Reading is FUNdamental Pittsburgh

A huge thanks to all of the volunteers from the American Eagle Outfitters for packing summer reading bags with us as part of their 2026 Community Day! We are grateful to the volunteers who packed over 200 summer reading packages for our mentees - each contained 6 self-selected books so that our Reading Buddies have books they'll love to read over the summer - and saved us dozens of hours of work.

We had a blast partnering with American Eagle and Pittsburgh Cares on this project - because as our summer reading bags say, ""Summer Reading is Cool!""

Today, our second grade students had the pleasure of meeting a sweet pup named Onyx. Onyx is a service dog that spreads joy and love to local cancer patients. Thank you RIF for this amazing opportunity. ❤️ Reading is FUNdamental Pittsburgh

Can you believe it! Our Storymobile and Everybody Wins! programs have been at RIF Pittsburgh for 15 years! Last week, we gathered with mentors, teachers, and other amazing supporters to honor this milestone and the impact these programs have made in the lives of so many young readers.
✨ We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you who has helped drive our mission forward. Soon we'll be celebrating 45 years of RIF Pittsburgh! That's 45 years of stories, smiles, and success—and many more to come!

This AAPI Heritage Month, Reading is FUNdamental Pittsburgh celebrates the authors, illustrators, and storytellers whose voices enrich children’s literature and spark curiosity in young readers. Representation matters and so does access to books that reflect our shared and diverse world. 📖✨
This month and always, we’re proud to support literacy that opens minds and honors every story.

Thank you so much for joining our celebration!

We are excited to be an official charity in the Pittsburgh Marathon's Run for a Reason program this year! Our team of RIF Runners would love to see you along the route! And you can help us reach our goal by visiting our Race Runner page:

https://raceroster.com/events/2026/104873/2026-dicks-sporting-goods-pittsburgh-marathon-weekend/fundraising-organization/88660

Thank you for supporting us from the STARTING LINE to the STORY TIME

Reading Is Fundamental Pittsburgh is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our board member, John Bruno. John was a caring and thoughtful leader whose dedication to RIF’s mission made a lasting difference. He believed deeply in the power of literacy and the positive impact our work has on children and families across the Pittsburgh community. John’s insight, generosity, and steady commitment guided our organization in meaningful ways. He will be greatly missed by everyone at RIF, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.

Calling all enrolled BB families! You're eligible to select a grand prize after participating in 20 in-person BB Storytimes.
Join us on Wednesdays at the Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM. We always have a great time reading, talking, singing and playing on the Storymobile!

Happy National Library Week! 📚✨

Librarians play a vital role in our mission at RIF Pittsburgh, helping to spark imagination and build the foundation for lifelong readers, one book at a time. 📖✨

We are lucky to have a librarian, Elizabeth Peprah, as our Director of Education here at RIF Pittsburgh. Thank you to all librarians for being trusted guides on every child’s reading journey and to libraries for being safe spaces for kids to ignite a love of reading.

A big thank you to our friends at UPMC for your ongoing partnership and support of RIF Readers and Everybody Wins! We are so appreciative of your dedication to our RIF kids.
To all of our mentors — we couldn’t do it without you! Partnerships like this allow us to help so many kids ignite their love of reading. Thank you for giving your time and energy to this program and our amazing kiddos! 🙏📖