Reading Is Fundamental joins forces with Trane Technologies to advance the power of literacy and create sustainable futures

Reading Is Fundamental joined forces with Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, at the start of the 2021-2022 school year to deliver on their shared mission to support children's literacy and empower children through reading. Today, RIF announced that through a three-pronged initiative, generously supported with a Trane Technologies donation, they have supported more than 150,000 children with books and reading content. It has been especially important to both organizations to support children in under-resourced communities, specifically in Charlotte, North Carolina and Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as children nationally.

The first milestone was the launch of RIF's Sustainable Futures Center. Named for Trane Technologies' corporate citizenship strategy, the center is on RIF's free book resource website, Literacy Central. Children are naturally interested in the world around them and reading and learning about its inhabitants and resources is both exciting and important. The Sustainable Futures Center is anchored on four important themes covering topics such as STEM careers, environmental justice, air and water, with supplementary book suggestions and tools for educators and families. The resources in this center were built with the guidance of Trane Technologies employee volunteers to help children understand their planet and inspire them to care for it now and in the future.

Through Trane Technologies' generosity, RIF also brought its evidenced-based reading program, Read for Success, to six elementary schools this past school year, providing 600 students in Charlotte and Minneapolis each with six new books. The partnership was also able to provide educators with new book collections for their classrooms with supplemental STEAM-enrichment activities and professional development.

Additionally, 11,000 excited students across the country were the recipients of RIF Literacy Kits assembled and distributed by Trane Technologies employees beginning in August 2022. These students kicked off the 2022-2023 school year with three new books, STEM activity sheets, a string tote, bookmarks, and more all with the aim to inspire a joy of reading. The volunteers were eager to share their expertise, and also created Q&A-styled videos fielding student questions on topics around:

Environment
Sustainability
Climate Solutions
STEM Careers

These videos are being shared with classrooms across the two cities and are available on the Sustainable Futures Center for on-demand viewing nationally.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with Trane Technologies to showcase the importance of a sustainable future and work together to leverage the power of books and reading support around key STEM topics," said Alicia Levi, President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental. "Trane Technologies is the perfect partner to inspire our young children to care about our planet and to ensure children across the country have access to the reading resources to be educated and inspired."

"Trane Technologies' purpose is to boldly challenge what's possible for a sustainable world, which includes creating pathways to green and STEM careers for young and under-represented learners," said Deidra Parrish Williams, Trane Technologies leader of Global Corporate Social Responsibility. "Our partnership with Reading is Fundamental will provide thousands of children from underserved communities access to books and reading content that will expose them to STEM concepts. Our hope is this will inspire them to pursue careers in science, technology and sustainability."

About Reading Is Fundamental

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is committed to a literate America by inspiring a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content to create impact, and engaging communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success. As the nation's largest nonprofit organization for children's literacy, RIF has provided more than 422 million books to more than 129 million kids in all 50 states, inspiring generations to read, learn, and grow. Learn more at www.RIF.org.

About Trane Technologies

Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator. Through our strategic brands Trane® and Thermo King®, and our portfolio of environmentally responsible products and services, we bring efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes, and transportation. For more on Trane Technologies, visit tranetechnologies.com.