On Nov 10, 2009, Reading Is Fundamental kicked off the third year of its DC Initiative, the Washington DC RIF program that serves more than 16,000 children by distributing over 50,000 free books to them each school year. RIF staff from the national office joined with local volunteers to organize and participate in reading celebrations throughout the city. An extra special DCI kickoff event was held at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in the Anacostia neighborhood of Southeast Washington, DC. First grade students at King Elementary participated in a cultural exchange via Skype with fifth grade students from the RIF Program at William Tyson Elementary School in Anchorage, Alaska.
