Reach Out and Read Wisconsin is incredibly proud and profoundly grateful to mark its 15th Anniversary. Reach Out and Read Wisconsin became an official affiliate on Dec. 21, 2010.
For a decade and a half, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin has partnered with passionate clinicians, educators, librarians, and supporters to bring the power of books and the joy of reading into the lives of countless Wisconsin families. Every book shared, every story read aloud, helps build stronger brains, healthier families, and brighter futures.
Watch the special anniversary video to hear directly from the voices that make Reach Out and Read Wisconsin’s mission possible. You’ll see the smiles, hear the stories, and feel the incredible impact made, together.
15 Facts for the 15th Anniversary
- The first Reach Out and Read site in Wisconsin opened in La Crosse in 1997.
- The affiliate officially launched on December 21, 2010.
- Karin Mahony served as the first Executive Director for Wisconsin, and Dr. Dipesh Navsaria as founding Medical Director.
- The affiliate inherited 50 already-participating clinics when it launched in 2010.
- Clinics prescribing our program has expanded from 50 to 317+ clinics statewide.
- Reach Out and Read Wisconsin is the fourth largest affiliate nationally by clinic count.
- Five individuals have been part of the Advisory Council since nearly the inception: Jessica Doyle, Dr. Susanne Krasovich, Tessa Michaelson-Schmidt, Dr. Wendy Molaska, and Mary Morgan.
- Reach Out and Read is prescribed in at least one clinic in 64 Wisconsin counties.
- Reach Out and Read Wisconsin has been included in the Wisconsin State Budget since 2020.
- When Reach Out and Read Wisconsin became an affiliate in 2010 it had two full-time staff members. It now has 10 full-time staff members and three interns.
- The 300th Read Out and Read clinic in Wisconsin was Outreach Community Health Center, which implemented the program in early 2025.
- Total books distributed in Wisconsin have now exceeded 2 million.
- The affiliate has held an Annual Meeting/Regional Meetings since 2018. The 2025 meeting was held at Epic Headquarters and had record-high 157 attendees.
- Dr. Dipesh Navsaria coined the popular alliteration “Books Build Better Brains,” which is widely used in Wisconsin and among affiliates across the country.
- Reach Out and Read Wisconsin added 28 new clinics in the last fiscal year, the third largest growth of all affiliates.
Flashback Photos
Reach Out and Read Wisconsin’s official affiliate launch on Dec. 21, 2010.
Founding medical director Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD. It’s thanks to him that we are an affiliate.
In 2018, Wisconsin Literacy presented Reach Out and Read Wisconsin with the Outstanding Achievement in Family Literacy award during their Celebration of Literacy.
Members of the Reach Out and Read Wisconsin staff with staff from Sixteenth Street at the 2019 Reach Out and Read Annual Meeting.
Reach Out and Read Wisconsin presenting then-Wisconsin Senator Joan Ballweg with the 2024 Reach Out and Read Honor Roll for her longtime advocacy of the Reach Out and Read program.
Amber Bloom (far right), Reach Out and Read Wisconsin program manager, with Children’s Wisconsin staff at the 2024 Annual Meeting, held in Appleton.
Celebrating Outreach Community Health Center, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin’s 300th Clinic.
In 2022, Maya created three beautiful pieces of artwork. She then sold them and donated the proceeds to Reach Out and Read Wisconsin.
In 2017, then-State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Evers, awarded Reach Out and Read Wisconsin with a Friend of Education award.
Addie Knedle sits at Senator Wimberger’s desk at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Addie spoke at a briefing session on the importance of the Reach Out and Read program and the impact it had on her.
In 2024, a few members of our staff were able to spend the afternoon at Aurora Medical Center – Kenosha for an extra special story time with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Affiliates supporting each other! Members of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin attended Reach Out and Read Illinois Annual Site Support meeting in 2023.
In 2023, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin launched a brand campaign on city buses in four different cities: Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay and Racine. This ad on a Racine bus ran for a year!
Reach Out and Read hosts an affiliate retreat every 18 months. The 2025 retreat was held in Portland, Ore.
DeDe Williams was named Reach Out and Read Wisconsin’s Executive Director in May of 2023.