October RIF of NOVA News! Running, walking, and having funning! (5K t-shirt deadline is Oct. 13!!!)

Are your running shoes ready? Book It t-shirts are guaranteed through October 13!

RIF RAP -- October 2023

It's Almost Time to Walk, Run, and Have FUN!

You just don't want to miss RIF of NOVA's 5th (yes, 5th!) 5K/One-Mile Run -- with cool fun for everyone!

Click here!

Book It For Books, RIF of NOVA's biannual fund- and fun-raiser, is soon: Saturday, October 28, 2023

Time: 9:00 a.m. race start for the 5K; One-Mile Fun Run starts approximately 9:15.

Place: Bluemont Park, 329 N. Manchester St., Arlington, VA (across the field from the tennis courts)

Prices: 5K Run: $40 for in person through October 27; $45 on race day. One-Mile Walk/Run: $30 for in person through October 27; $35 on race day. Special prices for kids' teams. Additional info can be found here!

Costumes: Dress as a favorite literary character if you wish to add to the fun! (Not required, but it adds to the fun!!!)

Virtual: If you live far away, choose the virtual option and run or walk anywhere you want!

Questions? bookitforbooks2023@gmail.com.

Thanks to many new top sponsors and donors!

(Find the full list of sponsors to date here -- still could be YOU!)

The McLaughlin Family

Meanwhile, About Town...

RIF of NOVA board members and friends have been very busy promoting children's literacy! From a "read-in" for Hispanic Heritage Month at Arlington's Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary to a school distribution and fall festival at the Falls Church McLean Children's Center to the annual Vienna, Virginia Oktoberfest, it's been a great time to be a RIF of NOVA book lover and giver!

At the Hispanic Heritage Month read-in ... where several NOVA RIF board members read to children, including Jeuli Bartenstein (above) who read the book She's Got This by Laurie Hernandez. Bradley Vineyard (below) read Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina. Very fun (divertido!) for all!

At Vienna's Oktoberfest ... where Mrs. Virginia America, Dr. Ingrid Bynum (and principal of Alexandria's Patrick Henry K-8 School), stopped by to talk with kids and promote books! Her platform is children's literacy!

Check out Clifford peeking out in some of these pics. He just loves a good time!

Dr. Bynum also shared a copy of Girl to Boss (gifted to RIF of NOVA by 11-year-old author Julia Taylor Brandus) with some of her very interested students! If you missed it last month, check out the the related book review here!

At the Falls Church McLean Children's Center's first academic school year distribution and its Fall Festival ... the books were a big hit for kids of all ages!

Our Young Ambassadors Have Been Hard at Work, Too!

Just look at the ways these exceptional young adults are sharing their love of reading with the children NOVA RIF supports -- through book reviews, book drives, and book sharing!

Young Ambassador Camille Fallen is not even a casual basketball fan! However, this summer, she turned her attention to basketball superstar LeBron James, meeting Jeff Benedict, author of the book LeBron, and writing about her experience -- diving deep into what makes LeBron LeBron! Find her blog here! There is a lot to learn, she says, even if you aren't a basketball fan!

YA McKenzie Watt won second place in a nationwide Daughters of the American Revolution writing contest! (And, she donated some of her winnings to be a Bookmark sponsor for our Book It 5K!!! Way cool!!!) The competition required her to imagine herself as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in 1775. Her task was to outline her position about independence and to provide convincing arguments for her fellow delegates.

Young Ambassador Noah Isirimah led a book drive with the Burke

Fairfax Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, Inc. Together, they collected over 500 books for babies through sixth graders in memory of Carole Robertson, one of four girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama on September 15, 1963 -- 60 years ago.

Young Ambassador Marley-Grace Clift was a book deliverer! In concert with staff at Hybla Valley Elementary, she has stuffed the school's Little Free Library -- just before the start of school and a few times since!

She also helped give out books at several community book distributions during the summer.

Love shopping?

Here's another way to help!

Need holiday gifts? Jewelry? Children's clothing and toys? Easy take-home freezer meals? (Okay, who couldn't use that!!!) Mark your calendars for the November 4th Clarendon United Methodist Church Heritage Bazaar. Shop until you drop! Proceeds will go to NOVA RIF and other local organizations. Cool!

*Contribute online by Paypal or credit card at: https://donorbox.org/donate-to-rif-of-nova. Donate links can be found on every page of our website, too.