HALIFAX, July 12, 2012 /CNW/ - Heather Reisman, the founder and CEO of Indigo Books & Music, is the recipient of the 2012 Public Education Advocacy Award of the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF). The announcement was made today by the CTF President at the Federation's Annual General Meeting currently underway in Halifax. The CTF Public Education Advocacy Award is presented annually to groups or individuals outside the teaching profession who have made major contributions to promote and support public education in Canada.
"Heather was nominated by the CTF Executive Committee for her tireless commitment to raising awareness about the importance of literacy in young people's lives, for her significant financial contributions to support school libraries and for urging governments to reinvest in the public elementary school system," explains CTF President Paul Taillefer.
Since 2004, 130 elementary schools in Canada have been able to pay for books and literacy tools thanks to Reisman's Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, a charitable not-for-profit organization which was created to address the pressing needs by school libraries in low-income neighborhoods.
For over a decade, the CTF Public Education Advocacy Award has also been bestowed on highly respected Canadians who have championed public education through their advocacy and targeted initiatives. They include John Ralston Saul, author; Annie Kidder, People for Education, in Ontario; Association francophone des parents du Nouveau-Brunswick; Mary Gordon, founder of Roots of Empathy; Alfie Kohn, author; Eric P. Newell, prominent business leader; Gerard Kennedy, former Education Minister of Ontario; David King, former Education Minister of Alberta; and Félix St-Denis, creator of "L'écho d'un peuple", just to name a few.
An alliance of 15 Member organizations and one Affiliate Member representing nearly 200,000 teachers across the country, the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) is a member of the international body of teachers, Education International (EI).
Follow CTF on Twitter @CTFPresident, @CanTeachersFed, @EnseigneCanada
Spokesperson: Paul Taillefer, CTF President
Contact: Francine Filion, CTF Director of Communications, 613-899-4247 (cell)
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