to send a personalized thank you note.

Send your thank you letters to RIF’s Government Relations team, and they will hand deliver them to Congress to ensure the letters are received in a timely manner.

Mail to:
Reading Is Fundamental
C/O Government Relations
1825 Connecticut Avenue
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009

Thank you for your continued support, and please visit RIF.org to participate in our May children’s letter drive to Congress with easy to use instructions and templates.

This is good news. Great work, Shakers!

However, I must add that I am greatly disappointed to see one name not included on the list of co-signers: My Senator, Barack Obama.

It's no secret that I've been feeling greatly betrayed by my Senator since happily and proudly casting my vote for him in '04, and I'm unapologetically hard on him. I'm just flabbergasted that a man who has made his work for the poor in Chicago a large part of his campaign rhetoric (quotes regarding helping the poor in Chicago are right at the top of his "poverty" page on his campaign website) couldn't manage to lend his support to a program that helps give books to these very people.

Yes, a living wage, access to jobs and affordable housing are all important when it comes to tackling poverty. But so is education. And reading, as they say, is fundamental.