Read Think Thrive (RTT) Bags are given to patients at CHOC Children’s Hospital when they are diagnosed with cancer. Each bag contains a mini-library of 10 new high-quality books curated by Ethan by the age and gender of the recipient. The bag also contains an RTT Challenge from Ethan asking patients to respond creatively to one of the books in the book bag; along with bookcrafting and art supplies (e.g., blank books to author sequels, blank puzzles to create “story puzzles” of favorite characters or settings); a postcard from a Thrive Buddy in the community who also created the RTT challenge; a reading light; and a bookmark. It is our hope that RTT Bags help to make sure that CHOC patients have easy access to books and reading from the start of their cancer treatment!
To Request an RTT Bag for a child or teen newly diagnosed with cancer, complete the form below:
Ways to Help ECBC collect RTT Bag Supplies
1. BY DONATING BOOKS: Click HERE to access the RTT Bag Wish List on Amazon. Books purchased off this list will be sent directly to ECBC and bookplated with donor name.
2. BY DONATING ART SUPPLIES: Click HERE to access the RTT Bag wish list.
3. BY MAKING A MONETARY DONATION: ClickHERE to access ECBC’s fundraising page, where you can donate any amount to support the RTT Bag program. A donation of $150 covers the cost of a bag for one patient and makes you an “RTT Bag Sponsor” (your name will be included in the bag).
4. BY INVOLVING YOUR CHILD, CLASS, OR YOUTH GROUP AS AN RTT BAG THRIVE BUDDY!
Click HERE to learn more about how your child or student can help!
Contact ECBC if you have a youth or volunteer group that is interested in helping with our RTT Bag program.
Origins of the RTT Bags
When Ethan learned that a fellow Leukemia warrior relapsed and would have to be hospitalized and in extended isolation as he underwent a bone marrow transplant, Ethan asked: “Can we send him some new books to read, to help him get through this, even though he’s not at CHOC?” And so the RTT Box was born!
In 2017, ECBC teamed up with an awesome girl scout troop in Orange, CA (Troop #3115), who spent the year book-raising and fundraising for the Girl Scouts Bronze Award — culminating in our first RTT Box packaging day where the girls decorated and put together ten RTT Boxes (valued at about $100/box). These boxes were given to preschool through middle school aged patients who were either recently diagnosed with cancer or who had recently relapsed.
In 2018, especially with the success of our inaugural charity run (BOOK IT!), we were able to raise enough funds to start 2019 able to provide a book box for every chancer diagnosis at CHOC, which is about 5-10 boxes per month. Shortly thereafter, the hospital’s Infectious Disease department prohibited the use of cardboard boxes, and so we transitioned our boxes to canvas book bags.