When LeVar Burton announced he'd be launching a Kickstarter campaign to bring his beloved children's series Reading Rainbow to the web, no one thought it would get this much attention -- let alone reach its $1 million goal. And now that the huge campaign has come to an end, it can easily be said the joke is on us! Working together, Burton, a few famous friends (such as Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane,) and thousands of individual backers have raised almost $6.5 million to bring Reading Rainbow back to every child, everywhere! Here's a few of the specifics from the Kickstarter site:
- On Kickstarter alone, we raised $5,408,916, making us the Fifth Most Funded Kickstarter of All Time!
- We also received $70,000 in direct contributions outside of Kickstarter, bringing our pledge total to $5,478,916.
- And, as promised, Seth MacFarlane has agreed to match a full $1M, bringing our actual total to $6,478,916... almost 6.5 MILLION dollars!
- With 105,857 backers, this was a true grassroots effort. We now hold the All Time Kickstarter Record for Most Backers, with over 14,000 more backers than the next project!
"These numbers send a clear message about the breadth and depth of our shared commitment to this cause."
The goal of this campaign has been to bring the beloved children's literacy show to multiple mobile platforms, as well as providing subscriptions to thousands of underfunded schools across the country. In fact, Apple and KindleFire users can download the app now and start inspiring the next generation to "take a look, it's in a book!" Check out the App Trailer on YouTube to get a sneak peak at what it will offer, and then get reading!
