Dr. Rekha Yagnik, ChesPenn’s founding Medical Director, was a passionate supporter of healthy development in children. She advocated strongly for early childhood literacy, initiating the Reach Out and Read Program, which provides a new book for every child from infancy through age 5. As part of the program, pediatricians not only provide the books – they model reading to children and prescribe family reading as part of a plan for healthy cognitive development in their patients.

When she noticed older siblings looking with longing at the books, Dr. Yagnik also created a plan to provide them with books. Dr. Yagnik knew that research has shown the importance of reading to children from infancy in supporting healthy brain development, and that as children grow, supporting a love of reading continues to support healthy development and lifelong learning. Put simply, children who read are more likely to be healthier and more successful throughout their lives.

When Dr. Yagnik passed away, her family requested that gifts be made in her memory to a new fund that would continue to support the purchase of books for ChesPenn’s pediatric patients. Generous family members and friends responded by creating a seed fund of $3,000. ChesPenn’s pediatricians continue Dr. Yagnik’s dedication to encouraging family literacy. If you would like to partner with us to ensure that every child in our community grows up reading and learning, consider making a gift to the Dr. Rekha Yagnik Memorial Fund. You can designate the gift by making it in Dr. Yagnik’s memory: https://tinyurl.com/yagnikfund.

Thank you to everyone who has honored Dr. Yagnik’s memory by supporting children’s literacy!