During the two-year pandemic, Read for Life provided an estimated 20,000 books to Tulare County children. These gifts are made possible, in part, by your generous donations of gently used books.

Shelter Buddies Returns to
Boost Literacy, Animal Adoptions

Shelter Buddies gives second and third-graders from four Visalia elementary schools an enhanced, expanded experience of improving their reading skills while helping Shelter animals find their forever homes. The program was developed by Read for Life in cooperation with ProYouth HEART and the Visalia Animal Care Center.  Students at each ProYouth HEART after-school site take the Tulare County-run Loop Bus on six consecutive Tuesdays to the Visalia Animal Care Center to read aloud for one hour to animals up for adoption. Reading to the dogs helps to bring comfort to and reduce the anxiety of shelter animals, and it nurtures empathy in children while improving their ability to read. For program information, email nancy@readforlife.org.

Read for Life Pass the Word Scholarship






For information on the Pass the Word scholarship, email Susan Graves at susan@readforlife.org








Scholarship Application 2024 Scholarship Recipient Past Winners

Development Cards

Development Cards, given to new parents through our Books for Babies program, describe the different stages in a child’s mental development and suggest good books for reading.

Development cards are available in Spanish and English and can be downloaded below.

Request Support

If your Tulare County organization needs support from Read for Life, let us know by filling out and returning the Request for Support document.
Request Support Form