To support the Read to a Child Greater Los Angeles program, RPA Cares (the agency’s philanthropy initiative) and RPA’s in-house production studio, Helium, created a read aloud video of Ignore the Trolls shared by POW! Kids Books (distributed by Simon & Schuster). The children’s book is a fairytale with a timeless message about how to deal with online bullies known as 'trolls'. RPA gathered a diverse group of volunteers along with author Jordan Gershowitz (named to the 2018 'Young And Hungry' List for Hollywood's Top New Writers) for a heartfelt reading of the book.
For three years RPA associates have been reading to students at a nearby elementary school with Read to a Child. When Covid hit and schools switched to virtual learning, Read to a Child explored digital reading options for RPA volunteers so that students can continue to enjoy adult mentors reading to them.
The read aloud video was shared with students in October, in observance of National Bullying Prevention Month. At the end of the reading Jordan reminds children, “… you’re all special in your own way, no matter what the trolls may say.”