Happenings

Huwerl Thornton knows something about fatherhood.

And setting good examples.

And teaching and learning through books.

The 50-year-old has spent many years in classrooms, both as a student and then as an elementary school teacher for 14 years in New Haven. A champion of Read to Grow and its work for early childhood literacy, he’s now Youth Programs Coordinator for Connecticut Food Bank, which ...

Now’s the time to support READ TO GROW during the 9th Annual Great Give.

This special online opportunity to help the charity of your choice begins at 8 a.m. May 1st and runs to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 2nd.
Just click HERE.

READ TO GROW thanks you!

In our 19th year, we’ve given more than 1.7 million books to children in Connecticut.  We’ve given workshops so that families learn the simple but important ways to build their children’s language skills. We’ve formed ...

Joy. Understanding. Knowledge. Opportunity.

All these–and much more–are the gifts of reading and books. While their values are immeasurable, we know their power begins with language skills and literacy. A parent sharing a book with a child might seem such a baby step toward reading. It isn’t. It makes a connection and a path to communication and comprehension. It leads to habits of sharing and learning and a way of life for a ...

Read to Grow welcomes gifts of time, donations and gently used books.

On this special day of the holiday season, let’s make our community strong together. Let’s help parents to learn about and practice daily habits that will build their children’s language skills and literacy.

To donate, click here.

Guests who had their photographs taken with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the benefit event for Read to Grow on May 17 at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven can view those photos by clicking HERE. The link will take you to a page on the website of Tricia Bohan Photography.

You can download your photo by clicking the download button.

We will be posting other photos taken at the event on our website by May 26^th.

If you have any questions, ...

Read to Grow is participating in The Great Give 2017,
an online giving event for nonprofits in the New Haven region.

For 36 hours, starting at 8 a.m. on May 2, 2017 and lasting until 8 p.m. on May 3,your charitable donation will make us eligible for thousands of dollars in prizes when you give to us through TheGreatGive.org.

Please visit https://thegreatgive.org/npo/read-to-grow ...

Sakina Ibrahim used her book “Big Words to Little Me” to present a workshop on self-esteem and affirmation to girls in fifth, sixth and seventh grades at Wexler-Grant Community School in New Haven on April 5.

The hit presentation was part ...

The New Haven Public Schools received 5,024 free copies of the hardcover “Galactic Hot Dogs” this April from Read to Grow.

The books were collected by Lauren Canalori, who is the Lead Literacy Teacher for students in kindergarten through 8^th grade in the New Haven schools. She and others are working on a plan to give the book to all students in two grades at ...

Walmart State Giving Program 

With $40,000 from Walmart Foundation, Read to Grow has purchased a new van. The 2017 Chrysler Ram ProMaster 1500 is already on the road, driven by Israel “Izzy” Oliveras. Izzy makes numerous book pick-ups and deliveries every week around the state. He expects to log more than 15,000 miles on the van’s odometer in the coming year.

Community Foundation for Greater New Haven

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven awarded Read to Grow a three-year grant totaling ...

A Little Free Library has been set up at the Newhallville Substation of the New Haven Police Department as part of “Community Wellness” efforts organized by police Sgt. Shafiq Abdussabur.

Sgt. Abdussabur and New Haven resident Jane Lewis spearheaded setting up the Little Free Library in Newhallville, which opened on Nov. 12 at 596 Winchester Ave. Read to Grow supplied some of the books offered to the public at the always-open library. The library is a permanent box containing books for ...