What We Do

Frank Haas

Read To Me International promotes reading aloud to children through:

  • Parent coaching programs at Hawai‘i’s schools, community sites, and correctional facilities
  • Presentations and workshops for parents, educators and other interested groups
  • Read alouds at schools and community gatherings
  • National-quality annual conferences
  • Support for parents of young children living in transitional and affordable housing

Our Mission

Share the love and joy of reading aloud.

Goals

  • Ensure that every child is read to every day for at least 10 minutes.
  • Model good read aloud techniques.
  • Promote reading aloud to a broader audience of stakeholders.

History

Read To Me International Foundation dba Read To Me International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in March 1996 as a result of a partnership created by the Governor’s Council for Literacy and Lifelong Learning and the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunrise. The Governor’s Council comprised leading members from the business, labor, education, faith-based and community sectors. From 1992-1994 the Council and Rotary embarked on a successful multi-media campaign called “Read To Me,” which resulted in a statewide campaign underscoring the importance of reading aloud. Its message was simple: “Every child in Hawaii will be read to every day for ten minutes.”

As a result of the media efforts, inspired in large part by the teachings of Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, a round table was formed which facilitated and promoted reading activities statewide, including the production of a video establishing the why’s and how-to’s of reading aloud; the establishment of read-aloud programs in schools and businesses; presentations in schools, churches, and local communities; refurbishment of libraries; and book donations to

schools, organizations, and libraries. Through the support of various partners, with Hawaii Pizza Hut serving as a major sponsor, a number of activities and projects were undertaken.

The program proved to be successful, the multi-media campaign having been adopted in over a dozen states, plus Canada and Malaysia. Since Read To Me International’s inception, the organization has evolved to focus on equipping and coaching parents to be their children’s first teachers in life through reading aloud together. The organization serves an average of 7,500 people each year through its parent-coaching programs, annual national-quality conference, workshops, and community events.

Programs

RTM10 (“Read To Me 10 Minutes A Day”): A six-week comprehensive parent-coaching program offered to families statewide. Co-facilitators provide parents with reading strategies and resources to practice in class, then apply it with their children at home and school.

RTM10 Alumni Programs: RTM10 program graduates and their families are invited to literacy-related activities throughout the year that addresses children’s academic, social, and emotional needs and social opportunities for children to play and learn together.

Kupuna Keiki Pen-Pal Program: A letter exchange program involving kupuna and keiki. The pen-pal program provides kupuna with volunteer opportunities throughout the year and children are provided additional opportunities to develop skills, like addressing an envelope and writing.

Read, Revive, Restore: A parent-coaching program for residents of State community correctional facilities to read and audio-record age-appropriate books for their children. Incarcerated parents record reading aloud a child’s storybook and send both the book and audio recording to their children.

  • 2023 Feed Me A Story Alumni Video

  • Read To Me International Parent Coaching Program, RTM10

Founder

Lynne Waihee

President

Lynne Waihee

As a youngster, Lynne Waihee found magic in her otherwise mundane life through the world of princesses and princes, fairy tales and fables. In real life, Read To Me International President Lynne Waihee has led a charmed life as a former First Lady of Hawai‘i, during which time she served as the Honorary Chair for the Governor’s Council for Literacy. A former high school English teacher, literacy was a perfect fit for her role as First Lady, and Waihee has now championed childhood literacy’s cause for over 23 years. She recalls with fondness reading in bed to her own children, John IV and Jennifer, and anxiously awaits the day she has grandchildren to whom she can read. Meanwhile, she finds great joy in reading aloud to anyone’s children, and to adults as well . . . including husband John.

Staff

Executive Director

Dannah Barnes

Dannah Barnes is a 2018 MBA graduate from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business and has over a decade of experience working in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. As a child, Dannah was read to by her parents and would often visit the library with her aunty. Her aunty would also create fun reading activities like writing and submitting book reports. Dannah credits her career success to her family and appreciates how they shared the joy of reading at an early age. She is excited to join the Read To Me International team and pay it forward by sharing the joy of reading aloud.

Operations Manager

Lauren Remular

Growing up, Lauren was able to discover her passion for music, singing, reading and writing. Raised in Waipahū and a graduate of Sacred Hearts Academy, Lauren had the importance of education instilled in her at a very young age. She graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa majoring in Human Development and Family Studies, and has since been promoted from Program and Site Assistant to Program and Site Manager, and from Program and Site Manager to Operations Manager. She has always had a positive and loving relationship with reading because it was something that her parents did with her everyday. Some of her favorite memories of her childhood include going to the library every chance she had and finding new books whenever the Scholastic Book Fair came around during the school year. She is excited to be interning with Read To Me International, where she hopes to connect with her community while finding some new favorite books to add to her library that she can read to her nieces, nephews and keiki in the future.

Program and Community Outreach Director

Kayla Masuda

Kayla Masuda is excited to bring her teaching background, administrative experience, and love of service to her position at Read To Me International Foundation. She earned her M.Ed from Hawaii Pacific University and worked in education for a decade before switching to nonprofit work. She credits her lifelong love of books to taking frequent childhood trips to the public library, a place she still considers magical. Growing up, Kayla would often get in trouble for reading during class or long past her bedtime; as an adult who still reads late into the night, she hopes to help children and parents alike discover the joy of reading.

Program and Site Manager

Miranda Shelly

Miranda was born and raised in Hawaiʻi and attended college in Washington at the University of Puget Sound. After graduating, Miranda spent a year abroad in Japan working as an assistant English language teacher before returning home to pursue her studies in social work at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her childhood love of books was fostered by her family and she spent many hours as a child listening to fantasy stories read to her by her older sister, Emma. She is enthusiastic about joining Read To Me International and putting her experiences to good use by promoting the joy of reading aloud.

Program and Site Manager

Jacob Cardenas

Jacob is from Sacramento, California. He spent the last 4 years living on Oahu attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. This past spring Jacob graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies. He interned with Read To Me International Foundation during his last semester of college and now serves as the Program and Site Manager. Jacob enjoys traveling the world, going to Disneyland, and living each day to the fullest extent possible. You can often catch him reading on flights, at the beach, or under the covers on a rainy day. He is happy to give back to the community through education and is very excited to be joining the RTMI team!

Board of Directors

Board Officers

  • Board Chair

    Wenona Harris

    Senior Partner, Anthology

  • Vice Chair

    David Lee

    Client Manager, World Wide Technology

  • Secretary

    Jaydence Goya

    MDU Program Manager, Hawaiian Telcom

Other Members

  • Jean Grice

    DoDEA Pacific PACOM Liaison, Department of Defense Education Activity

  • June Nakamura

    Senior Project Manager, Kaula AE, LLC

  • Mollie Sperry

    Secretary-General, The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the Hawaiian Islands

  • Hale Takazawa

    Architect

  • Jo Anne Vieira

    Community Volunteer

  • Lynne Waihee

    Founder, Read to Me International

  • Susan Kam Yokoyama

    Vice President & Public Relations Manager, First Hawaiian Bank