Reach Out and Read San Diego receives $27K donation from MacKenzie Scott

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego libraries will benefit from a sizable donation to Reach Out and Read, thanks to philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

Reach Out and Read San Diego received a $27,500 donation in April 2024 from Scott’s $350,000 investment to the national nonprofit, Reach Out and Read.

The local nonprofit, which is operated by the American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 3 (AAP-CA3), announced it will use the funds to build critical partnerships with county libraries, while program staff works to establish relationships between the closest branches to clinics offering the Reach Out and Read program.

“These funds will allow us to provide books to even more children within San Diego and Imperial Counties,” said AAP-CA3 Program Director Tara Milbrand. “More books in hands along with our messaging on the importance of reading together and parents reading aloud ultimately benefits families and builds stronger bonds between parents and children.”

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For the past 18 years, Reach Out and Read San Diego has been working with local pediatric offices to encourage families to read by providing books during well-child visits.

Since 1996, more than 1.7 million books have been distributed to children in San Diego through the Reach Out and Read program.

Scott, who helped grow and establish Amazon alongside her ex-husband, Jeff Bezos, has previously pledged to donate half of her wealth to charities nationwide following her divorce from Bezos. To date, Scott has donated over $17 billion to more than 2,300 nonprofits nationwide, according to her website.

This is Scott’s second major donation to Reach Out and Read, who previously donated $8 million to the organization in 2023.

“Reach Out and Read envisions a world where every child has the relationships essential to thrive,” said Marty Martinez, the nonprofit’s CEO. “Investing in Reach Out and Read San Diego helps create more of those moments that matter for young children and families in this community. We remain grateful to MacKenzie Scott, whose generosity will empower families for generations to come.”

To learn more about Reach Out and Read San Diego, visit rorsd.org.

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Last year, Reach Out and Read served more than 4.4 million children and provided 7.1 million free books across 8.8 million well-child visits, with more than two-thirds of those children from low-income families.

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