SCHOLASTIC,
THE UPS STORE AND TOYS FOR TOTS GIVE BOOKS TO KIDS IN NEED THIS HOLIDAY
SEASON, INCLUDING DONATIONS TO THE YOUNGEST VICTIMS OF HURRICANE SANDY
Call
to action for families to read books to and with their kids, and
Scholastic will donate books to children in need –with a minimum of
50,000 books committed
New York, NY – November 15, 2012 –
Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company,
The UPS Store and
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
are launching a READ EVERY DAY holiday campaign to promote the love of
reading and encourage all families to help give books to kids who need
them most, including those who lost books due to Hurricane Sandy. This
holiday literacy drive is part of Scholastic’s global literacy campaign,
Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life, an effort to help all children experience the love of reading and owning a book.
Here is how families can help to contribute books to kids in need this holiday season:
1) Download
Storia®, Scholastic’s new teacher-recommended
children’s ereading app,
and help pass on the reading to kids in need. Upon downloading Storia,
families will receive five free children’s ebooks to start a home
digital library. For every additional ebook purchased on Storia now
through Dec. 31, 2012, Scholastic will donate a children’s book to a
child in need through the Toys for Tots Literacy Program (with a minimum
of 50,000 books committed).
2) Visit
a participating The UPS Store location across the U.S. now through Dec.
31, 2012 to purchase a donation card to benefit the
Toys for Tots Literacy Program,
a year-round initiative of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Every
dollar donated helps provide new books from Scholastic for less
fortunate children in local communities throughout the U.S
. Customers can also donate online at
The UPS Store Facebook page. As part of the longstanding collaboration with
Scholastic Literacy Partners,
The UPS Store location that raises the most money during the holidays
will receive 500 books to share with families in their local community.
“Thanks
to our partners Scholastic and The UPS Store, Toys for Tots delivers
millions of books to less fortunate children every year,” said retired
Marine Corps LtGen. Pete Osman, President and CEO of Marine Toys for
Tots Foundation. “By including books with the other toys we’ll deliver
this Christmas season, Toys for Tots will help deserving children
develop a passion for reading and will start them on a pathway to a
brighter future.”
“Regardless
of whether kids read digitally or in print, we want ALL children to
have the opportunity to read every day and to read books they love,”
said Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic. “This
holiday, together with The UPS Store and Toys for Tots, we can encourage
families and communities to join in giving the gift of reading to their
children and to children in need.”
Available
for free download on PC and iPad, and on select Android tablets, the
Storia eReading app is designed to captivate kids while helping them
become better readers. Storia offers thousands of curated titles for
kids from toddlers through teens, of which many are enriched with
vocabulary and comprehension activities and video. Storia has been
recognized by Warren Buckleitner with the Editor’s Choice Award for
children’s eBook apps in Children’s Technology Review, awarded 2012 Best Toy of the Year award by Dr. Toy and received glowing reviews in The New York Times and School Library Journal.
“Education is one of the keys to helping children become successful in life. During the holidays, The UPS Store hopes
to make a positive impact by helping children break the cycle of
poverty through literacy and education,” said Tim Davis, president of
The UPS Store, Inc.
