First Posted: 1/22/2015
Wyoming Area School District was recently awarded a monetary grant from the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) organization, one of the nation’s oldest and largest children’s and family literacy organizations. The monetary grant was provided through the UGI Corporation in order to provide books and motivated reading activities to the district’s first grade students. Three book distributions will be conducted throughout the school year for the first grade students within the district in conjunction with the grant.
One hundred and ninety first grade students will experience reading events and select and keep three books at no cost to them or their families. The program is funded through a federal grant to the UGI Corporation. Employees from UGI Utilities, Inc., in Wilkes-Barre will be volunteering their time to be in attendance during the three scheduled books distributions to assist children in the various reading activities. First grade students have already received a free book at the district’s first book distribution.
Since 1991, UGI and RIF have been involved in a unique motivational-reading partnership designed to help first grade students improve their reading skills and become lifelong learners. UGI funds up to 75-100 percent of the local RIF programs in selected elementary schools throughout the region. Through this partnership, approximately 50,000 books are distributed annually to about 16,500 first grade students.
Rita Mauriello, reading consultant, coordinates the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program for the district’s first grade students. Lisa Ninotti, UGI Community Relations Coordinator recently volunteered her time to come and read to the first grade students at JFK Elementary School for its first Reading is Fundamental (RIF) book distribution, which was one of the RIF book selections.
