"Reading aloud builds loving parent-child routines and supports healthy brain development; yet, only 38% of families read to their baby every day in Illinois."
The State of Illinois Babies, Child Trends (2022)
In June, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting the Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago for the Reach Out and Read Illinois Annual Site Support Meeting and Fundraiser. Over the last few years, we have continued to build a great relationship with the team at Reach Out and Read Illinois, so when we were given the opportunity to sponsor and attend the site support meeting, I was elated to be able to go!
During the afternoon, I spoke to many of our customers that we work with every day across Illinois, and it was lovely to hear all the positive feedback. Specifically, a few people mentioned they love our large selection of bilingual books. With a growing need for Spanish-English Bilingual books throughout the state, our selection allows them to offer a great variety to the children coming in for their appointments.
Several people communicated a growing need for bilingual books in other languages, in addition to Spanish, and we know this is an increasing necessity throughout the U.S. Whether you are in Illinois or not, we would love to hear some feedback from you on what we should consider carrying in our short Customer Service Survey.
Following the afternoon meeting, we were able to go up to the top floor of the library for the fundraiser. If you have the opportunity to visit the Harold Washington Library, you must visit the Winter Garden on the top floor. This breathtaking space was such a perfect place to end the day, chat with other attendees, and check out the silent auction. Having both events at the library was such a beautiful tie in with the Reach Out and Read model. The love of books can start at birth with Reach Out and Read, and visits to the library will continue to foster that love of reading as children grow.
Cindy, Kristina, and the rest of the amazing team at Reach Out and Read Illinois did such a wonderful job organizing the meeting and fundraiser. Thank you again for the invitation and allowing me to be part of this event!
Hey there, I’m Paige Satterly
Paige joined the AAB team in early 2019 and now has taken on the role of Marketing Manager. Her work takes her from working on website updates and creating the annual catalog, to maintaining all of our marketing materials and creating new titles with our publishing company: Chosen Spot Publishing.
