Reach Out and Read Illinois

Join us this year for our 8th Annual Great Stories Awards Night on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, from 6 – 8 pm at The Dawson in Chicago, IL!

At this event, we will be honoring Dr. Niru Mahidhara for her commitment to advancing language development, literacy skills, and relational health for the Chicago children and families she serves. As Director of Comer’s ROR program, she also ensures that the next generation of physicians understand the importance of supporting early language development in primary care.

We are sure to have an amazing evening and hope you will be there celebrating with us! Tickets are still available but are going fast. You can secure your tickets today at: https://reachoutandreadil.networkforgood.com/events/98357-great-stories-awards-night-2026?hid=NTQxNDk5MTU=&utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_4614416

If you are unable to join us for our celebration of Dr. Mahidhara on June 10 but would still like to donate in her honor, please email Cindy ([email protected]).

You are invited to our 8th Annual Great Stories Awards Night on Wednesday evening, June 10, 2026 in Chicago, IL! This year, our guests are encouraged to play Children's Book Bingo throughout the evening and might even walk away with an amazing prize (like gift cards to Chicago businesses, books, and other amazing items). Children's Book Bingo cards are $25 each and the more you buy the more chances you will have to win!

Buy your Children's Book Bingo cards now so you’re ready to play when you walk through the doors! Children's Book Bingo cards purchased in advance will be available for pick up at the check-in table. Bingo cards can be purchased at: https://reachoutandreadil.networkforgood.com/events/101053-children-s-book-bingo-for-reach-out-and-read-illinois-2026

LAST CALL FOR EARLY BIRD TICKET PRICING!!!

You are invited to our 8th Annual Great Stories Awards Night on Wednesday evening, June 10, 2026. Reach Out and Read Illinois has grown to include over 200 clinics across the state, reaching over 160,000 children each year! We are proud to have reached so many, but there are more families and children to reach in Illinois and we need your help to do it.

This year, we are proud to honor Niru Mahidhara, MD, FAAP, a longtime pediatrician and program champion, with the 2026 Great Stories Award. Join us in community as we celebrate Dr. Mahidhara, all of our clinic sites and raise funds to continue to expand the ROR program.

With your attendance at our event you will enjoy light appetizers, beer and wine, networking and lots of opportunities to celebrate with each other. Secure your spot today! Early bird ticket sales end on May 10, 2026!

Purchase your tickets through this link today: https://reachoutandreadil.networkforgood.com/events/98357-great-stories-awards-night-2026?hid=NTQxNDk5MTU=&utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_4614416

You are invited to our 8th Annual Great Stories Awards Night on Wednesday evening, June 10, 2026. Reach Out and Read Illinois has grown to include over 200 clinics across the state, reaching over 160,000 children each year! We are proud to have reached so many, but there are more families and children to reach in Illinois and we need your help to do it.

This year, we are proud to honor Niru Mahidhara, MD, FAAP, a longtime pediatrician and program champion, with the 2026 Great Stories Award. Join us in community as we celebrate Dr. Mahidhara, all of our clinic sites and raise funds to continue to expand the ROR program.

With your attendance at our event you will enjoy light appetizers, beer and wine, networking and lots of opportunities to celebrate with each other. Secure your spot today! Early bird ticket sales end on May 10, 2026!

Purchase your tickets through this link today: https://reachoutandreadil.networkforgood.com/events/98357-great-stories-awards-night-2026?hid=NTQxNDk5MTU=&utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_4614416

Join Reach Out & Read Illinois for the next installment of our 2026 Webinar Series! This session, on May 11, 2026, will focus on how to best foster development in neurodiverse children and will build upon content from our March 2025 session.

Led by Dr. Ashley Andrade from the University of Chicago and Dr. Colleen Rusciolelli from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, this session is for anyone who works with neurodiverse children or is interested in how to best support them throughout their development!

Register today for our May 11, 2026, webinar from 12 - 1 pm! https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/WazKy4-ER-qOccxoT919lA

At Reach Out & Read Illinois we love books for all ages and know the importance of reading throughout the lifespan. To further support this, we have partnered with in Bloomington, IL in their Profit Share Day initiative!

TOMORROW! March 24, 2026, 10% of all sales in-store or on their website will be donated directly to Reach Out & Read Illinois to further deepen our impact on literacy and shared bonds throughout the state. Add this event to your calendars and come buy a book (or three) all while supporting our mission!

Join Reach Out & Read Illinois on March 4, 2026, for an afternoon full of networking and learning!

If you are a current Reach Out & Read clinic leader, liaison, partner, funder, or any other title but work closely with the Reach Out & Read program in your area then you are invited to join us for FREE!

The 2026 Site Support Meeting will take place from 2 - 6 pm at Northern Illinois University in Naperville, Illinois, with an optional lunch and networking hour beginning at 1 pm.

To save your spot, register today at: https://reachoutandreadil.networkforgood.com/events/94789-reach-out-read-illinois-site-support-meeting-2026

Early literacy has been identified as a key determinant of long-term success, and no single organization can address this challenge alone. This session will examine the recent collaboration between United Way of Rock River Valley and the Reach Out and Read program in Illinois to address early literacy opportunities for children from birth to age five in Winnebago County. We will highlight how the partnership works and achieves measurable outcomes for children and their families.

Participants should expect to better understand the collaboration between United Way of Rock River Valley and Reach Out & Read Illinois as well as gain practical insight for connecting with their own local United Way group.

Click here to register for our Site Support Meeting today: https://reachoutandreadil.networkforgood.com/events/94789-reach-out-read-illinois-site-support-meeting-2026?hid=NTY1NzQzODI=&utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_4381456

Did you know that while there is a model for using the Reach Out & Read program, there are many parts of its implementation that are unique to each clinic? This breakout session at our 2026 Annual Site Support Meeting is an opportunity to explore best practices of how clinics implement the logistics of the Reach Out and Read Program: where books are stored within the clinic, how books are tracked and organized, who orders the books and opens the boxes, and all the other details that can be described as “clinic workflow.”

Participants should come prepared to share basic information about their clinic’s workflow of the ROR program and challenges they face in building a workflow for ROR.

Click here to secure your spot at our 2026 Site Support Meeting today: https://reachoutandreadil.networkforgood.com/events/94789-reach-out-read-illinois-site-support-meeting-2026?hid=NTY1NzQzODI=&utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_4381456

Join Reach Out & Read Illinois for the next installment of our 2026 Webinar Series! This session, on March 10, 2026, will focus on the role fathers play in early childhood, as well as providing practical advice on how to engage those in the paternal role during this critical period of life.

Led by Dr. Craig Garfield from Northwestern Medicine and Michael Hampton from UIC's Center for Literacy, this session is for anyone interested in working with fathers or currently working with them.

Register today for our March 10, 2026, webinar from 12 - 1 pm! https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/QjqNbj--RxSxmu9IOj4OdA