LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Assistance League of Diablo Valley's R.E.A.D. Program Thrives


Standing from left, Assistance League of Diablo Valley Corporate Partners Committee Chairman Linda Mercer and R.E.A.D. Co-Chairmen Meredith Kingsly-Brochier and Gen Camera welcome Fehr & Peers Corporate Partners employee volunteers Ryan McClain and Chelsea Caldetera's help in placing an I LOVE TO READ! sticker in hundreds of donated books.

One of Assistance League of Diablo Valley's hands-on philanthropic programs is R.E.A.D., an acronym for read, enrich, achieve and discover. Since 2003, the R.E.A.D. co-chairmen and committee members have taken great care in selecting books that they currently read in13 schools and 48 classrooms each year. One of the most important themes they have focused on in the past six years concerns events that are relevant to the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Rosie Revere, Engineer," written by Andrea Beaty, captures the pride American women felt when taking over the jobs vacated by men who fought for the United States of America during World War II. "Pop's Bridge," written by Eve Bunting, relates the construction of the "impossible bridge," the Golden Gate Bridge. "Too Tall Foyle Finds his Game," written by Golden State Warrior Adonal Foyle and Shiyana Valentine Williams, describes how an athlete finds a venue for his height, while "The Night Before Baseball at the Park by the Bay," written by David Schnell, depicts a young boy's dream of playing for the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

To learn about all of the philanthropic programs that are primarily funded by the Assistance League Way Side Inn Thrift Shop in Lafayette, please visit this website: diablovalley.assistanceleague.org.