MEDIA RELEASE

Shannon Ramirez has been awarded a national fellowship by Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States.

Ramirez, who serves as the RIF coordinator for Family Support Hawaii (FSH), is one of 25 people nationally to be offered a fellowship to attend Fundraising Is Fundamental: Development Strategies for RIF Programs, funded by Macy’s. The program is in early May in Washington, D.C.

The program was developed in response to RIF’s recent loss of federal funding. With a goal to discuss fundraising ideas and challenges, the program’s findings will eventually be shared with all RIF programs across the U.S.

“I am very grateful and honored to be selected to represent the state of Hawaii,” says Ramirez. “But this has been a group effort involving FSH employees and RIF volunteers who have worked hard to make our local RIF events so successful. Our success has come to the attention of RIF headquarters, and my appointment will allow me the chance to give back to our community by sharing the best practices I’ll learn in Washington.”

Whether in schools, homeless shelters, or community centers — wherever you find children — RIF volunteers spend countless hours distributing books, staging reading motivation activities, and promoting the importance of literacy in the community.

RIF delivers free books and literacy resources to those children who need them most. The seeds of inspiration within books motivate children to follow their dreams, achieve their potential, and become lifelong readers.

For more information, contact Ramirez at (808) 334-4111.