“One of the greatest services we can provide our communities is to ensure that all children obtain access to books and discover the joy and value of reading,” said Carol H. Rasco, President and CEO Reading is Fundemental, the nation’s oldest and largest children and families’ literacy nonprofit organization, which took part in the seven-day focus. In fact, to further raise awareness about the importance of literacy and its long-term impact on the economy, RIF is challenging all Americans to collectively log 3 million minutes of reading with children by September 11, 2009, on the Read for Change website: http://www.RIF.org/readforchange. At the end of the challenge, RIF will select five participants to receive a children’s multicultural book collection as well as the opportunity to select a school in their community to receive a book collection.

What a wonderful way for us to spend our volunteer time here in San Francisco, don’t you think? As a chiropractor, I treat many children in my clinic. Over the years I have noticed that children who read, just for the fun (and interest) of it, seem to stay healthier in general. The human brain requires stimulation in order for the body to stay healthy and, of course, a chiropractic adjustment stimulates the brain in very positive ways. But, it seems to me that there is a correlation as well between the stimulation a child’s brain receives through the joy of reading and a healthy auto-immune system.

So, let’s get started spending some time reading to our children, or our friend’s children, or volunteering at a school or boys and girls club. Statistics show that nearly two-thirds of low-income families own no books for their children. If you like to read, share your joy of reading with a child. It won’t cost you anything but time, but the rewards, as they say, are priceless!

Read the full story at http://literacyandreading.blogspot.com/2009/07/americans-called-to-log-time-spent.html

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