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Posted: Aug 18, 2014 22:41

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Rich McKinless
Arlington, VA


McKinless Biking For Books



Contact:
Rich McKinless
Treasurer/ STICC
http://biking-for-books.org

One parent who has made a commitment to many teens beyond his own took on a new challenge this summer: biking across the country to help get new books to kids who might otherwise never have their own.

Rich and Kathy McKinless, who reside in Arlington Virginia, have raised four children of their own, now all adults between 21 and 30. They are both active volunteers in the DC area for a number of charities. Rich's current roles include serving as Treasurer of Saving Teens In Crisis Collaborative, the not-for-profit founded 10 years ago by John Reuben. SavingTeens has now provided over $350,000 in direct assistance to families who lack the financial resources to access appropriate treatment for their child.

"There are so many families that need therapeutic assistance for an adolescent or young adult child" Rich recently shared. "Many of course simply can't afford the spectrum of care their child ultimately needs. We all know heartbreaking situations of families who have consumed college funds, mortgaged homes, borrowed from retirement accounts--and it still wasn't enough. High quality care is very expensive, so access remains a huge challenge. It's a reality everyone in the industry understands, and SavingTeens is trying to address".

This Summer Rich's goal was raising awareness and funds for another cause he and his family are passionate about: illiteracy in America.

"It shocks many well-informed people that literacy remains a significant barrier to advancement, even today, right here in America." Rich and Kathy previously volunteered through there former employer, KPMG, to work with a national charity known as First Book, which works in many of the country's most challenging communities to improve literacy among low-income families.

Here are a few other facts about this challenge Rich shared with us:
  • Fact 1: Children not reading at grade level by the 3rd grade have four times the dropout rate of other kids.

  • Fact 2:Many states plan new prison construction based on their 4th grade literacy rates.

  • Fact 3: First Book negotiates nationally with scholastic publishers to achieve deep purchase discounts allowing four new books to be delivered Title I schools at an average cost of $10.

  • Fact 4:First Book has now distributed over 115 million new books to the children of low income families through innovative partnerships with large employers nationwide, who provide mentors, teacher collaboration programs, and in-class book readings

Rich and Kathy committed their summer to biking from Oregon back to their home state of Virginia to highlight this cause. They've set a goal to raise $100,000. Kathy is providing logistical support for the quest as well: driving their "Biking for Books" van to find motels, buy groceries, handle laundry--whatever the riding team needs. Together Team McKinless expects to cover 4500+ miles and raise awareness in communities along the way.

Anyone interested can see the their story at http://biking-for-books.org. Those who like cycling blogs can see Rich and Chris' daily posts on the biking-for-books site at http://biking-for-books.org/riding-blog/ Anyone interested in supporting the cause can do so at http://biking-for-books.org/donate/. Every dollar the cycling team raises is going to the First Book, and donors can designate any metropolitan area they wish to direct their support.

Rich McKinless is the current treasurer for Saving Teens in Crisis Collaborative (STICC).



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