Celebrating 17 Years · Summer 2026
This summer, Reading Legacies has a $26,000 matching gift secured. Every dollar you give will be doubled, turning community gifts into $52,000 of total impact for families across San Diego. Help us connect more families through the power of reading aloud.
One gift becomes two. One story becomes many.
17 YEARS
of connecting families through reading aloud
4 PROGRAMS
one mission: stronger families through reading aloud
YOUR GIFT DOUBLED
this summer, every dollar does it twice
IN HOMES, SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES
including correctional facilities
Reading aloud brings families back to each other.
What Reading Legacies Does
A shared story belongs to you. No matter where you are.
Some families are separated by distance. Others are together in the same room, carrying the weight of circumstances that make connection feel hard to reach. Stress. Instability. Environments that don’t always feel safe or settled.
Reading Legacies shows up for all of them.
For 17 years, we have encouraged parents and caregivers to read aloud with their children, because we know that a shared story creates something no circumstance can take away. A moment that belongs entirely to your family. A memory your child carries forward.
It is the simplest act. And it works in the most complicated places.
This summer, we are asking our community to help us reach more families through a matching campaign that doubles every dollar you give.
We go where most organizations don’t.
Reading Legacies shows up in four settings throughout San Diego County, bringing the practice of reading aloud to every family exactly where they are:
CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES
Reading Legacies correctional-based workshops
For families navigating incarceration, connection does not have to stop. Reading Legacies staff and trained volunteers record incarcerated parents as they read stories for their children. The recording and book are delivered home, allowing children to hear a familiar voice and share in a favorite story. Through every page, families can stay connected, even when separated by distance.
RECOVERY PROGRAMS
Reading Legacies recovery-based workshops
For parents in substance use treatment, the road back to their children is rarely straightforward. Reading aloud together offers something concrete: a structured, low-pressure moment of presence. A way to show up for your child during the hardest season of rebuilding. It says, without a single extra word: I am still here for you.
RESOURCE CENTERS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Reading Legacies community-based programming
For families experiencing homelessness or housing instability, the rituals that make a child feel safe are often the first things lost. Reading Legacies brings books and the practice of reading aloud into shelters and resource centers across San Diego so that even without a permanent home, a family can have a story that is entirely their own. Community partners include Jewish Family Services, Promises2Kids, Inclusive Kids Network, and RiseUp Industries.
HEAD STARTS, SCHOOLS & EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS
Reading Legacies parent education workshops
For some families, reading together is a generations-long tradition. For others, it is an entirely new idea, one that brushes up against real barriers: low literacy, caregivers working multiple jobs, the daily weight of making ends meet. Reading Legacies workshops create spaces where caregivers reflect on their own experiences and lift each other up. Together, parents are supported and empowered to become their child’s first teacher. Partners include Casa de Amistad, serving Spanish-speaking families through after-school programming.
– Every setting is different. Every family is different. What stays the same –
When a caregiver reads aloud to a child, something shifts. A memory is made. A bond is strengthened. And that child carries it forward.
17 Years of Impact
The numbers behind the stories.
“There is nothing more important for the future of America than changing the lives of children and allowing parents to continue to be part of their lives.”
This summer, every dollar you give is doubled.
Double the Story · End of Summer Match Campaign
A $26,000 matching gift has been secured. Every dollar donated this summer is automatically matched, turning your gift into twice the connection for families across San Diego.
We need $26,000 in community gifts to unlock the full $52,000. Every giving level counts. Every story matters.
All gifts are tax-deductible. Reading Legacies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN: 27-0523331.
Prefer Venmo? Send to @ReadingLegacies and include “Double the Story” in the message so your gift counts toward the match
17 years ago, Betty Mohlenbrock had an idea.
Our Founder
17 years ago, Betty Mohlenbrock had an idea.
She had already changed lives once.
Betty Mohlenbrock spent 20 years pioneering a read-aloud program for children of deployed military members at United Through Reading. The Peter Drucker Foundation recognized it with their Award for Non-Profit Innovation, honoring it as a universally replicable model for strengthening family bonds through reading aloud.
Then she asked: where else do families need this?
