In 2010, Megan Mettler — just 12 years old — launched KidsREAD! as a community service project. With her classmates' help, she collected over 13,000 books for children in need and disaster areas across the country.

In 2014, Barry Ackerman took the reins and under his leadership, KidsREAD! has grown to serve over 200,000 children — from Title I schools in Orange County to remote villages in Africa, Borneo, Malaysia, and Nepal.

Today, our programs include donating books to newborns in hospitals, distributing STEM books through the National Space Society, and partnering with the World Federation of Youth Clubs to reach 3,000+ affiliates in 37 countries.