“The mother’s heart is the child’s school-room.” – Henry Ward Beecher
Many of us learned our first lessons on our mother’s lap, sharing books and learning how to navigate the world around us through stories. Among so many special childhood moments, cuddling up with a book is a beloved routine cherished by parent and child alike.
This Mother’s Day, honor a mother in your life by giving that same special ritual of bonding over books to another mother and child. In doing so, you will change both their lives for the better – bringing a family closer, instilling a love of reading and learning, and laying a foundation for a child’s school and future success. When you do, you’ll be entered into a give-away for a pair of gift certificates for a free, 50-minute spa treatment at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley , and if you make your gift by 5pm on Monday, May 4th, you’ll also be entered for a chance to win 2 tickets to the Giants vs. Marlins baseball game on May 10th at AT&T Park (more details below)!
Make a gift to Raising A Reader in honor of a mother you love and admire and we will send her a card with your personal message letting her know she has inspired you to make a donation in her name. By supporting RAR, you’ll be giving a mother and her child a gift that will last a lifetime, full of joy and opportunity!
How does it work?
Step 1: Make your gift. Choose your amount from the following options:
$16 A brand-new book for a mother and child to share together.
$32 Donate two books! …Double the bonding for a family.
$48 Three books! …Enough to read over and over again. Plus, RAR will send your honored mother a hand-written card notifying her of your gift.
$64 Put one more red bag into our book bag rotation program, which exposes children to over 100 titles throughout the program year!
$100 Sponsor a child to receive the red bag book rotation program for one full year. A gift at this level ensures educators receive program support, too!
$250 This generous gift will sponsor two children for a full year, and will allow us to provide parents with meaningful workshops that help them make the most of each book-sharing experience.
$500 Sponsor five children for one full year of RAR programming, and help us bring workshops and training opportunities to parents!
….Or choose an amount that is meaningful to you!
Every donation helps us reach our goal of surrounding young children with interactive learning experiences that spark joy and close the opportunity gap.
Step 2: Enter your information into our donation widget. You’ll be guided through the process step-by-step. Please note: if you click away from your widget at any time while making your dedication, simply click the donate button on this page again. Your donation widget will re-appear, and no information will have been lost.
Step 3: Make your dedication. You’ll be asked to include a short dedication to the person you are honoring. Don’t worry about including her name, email address, or mailing address now, we’ll ask for that in a form on your donation confirmation page. Simply write the message you’d like for us to include in her card or email message.
Step 4: Fill out the form included on your confirmation page. Here, you’ll provide all the contact information we’ll need to ensure your mother’s email message (for gifts up to $47) or hand-written card (for gifts $48 and up) is received before Mother’s Day.**
Want to make Mother’s Day last all year?
Join the Book of the Month Club, our monthly giving program, and give $16 (or more!) every month and help more than 17,000 children and families transform their futures. As a member, you’ll receive an email each month highlighting a book from the RAR collection that, thanks to you, a RAR family will be sharing that month. If you join the Book of the Month Club during our Mother’s Day campaign, we’ll send the monthly email to the mother you chose to honor as well, providing her with an ongoing connection to the gift you made in her name.
To join the Book of the Month Club, click the donate button above and choose your monthly amount (minimum of $16 to cover the cost of one book) and method of payment. Be sure to complete the form on your confirmation page - you’ll see an option to sign up your honored mother for the Book of the Month club.
And to sweeten the deal…
Thanks to the lovely people at The Claremont Resort & Spa in Berkeley, we are including a giveaway in this year’s campaign! One lucky participant will receive a pair of gift certificates, each redeemable for a luxurious 50-minute spa treatment - one for you and one for a special mother in your life. It really is better to give than to receive!
**The deadline to choose a paper card is May 4th at 5:00 pm. Cards will be mailed on May 5th to ensure delivery by Mother’s Day; all notifications for gifts received after 5:00 pm on May 4th will be made via email.
If you would like to honor more than one individual, please make a gift and complete a form for each honoree. If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact Emily Thompson.