Indigo Love of Reading Foundation launches its ninth annual Adopt a School program to raise books for high-needs school libraries across Canada

TORONTO, Sept. 15, 2017 /CNW/ - The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of its 2017 Adopt a School program from September 16 to October 8, celebrating its ninth year of supporting children's literacy in Canada. Adopt a School is a national fundraising campaign that supports high-needs elementary school libraries.  During the campaign, Indigo, its employees and their communities rally together to raise in-store donations and online donations with each dollar raised going towards transforming their adopted school's library. The goal of Adopt a School is to add one book for every child to school libraries in high-needs communities and to raise awareness for the literacy challenges facing high-needs elementary schools. This year, 573 schools with more than 185,000 total students are registered to participate in the program. 

"There is an urgent need to improve funding in elementary school libraries," said Ariel Siller, Executive Director of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. "We know that 30 per cent of Canadian Grade 3 students lack basic literacy skills,¹ and many educators face a shortage of resources needed to address this challenge. Through Adopt a School, Indigo employees, customers and communities join together to help raise funds for local high-needs schools. By giving books to schools that need them the most, our goal is to give every child the chance to build a lifelong love of reading."

Many schools in economically disadvantaged communities in Canada can only afford one new library book per year for every three children.² And research shows that children who struggle with literacy are four times more likely to drop out of high school.³ By providing support to high-needs elementary schools, together we are equipping principals, librarians and teachers with critical resources for promoting educational success.

Since its inception, the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has committed over $25 million to support more than 3,000 Canadian high-needs elementary schools. The Foundation has impacted the lives of more than 900,000 students, replenishing school libraries in every Canadian province and territory.

To get involved or find out more information about the program, visit adoptaschool.indigo.ca.

How it works:

All participating Indigo, Chapters, and Coles stores have "adopted" a local school to fundraise on its behalf during the three-week campaign period. To qualify for the program, all adopted schools must identify as "high-needs" elementary schools, having a library budget of less than $30 per student per year. During the campaign, Indigo employees together with their communities raise in-store donations, with every dollar contributed helping to transform their adopted school's library.

In addition to in-store support, the Foundation provides a free online fundraising platform to all the schools that have been "adopted" by Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores, as well as over 350 other high-needs elementary schools across Canada. The online platform, adoptaschool.indigo.ca, allows supporters to find a participating school of their choice to support. Each participating school is also eligible to receive up to an additional $1,200 for books through the Foundation's matching initiatives.

All schools participating in the Adopt a School program receive 100% of the funds raised in-store and online at adoptaschool.indigo.ca. At the end of the campaign, the Foundation will provide each school with their funds as an eGiftcard for the purchase of books. In addition, the schools will receive a 30% discount on books at Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores.

How to support your local school:

Book Bonus! – For every $20 donation online (adoptaschool.indigo.ca), the equivalent value of two books, made to a participating school, the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation will contribute a donation of $10, the equivalent of one extra book, up to $1,000.

Tell a Story, Give a Story! – Through adoptaschool.indigo.ca, supporters are able to submit a story  in support of a participating school of their choice, with no donation required. For every story shared, the Foundation will donate $10, the equivalent of a book to support the students at that school, up to $200.

NEW for 2017: Adopt a School Story Contest! – In conjunction with "Tell a Story, Give a Story," the "Adopt a School Story Contest" gives participating schools a chance to win even more books! Online registered users have the ability to "heart" stories that have been submitted by any user. Subject to contest rules, the top five most "hearted" stories in each province will be entered into a random draw for a chance to win a $2,500 Indigo eGiftcard, the equivalent value of 250 books. The remaining four top "hearted" schools in each province will win a $500 Indigo eGiftcard to purchase books. 

For more information on the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, please visit loveofreading.org.

About the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation
Indigo Books & Music Inc. founded the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation in 2004 to address the underfunding of public elementary school libraries. To date, the Foundation has committed over $25 million to more than 3,000 high-needs schools, impacting over 900,000 children. The Foundation runs two signature programs each year. In May 2017, the Indigo Love of Reading Literacy Fund grant provided transformational support of $1.5 million to 30 high-needs elementary schools that lack the resources to build and maintain healthy school libraries. To date, the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation's Literacy Fund has committed $19.5 million to more than 245 schools nationally. Additionally, each fall, the Foundation's annual grassroots Adopt a School program unites the Foundation with Indigo, its employees, its customers and their communities to raise funds to support high-needs elementary schools across Canada and put even more books into the hands of children.  In October 2016, Indigo Adopt a School contributed over $800,000 to more than 500 schools. To learn more about the Foundation, visit www.loveofreading.org.

¹ EQAO Provincial Assessment, 2014.
² Data collected from The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Literacy Fund grant program.
³ Hernandez, Donald J. "Double Jeopardy: How Third Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation." Published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2012.

SOURCE Indigo Love of Reading Foundation

For media requests please contact: MSLGROUP Canada, Marni Zaretsky, [email protected]; Indigo Books & Music Inc., Kate Gregory, [email protected]