Event Benefits Kids and Books

Popular children’s books, such as Curious George and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, attracted children to colorful storybook activity stations during Read and Romp, a Sept. 30 family event that raised $75,000 to benefit Reach Out and Read-Texas.

Reach Out and Read-Texas (ROR-TX), a pediatric literacy program, is headquartered at the Children’s Learning Institute, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and directed by Susan Cooley King, Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at the UT Medical School at Houston.

At Read and Romp, some 350 parents and children enjoyed Saturday morning fun at the River Oaks Country Club. The event was sponsored by Compass Bank Wealth Management Group and the John P. McGovern Foundation. It was organized by Friends of Reach Out and Read-Texas and chaired by Marie Louise Kinder.

ROR-TX reached more than 350,000 children throughout Texas last year. It is part of a national program that trains doctors and nurses to promote childhood literacy by providing books to children and highlighting the importance of reading aloud. It helps families and communities encourage early literacy skills so children enter school prepared for success.

ROR-TX provides training and support for ROR programs across the state. For more information visit http://www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/.