Through a national grassroots network of thousands of volunteers, RIF programs provide new, free books and other essential literacy resources to more than five million children and their families. RIF's highest priority is the nation's neediest children from infancy to age 11. Many of the children RIF serves have economic or learning needs that put them at risk of failing to achieve basic educational goals. RIF serves children and families in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. offshore territories in programs that operate in schools, libraries, community centers, child-care centers, Head Start and Even Start centers, hospitals, migrant worker camps, homeless shelters, and detention centers. Today, thanks to public-private partnerships, RIF is the nation's largest children's and family literacy organization. RIF's mission is to: *Ensure that every child believes in the value of books and the importance of reading. *Assist children and their families with the fundamental resources children need to become motivated to read. *Lead in the creation and development of national, regional and local collaborations building strong community-based children's and family literacy programs.