Indigo Love of Reading Foundation announces 2014 Literacy Fund recipients, donating $1.5 Million to 20 high-needs Canadian elementary schools
TORONTO, May 28, 2014 /CNW/ - During the past 10 years, more than 1.5 million books have made their way into the hands of children through the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. If the amount of books supplied were stacked on top of each other they would equal the height of 20 CN Towers, or laid end-to-end, they would span the length of PEI.
The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation will mark its 10th anniversary by announcing the 20 new recipients of the 2014 Indigo Love of Reading Literacy Fund grant. The Foundation will once again donate $1.5 million to 20 high-needs elementary schools in an effort to bolster literacy and transform school libraries across the country. To date the Foundation has committed more than $17 million to 1,600 elementary schools in Canada through its Literacy Fund grant and community Adopt a School program. The Foundation continues to ensure that all children have equal access to books and encourages a lifelong love of reading.
"Ten years of this work and it is still as thrilling and inspiring as it was from the first day we started. Every time that we visit a Love of Reading school and see the impact that we are having it is beyond motivating," said Heather Reisman, President of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. "It is astounding to me that we can be in 2014 in this country and we are still fighting to ensure that children develop literacy skills."
The Love of Reading Foundation revealed the grant amount each school will receive yesterday. Students, school faculty, family and friends from the twenty recipient schools, gathered at their local Indigo, Chapters or Coles stores to receive the exciting news. Taradale School was awarded the largest grant this year: $184,000 over three years for their 685 students. "Taradale School is thrilled to have been selected as a recipient for this year's Indigo Love of Reading Grant," said Jacki McLaren, Principal of Taradale School. "This is an amazing opportunity to enrich our Taradale School Community's love and appreciation for learning. We are incredibly thankful to Indigo for supporting our students and their passion for reading, as we DREAM, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE".
The 20 Love of Reading 2014 grant recipient schools include:
| British Columbia: Alexander Elementary, Abbotsford ($42,000) James Ardiel Elementary, Surrey ($99,000) McNicoll Park Middle School, Penticton (55,000) |
Nova Scotia: Ecole St. Joseph's A. McKay School (SJAM), Halifax ($67,000) |
| Alberta: St. Thomas More School, Calgary ($75,000) Cecil Swanson School, Calgary ($90,000) Taradale School, Calgary ($184,000) Caslan School, Caslan ($31,000) |
New Brunswick: Cambridge-Narrows Community School, Cambridge-Narrows ($30,000) |
| Saskatchewan: Lawrence Elementary School, North Battleford ($60,000) Rosemont Community School, Regina ($52,000) Manitoba: École Victoria-Albert School, Winnipeg ($100,000) Ruth Hooker School, Selkirk ($36,000) |
Ontario: Samuel Hearne Middle School, Toronto ($83,000) Kensington Community School, Toronto ($35,000) Winchester Jr. & Sr. Public School, Toronto ($116,000) Topcliff Public School, Toronto ($106,000) St. Michael Catholic School, Toronto ($46,000) Regent Park Public School, Orillia ($133,000) Quebec: Coronation Elementary School, Montreal ($60,000) |
In addition to the 2014 Literacy Fund grants, Love of Reading has once again partnered with First Book Canada, who provide new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy - access to books. As part of this partnership, the Foundation and First Book Canada will provide more than 1,500 new books to each of the 20 runner-up schools that applied for the Literacy Fund grant, a donation of more than 30,000 books in total. This year books will be generously donated from Disney Worldwide Publishing.
Schools interested in applying for the 2015 Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Literacy Fund Grant can download an application at loveofreading.org. Starting in November, a new application will be available for download with grant application deadlines in early February 2015.
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. Every year the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation grants $1.5 million to 20 high-needs elementary schools so they can transform their libraries with the purchase of new books and education resources. To date the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation's Literacy Fund has committed $15 million to more than 170 schools nationally. The Foundation's annual grassroots Adopt a School program unites employees, customer, schools and their communities to raise funds to put even more books into the hands of children. Over the past five years the program has raised over $2 million so 400,000 children have a book to call their own.
About First Book Canada
First Book Canada, a registered charity with an office in Toronto, provides new books and educational resources to Canadian children from low-income families. Through work with publishing partners, an ever expanding network of volunteers, and book recipient groups, First Book Canada grants children in need unprecedented access to free and low cost books. First Book Canada works through existing community programs and literacy efforts already serving this population, elevating the quality of these programs with additional mission-related resources. For more information, visit www.firstbookcanada.org.
Video with caption: "Video: Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Marks 10 Year Anniversary, Donating more than $17 Million to 1,600 School Libraries, Impacting 446,000 Canadian Student's Lives". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20140528_C7230_VIDEO_EN_40841.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20140528_C7230_PHOTO_EN_40841.jpg&clientName=Indigo%20Love%20of%20Reading%20Foundation&caption=Video%3A%20Indigo%20Love%20of%20Reading%20Foundation%20Marks%2010%20Year%20Anniversary%2C%20Donating%20more%20than%20%2417%20Million%20to%201%2C600%20School%20Libraries%2C%20Impacting%20446%2C000%20Canadian%20Student%27s%20Lives&title=INDIGO%20LOVE%20OF%20READING%20FOUNDATION%20%2D%20Indigo%20Love%20of%20Reading%20Foundation%20Marks%2010%20Year%20Anniversary%2C%20Donating%20more%20than%20%2417%20Million%20to%201%2C600%20School%20Libraries%2C%20Impacting%20446%2C000%20Canadian%20Student%27s%20Lives&headline=Indigo%20Love%20of%20Reading%20Foundation%20Marks%2010%20Year%20Anniversary%2C%20Donating%20more%20than%20%2417%20Million%20to%201%2C600%20School%20Libraries%2C%20Impacting%20446%2C000%20Canadian%20Student%27s%20Lives
Image with caption: "Students from Kensington Community School and Winchester Jr. & Sr. Public School in Toronto Celebrate Receiving an Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Literacy Grant. (Credit: Shan Qiao) (CNW Group/Indigo Love of Reading Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140528_C7230_PHOTO_EN_40834.jpg
Image with caption: "Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Marks10 Year Anniversary, Donating more than $17 Million to 1,600 School Libraries, Impacting 446,000 Canadian Student's Lives (Credit: Paul Dotey) (CNW Group/Indigo Love of Reading Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140528_C7230_PHOTO_EN_40828.jpg
Image with caption: "Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Marks10 Year Anniversary, Donating more than $17 Million to 1,600 School Libraries, Impacting 446,000 Canadian Student's Lives (Credit: Paul Dotey) (CNW Group/Indigo Love of Reading Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140528_C7230_PHOTO_EN_40830.jpg
Image with caption: "Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Marks10 Year Anniversary, Donating more than $17 Million to 1,600 School Libraries, Impacting 446,000 Canadian Student's Lives (Credit: Paul Dotey) (CNW Group/Indigo Love of Reading Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140528_C7230_PHOTO_EN_40826.jpg
Image with caption: "Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Marks10 Year Anniversary, Donating more than $17 Million to 1,600 School Libraries, Impacting 446,000 Canadian Student's Lives (Credit: Paul Dotey) (CNW Group/Indigo Love of Reading Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140528_C7230_PHOTO_EN_40832.jpg
SOURCE: Indigo Love of Reading Foundation
For media requests, more information and images please contact:
Alex Thomson
Indigo Books & Music Inc.
O: 416-263-5152
C: 416-528-8932
Carolyn Greathead
MSLGROUP
O: 416-847-1300
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