Your generosity is making an early impact on young patients at Island Primary Care – M Avenue (formerly Family Medicine Anacortes). When children ages 6 months to 5 years visited Island Primary Care – M Avenue for an annual well-child visit last year, they receive an age appropriate book to take home.
Each book given is a part of the Reach Out & Read program. This program is nationally recognized and encourages early literacy and effective communication skills for your community’s youngest patients through early exposure to age appropriate reading material.
An upwards of 2,500 books are given away annually through this reading initiative. For approximately $2, one child receives an opportunity to boost his or her proficiency in communication and reading skills regardless of insurance coverage or socioeconomic status.
Island Primary Care – M Avenue’s Holly Eldridge, CMA, says “The program benefits all kids regardless of family income or social status. That to me is important because it keeps the community connected through learning and reading. The kids of the community are our future! We play a very small part in the lives of these kids and I think something as simple as a book makes a big impact!”
She could not be more right. In 2021 you contributed $5,000 to support this reading initiative, giving nearly 2,500 children in your community at head-start on reading and communication skills. These books also empowered parents to read to their children, encouraging a culture of reading in their homes. Thank you for making reading come alive through your generosity, without it – this program would not be possible.