In 2009, Betty founded Reading Legacies and brought that same belief to families navigating incarceration. Today, the organization reaches families across correctional facilities, recovery programs, resource centers, and schools throughout San Diego County, meeting every family exactly where they are.
Hear Betty’s Story.
Honors & Legacy of Service
- Congressional Medal of Honor Society Community Service Award
- Peter Drucker Award for Non-Profit Innovation
- L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth National Honoree
What book connected your family?
A Story We Shared
She had already changed lives once.
Maybe someone read to you when you were little. Maybe it is a book you know by heart because you have read it so many times to your own children. Maybe it is a story you shared with someone during a hard season.
This summer, Reading Legacies is inviting San Diego to share those stories, and to give so that more families can have their own.
Share your Story:
Post a photo of your book on social media
Caption it: “A Story We Shared — [your book title]”
#AStoryWeShared · #DoubleTheStory · #ReadingLegacies
Trusted partners across San Diego County
Reading Legacies has established partnerships with the San Diego Sheriff’s and Probation offices, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the San Diego District Attorney’s office, and the National Association of Women Judges. Community partners include Jewish Family Service, Promises2Kids, Inclusive Kids, RiseUp Industries, and Casa de Amistad.
Reading Legacies is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 27-0523331. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Every dollar you give this summer becomes two.
Give Now → readinglegacies.org
Celebrating 17 Years · Summer 2026
This summer, Reading Legacies has a $26,000 matching gift secured. Every dollar you give will be doubled, turning community gifts into $52,000 of total impact for families across San Diego. Help us connect more families through the power of reading aloud.
One gift becomes two. One story becomes many.
17 YEARS
of connecting families through reading aloud
4 PROGRAMS
one mission: stronger families through reading aloud
YOUR GIFT DOUBLED
this summer, every dollar does it twice
IN HOMES, SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES
including correctional facilities
CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES
Connection does not have to end with incarceration. Reading Legacies staff and trained volunteers record incarcerated parents reading stories for their children. The recording and book are then delivered home, allowing children to hear a familiar voice, share a story, and maintain an important family bond—one page at a time.
RECOVERY PROGRAMS
For parents in substance use treatment, the road back to their children is rarely straightforward. Reading aloud together offers something concrete: a structured, low-pressure moment of presence. A way to show up for your child during the hardest season of rebuilding. It says, without a single extra word: I am still here for you.
RESOURCE CENTERS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS
For families experiencing homelessness or housing instability, Reading Legacies brings books and read-aloud experiences into shelters and resource centers across San Diego. Through shared stories, families can create meaningful moments of connection, comfort, and belonging. Community partners include Jewish Family Services, Promises2Kids, Inclusive Kids Network, and RiseUp Industries.
HEAD STARTS, SCHOOLS & EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS
For some families, reading together is a long-standing tradition. For others, barriers such as low literacy, demanding work schedules, or financial stress can make it difficult. Reading Legacies workshops create supportive spaces where caregivers reflect, learn from one another, and gain confidence as their child’s first teacher. Partners include Casa de Amistad, which serves Spanish-speaking families through after-school programming.
The numbers behind the stories.
What Reading Legacies Does
“There is nothing more important for the future of America than changing the lives of children and allowing parents to continue to be part of their lives.”
Every dollar you give is doubled.
End of Summer Match Campaign
A $26,000 matching gift has been secured. Every dollar donated this summer is automatically matched, turning your gift into twice the connection for families across San Diego.
We need $26,000 in community gifts to unlock the full $52,000. Every giving level counts. Every story matters.
Giving Levels Table
All gifts are tax-deductible. Reading Legacies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN: 27-0523331
What book connected your family
A Story We Shared
Maybe someone read to you when you were little. Maybe it is a book you know by heart because you have read it so many times to your own children. Maybe it is a story you shared with someone during a hard season.
This summer, Reading Legacies is inviting San Diego to share those stories, and to give so that more families can have their own.
Share your story: Post a photo of your book on social media Caption it: “A Story We Shared — [your book title]”
Reading Legacies has established partnerships with the San Diego Sheriff’s and Probation offices, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the San Diego District Attorney’s office, and the National Association of Women Judges. Community partners include Jewish Family Service, Promises2Kids, Inclusive Kids, RiseUp Industries, and Casa de Amistad.