Peta-Gay Lewis, Mrs. Montgomery County International 2009 and one of my dear friends, is the founder and Executive Director of the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Beginning the Journey chapter (website www.beginningthejourney.com). This organization needs your help to be a sucess this year.Jonathan Dragon, one of RIF's longstanding book suppliers, will be going out of business this Spring. Starting Monday, February 2nd, they are drastically reducing the price of their remaining inventory to $1.00 per book.

This is sad news, however Beginning the Journey is thinking strategically and needs your help to turn this sad situation into a positive for their community. With the drastically reduced price this chapter will purchase all of the books from Jonathan Dragons so that they are able to provide more books to more students. Their 2009 distribution schedule is March, May, July, September and November and they will service a minimum of 200 students per distribution. With these numbers in mind, they need to have at least 1100 books (10% overage is always on hand at each distribution) at a cost of $1100.00.

Please help this RIF chapter with this by providing any monetary donation you can spare. Remember nickles, dimes, quarters add up to bills and ALL donations regardless of how small it might seem will bring them closer to their goal. Please email the director at petagaylewis@yahoo.com if you need additional donation information or have questions about Beginning the Journey and RIF.

PS- This is so important to the director that she is going to double all donations received from her PERSONAL finances so that she can exceed the 1100 book goal effortlessly.  So for example for every $1.00 received she will donate $2.00 to the Beginning the Journey chapter of RIF for book purchases.  Again, please join her efforts to build a literate nation one child at a time.