History

RIF Nashville, began in 1975 as a RIF Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County school project. It is the oldest literacy group in the Nashville area. This is our 34th year to serve Metro Nashville schools and we are proud of it! RIF is based on the principle that voluntary reading is the path to proficiency. A locally funded pilot project was run for three years in three Metro schools. With the continued support of the community and through volunteers, the program has expanded to reach more and more needy children. Since its inception, twenty-eight schools in Metro have benefited from the RIF program. 

Currently, each of our volunteers visits an elementary school five times during the school year, reads to a class and then allows each child to select a book to keep for his or her very own. Thus, at the end of each school year, each child has five free, new books to enjoy at home with his or her family. RIF is concentrating its efforts in nine Title I schools where the need is the greatest. Many of teachers say that their students would not own any books were it not for RIF. 

In fall 2005, Book’em launched its newest literacy program, Biblioteca sin paredes, which is the Spanish translation of “library without walls.” Thanks to the generosity of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, we began a volunteer reading and book-giving program focusing on Spanish-speaking pre-kindergarten children in Davidson County. Our Library Without Walls book program currently donates thousands of books to children, and with our Biblioteca expansion we will now be able to offer bilingual books and readers to targeted Spanish-speaking classrooms.

Each year Book'em sponsors Read Me Week to raise the level of awareness of the importance and fun of reading. Over the years we have partnered with many celebrities and community organizations in spotlighting many metro schools.

1990: Gra-Mar Elementary School, Garth Brooks
1991: Chadwell Elementary School, Lorianne Crook
1992: Stratton Elementary School, Riders in the Sky
1993: Warner Elementary School
1994: Cockrill Elementary School, H. Jackson Brown
1995: Shwab Elementary School, Bill Miller
1996: Tom Joy Elementary School, Governor and

            First Lady Sundquist
1997: Cora Howe Elementary School, Faith Hill
1998: Margaret Allen Elementary School, Charles Davis
1999: Amqui Elementary School, Kix Brooks
2000: Whitsitt Elementary School, Nashville Ballet
2001: Gower Elementary School, Nashville Predators
2002: Tusculum Elementary School, Nashville

            Children's Theatre
2003: Ross Elementary School, The Adventure Science Center
2004: Park Avenue Elementary School, Nashville Zoo
2005: Bordeaux Enhanced Option School, Nashville Symphony
2006: Paragon Mills Elementary School, Nashville Ballet
2007: Carter Lawrence Magnet School, CMT
2008: Fall-Hamilton Enhanced Option Elementary School, Jeffrey Jarrett, World Wrestling Champion
2009: Glenn Enhanced Option Elementary School, Adventure Science Center

2010: Caldwell Enhanced Option Elementary School, Farmer Jason & NPT