Congressman Ruben Hinojosa Awarded "Book Champion" by Reading is Fundamental (McAllen Teacher Awarded Volunteer of the Year)

Press Release

Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX-15) was presented the Book Champion Award by Reading is Fundamental (RIF) at their 2015 gala in Washington, D.C. The award is given to those who have advocated for federal investment in children's literacy programming. The other recipient this year is U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS).

"RIF has continued to invest in our region and selected several of our schools for their "Read for Success" demonstration program to help combat the "summer slide" where low-income children fall behind their peers during the summer months," said U.S. Rep. Hinojosa. "With RIF's help, our reading test scores have improved dramatically and we now have higher graduation rates than the Texas state average. I want to thank everyone who has been a part of making this program a success and I thank them for this esteemed award."

Studies have shown that more than 80% of children from economically disadvantaged communities can lose one to three months reading skills over the summer. By the end of 5th grade, students can lose up to three years of learning. The Read for Success: Combating the Summer Learning Slide in America program has helped so many of our students strengthen their reading skills throughout the years. Thousands of students from school districts in Edinburg, Hidalgo and McAllen have benefited from RIF programs.

Also honored at the RIF gala was Maira Burns of McAllen who was named Volunteer of the Year. Burns is the Elementary English Language Arts Coordinator for the McAllen Independent School District. Burns is responsible for the literacy program that reaches nearly 10,000 students. She recently led an initiative to pair a 1-to-1 iPad program with the local library, giving children free access to interactive eBooks.

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