This week on Kickstarter Tuesdays, on a Wednesday, I am talking about two cool projects that you should support! One is about Reading Rainbow, the other is about Comic Neue!
Bring Reading Rainbow Back for Every Child, Everywhere
You know LeVar Burton from Kunta Kinte, from ROOTS, or Geordi La Forge, from Star Trek: The Next Generation. And you also grown up with him on Reading Rainbow. It was his mother who taught him that, by picking up a book, he could “go anywhere” and “be anything.” Ever since Reading Rainbow began in 1983,he has dedicated himself to fostering a love of reading in children, just as his mother did for him. Over the past year, he has watched Kickstarter bring communities together to support artists and inventors. Again and again, he has been inspired by watching like-minded people team up to accomplish impossible dreams, and to change the world. And now, Reading Rainbow is on Kickstarter! Watch the great Kickstarter video below, and watch the end for a special celebrity appearance!
Here is the problem. Right now, 1 out of every 4 children in America will grow up illiterate. And: numerous studies reveal that children who can’t read at grade level by the 4th grade are 400% more likely to drop out of high school. And: as of 2011, America was the only free-market country where the current generation was less well educated than the previous. These problems won’t solve themselves. Real change will require us all to work together. We cannot afford to lose generations of children to illiteracy. And if we work together, we don’t have to. Now, he is hoping you will join him on his mission: to bring Reading Rainbow back for every child, everywhere.
Today, TV is not the way to reach kids in this digital age. Now, they’re trying to reach a new generation of digital natives. That’s why, two years ago, they launched the Reading Rainbow App for tablets. Building on the basics of the television series, they put hundreds of quality books – and educational video field trips – right in a child’s hands. But despite this progress, there are big challenges left to face. First, not all families have access to tablets. Their goal is to cultivate a love of reading in all children, not just those that have tablets. To reach kids everywhere, they need to be everywhere: they need to be on the web.
Second, a resounding number of teachers have told him that they want Reading Rainbow in their classrooms, where they know it can make a difference. They will provide it, along with the tools that teachers need, including teacher guides, leveling, and dashboards. And in disadvantaged classrooms, they’ll provide it for free. Reading Rainbow’s digital collection already contains hundreds of books and video field trips… but with your help, they’ll be able to make the Reading Rainbow library available on more of the devices modern kids use to consume content. When they meet their initial goal of $1,000,000, they will launch a new version of Reading Rainbow on the single most-used digital platform: the web.
Together, they want to provide Reading Rainbow to as many classrooms as possible FOR FREE! When they meet their initial goal of $1,000,000, they can put Reading Rainbow in over 1500 classrooms at no cost to the schools! And that’s just the beginning. The first million raised will help them get onto the web and into 1,500+ classrooms… but once they get there, they’ve got some big ideas for stretch goals! They can make sure that millions of kids learn to love reading, but they can’t do it without you. That’s why LeVar Burton hopes you’ll join him in making a difference! Together, they can overcome these challenges.
As of May 28th, this Kickstarter project has raised around $300,000 of the $1,000,000 goal they need to be funded. And as you know in Kickstarter, a project is not funded until the fundraising goal is reached! This project only has 35 days left to reach the $1,000,000 goal. For a pledge of $5, you will get a special thanks on their website, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes updates from LeVar and the team! For a pledge of $25, you will get a thank you tweet, updates, special thanks on their website, digital wallpapers, digital download of the Reading Rainbow special collector’s episode, and a month-long subscription to the Reading Rainbow App, with access to the entire Reading Rainbow Library! To learn more about the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter, and to pledge money, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/readingrainbow/bring-reading-rainbow-back-for-every-child-everywhere
Comic Neue Kickstarter
Craig Rozynski tweeted the Comic Neue website to 200 followers on Monday morning the 7th of April. In 24 hours it was trending worldwide on Twitter, in a few days it was featured in news publications around the world. It started a global conversation. The response has been amazing. Comic Neue isn’t finished yet. Currently it only holds a basic set of characters that support English. If funded, Comic Neue will support German, French, Spanish, and all 41 languages covered by ISO 8859-15 and 8859-2.
By contributing to Comic Neue you’ll get your hands on the font well ahead of the general public release. All contributors will also be recognized on a Contributors Board, which will be featured on the Comic Neue website and in a beautifully designed souvenir book that tells the story of how Comic Sans was saved. The souvenir book will be a beautifully designed token commemorating the point in time when Comic Sans was saved. It will include the story of Comic Neue, selected interviews, a detailed look at the font’s characters, illustrations, and the Contributor Board.
A Collector’s Poster will be produced for those who want to own a limited edition piece of Comic Neue, This poster will be illustrated by him, and will be printed by a specialty printer in Kyoto, Japan to produce an amazing, individually numbered collectors item. The final reward is a speaking engagement. He will tell the story of Comic Neue to your audience, big or small. He will promote your event over a double-page spread in the Comic Neue souvenir book. He will provide a copy of the souvenir book for every audience member in attendance. Note in addition to the pledge, you will need to cover the travel costs and accommodation for him to speak at your event.
As of May 28th, this Kickstarter project has raised around $2,150 of the $10,000 goal they need to be funded. And as you know in Kickstarter, a project is not funded until the fundraising goal is reached! This project only has 15 days left to reach the $10,000 goal. For a pledge of $10, you will get have your name added to the Contributor Board, get the new font ahead of the general release, and get a digital download of the Comic Neue souvenir book. For a pledge of $50, you will get everything above plus a hardcover copy of the Comic Neue souvenir book, plus a message from the creator. To learn more about the Comic Neue Kickstarter and to pledge money, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/805738475/comic-neue
Related articles
Let’s Help LeVar Burton Get @ReadingRainbow Where It Belongs
Comic Neue: a sophisticated alternative to Comic Sans
In Defense Of The Comic Sans Font, Why I Support The Font
Crowdsourcing Mornings: Strong Female Protagonist Book One
Kickstarter Tuesdays: Buildies / When Autism Speaks
Filed under: Kickstarter Projects Tagged: Bring Reading Rainbow Back, Comic Neue, Comic Neue Project, Comic Sans, Craig Rozynski, Kickstarter, LeVar Burton, Reading, Reading Rainbow, Reading Rainbow app