As we wind down the week in which RIF turned 43 I have found myself reflecting on some of those wonderful little moments in time over my eight years here that say “Guess what, RIF, you really made a difference for a kid.” I am flooded with faces of people young and old from all across this country who have shared with me what it means or meant to them to get a book, a free book, a book to keep “all for my own self.”

The most recent of these episodes happened in a store inthe Charlotte, North Carolinaairport. A clerk said she would be more than happy to get the information I was seeking about a product and email me; I handed her my business card and she became very excited…I was glad to see it appeared to be a “happy” excited! She then said “Could this be the same RIF that gave me books at St. Aloysius Center in New York City years ago?” I said well, yes, it is; she said “Is Ms. Beth still the head lady and does she still do RIF there at the Center?” and again, I said yes and told her of the growth at St. Aloysius and how studentsat HarlemAcademy whichcomes under St.Aloysius for RIF programminghad assisted in the launch of a Macy’s campaign for RIF at NASDAQ and then appeared on the plaza during a CBS Early Show. She was even more excited at this point andextolled the benefits of RIF and all that it had meant to her. Other customers were somewhat spellboundduring this unsolicited testimonial as was I.She asked “Is RIF in North Carolina” andin addition to saying yes (I was doing lots of answering “yes”), I told her how to look up RIF program sites on the web. My new friend and I said goodbye,and I told her I would check back with her the next time I am in the airport. Despite feeling oh, so tired after a day of “too close for comfort”connections in a couple of airportsand crowded planes, I all but skipped to my gate. What a thrill to know after all these years she clearly remembered the excitement of book distribution day and even told me the stories from a couple of those books!

Just think…since 1966 more than 350 million books and a whole lot of people like my new friend in the airport whoare excited about reading still. Thank you RIF!

Happy reading to you!
Carol

Twitter: @RascofromRIF