A MESSAGE FROM Jessica
Thank you so much for supporting my fundraising efforts for Reading to Kids in the 2026 ASICS Los Angeles Marathon! I am so excited to take on the challenge of running my first ever half marathon.
I first started volunteering in December 2023 and previously ran the 2024 ASICS Los Angeles 5K to support Reading to Kids.
Reading to Kids is a grassroots organization that empowers children by cultivating a passion for reading. Every second Saturday of the month, pairs of volunteers read aloud to small groups of children, engaging in discussions about the book's theme and finishing the reading day with book or season related crafts. At the end of each reading club, every child receives a book to take home and the monthly reading club books are also made available at the schools' libraries.
Through monthly reading clubs, the organization opens the door to learning, imagination, and the many adventures waiting within the pages of books. Since its inception in 1999, Reading to Kids has distributed 196,378 prize books to children attending the reading clubs, donated 37,053 hardcover books to school libraries, and volunteers have dedicated 248,625 hours reading to children.