RFB&D - Inland Empire Orange County Unit

Students using mp3 players with RFB&D downloadable books

RFB&D members use downloadable audiobooks to learn through listening.

The IE/OC unit of RFB&D is thrilled to announce the receipt of a $30,000 grant from the PIMCO Foundation!

Founded in 2001, the PIMCO Foundation is the charitable branch of the money-management firm PIMCO. As a global leader in money management with more than $830 billion in fixed-income assets, PIMCO runs offices in New York City, London, Munich, Zurich, Tokyo, Toronto, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sydney from its headquarters in Newport Beach, California.

The PIMCO Foundation works to make "our communities better, stronger and healthier places to live, learn and work" by funding charities and organizations that promote education, health, or youth-related issues, like Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic. For 2008, the PIMCO Foundation selected 53 US charities and community organizations from over 200 applicants to receive a total of $1.35 million.

William Thompson, President of the PIMCO Foundation, explained their focus: "PIMCO’s core values stress community involvement and the Foundation is just one way we give back. The PIMCO Foundation is very pleased to be providing these outstanding organizations with grants to help them improve the quality of life in communities around the world."

We are especially grateful to the Newport Beach firm for funding our work in the nearby Inland Empire/Orange County areas. This grant will help support RFB&D’s Learning Through Listening Program, providing equipment, training and our invaluable audiobooks on CD or MP3 to a new population of print-challenged students. "We are so honored to be selected by the PIMCO Foundation and we can’t wait to continue the expansion of our training, materials, and Educational Outreach support services into previously underserved elementary schools," said Rich Dudka, Community Development Manager for the IE/OC Unit.

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic creates and provides recorded versions of textbooks and literacy-building materials, with an emphasis on K-12 curriculums. Through our audiobooks on CD, our volunteers make literacy and learning possible for students with dyslexia, visual impairments, physical limitations, or learning disabilities. Over the last 60 years, RFB&D has grown from a local group to a national organization. With 29 recording studios in 16 states, RFB&D currently provides recorded textbooks and educational support nationwide to over 237,000 members with print challenges.

The IE/OC unit of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic depends on contributions from individuals and foundations to support equal education for all. We celebrate the PIMCO Foundation for partnering with us in our mission to bring the joy of learning to anyone challenged by the printed word! For information on volunteer opportunities or to make a donation, please visit us online at rfbd-ieoc.org or contact Rich Dudka, Community Development Manager at 909-949-4316 x 103.

The PIMCO Foundation Partners With RFB&D®'s Inland Empire/Orange County Unit

The PIMCO Foundation Partners With RFB&D^®'s Inland Empire/Orange County Unit