The Gift of Reading®: Changing the Future of Thousands of Underprivileged
Children

MONTRÉAL, Nov. 1 /CNW Telbec/ - The 12^th edition of The Gift of Reading^® is underway, and the Literacy Foundation and actor Marie Turgeon, the project's spokesperson, invite the public to buy a new book for an underprivileged child in your region during the months of November and December. For a child, just having a new book can make all the difference when her or his environment offers little encouragement to read.

Although the project aims at children ranging from birth to 12 years of age, a child's earliest years (birth to 5 years old) are particularly important. This is the period when children begin to form their relationship with books, which prepares them for the process of learning to read. Giving a new book to a child is a gift of special time when parents bond with their children, as well as a gift of the pleasure of reading. Helping children discover the pleasure of reading, in the company of a parent, and sensitizing parents to their role of support person and educator also feature among the project's goals.

Reaching Children and their Parents
This is the driving impulse of The Gift of Reading^® and is why the Foundation succeeded in distributing 30,181 new books to as many underprivileged children in Québec. This number, however, is not sufficient to meet the need, which is 100,000 books per year. Too many underprivileged families are unable to introduce their children to the world of the imagination by buying them a new book. "It encourages you to read, because you're proud to have your own book." (Olivier, 10, recipient of The Gift of Reading^® in May 2010)

The project also reaches out to parents who have difficulty reading and writing and would like to engage in the literacy process; they can call the Info-Alpha phone line at 1-800-361-9142.

How to Participate
To participate, buy a new children's book in one of the 160 participating bookstores in Québec and ask the cashier for the Gift of Reading^® donation kit. Or you can make your donation in more than 100 libraries.

You can also purchase a book online throughout the year at placedulivre.com. In addition, book fairs in nine regions are hosting the project this year. To see the complete list of book drive locations, go to the "Children" section of fondationalphabetisation.org.

Rally your Group Around a Cause
Interested individuals and businesses can organize a book or fundraising drive. This is a unifying action that is sure to stimulate all the members of your organization, family and friends. The drive can take various forms, depending on needs: birthday, office party, gift exchange, golf tournament, etc. For more information, visit our site.

Where Are the Books Distributed?
The collected books will be given to children in May 2011, by the hundreds of organizations targeted by the Foundation using the deprivation index established by the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport. These organizations comprise schools, childcare centres and community-based family groups. Every book collected in a given region will be given to a child from the same region.

Go to the Salon du livre de Montréal and Be Told a Story!
This year, once again, book lovers are invited to come to the Salon du livre de Montréal from November 17 to 22, 2010, donate a book to The Gift of Reading^® and be told a story by one of the many celebrities at the Foundation's stand (341), among them, Jeannette Bertrand, Marie Turgeon, Wildemir Normil, Denis Trudel, Christiane Duchesne, Cécile Gagnon, Marianne Paquette, Katherine-Lune Rollet and others.

When is Your Favourite Time to Read?
From November 17 to January 7 you can answer this question on the Foundation's website as part of the "Reading Under the Covers at the Hôtel Manoir Victoria With my new Sony Reader" contest. It's a chance to win two nights for two at the Hôtel Manoir Victoria, Sony Readers (offered by Archambault) and free e-book downloads from Jelis.ca, Archambault's online store. For more details or to enter the contest, go to fondationalphabetisation.org.

Loyal collaborator: Dominique et compagnie
La classe de madame Caroline, a new book from Dominique et compagnie publishers, is to be the subject of a special promotion: for each volume sold, $1 will be given to the Literacy Foundation. Comprising 11 short stories by 11 different authors, La classe de madame Caroline talks about exciting topics. It's a great book for any child (aged 8 and over). Many thanks to this partner, who is always there for us.

Partners
The Foundation wishes to thanks its 42 partners: Hydro-Québec, Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport, Nationex, Bleublancrouge, Salon du livre de Montréal, Lire, c'est grandir, Fonds de bienfaisance des employés de Montréal de Bombardier Aéronautique, National Bank, Dominique et compagnie, Association québécoise des enseignantes et des enseignants du primaire, Zoom Média, Hebdos Québec, Pop Média, Journal Métro, 98,5, Vox, Métro Média Plus, The Gazette, La Presse, Enfants Québec, Mamanpourlavie.com, Le libraire and Radio-Canada.

Literacy Foundation
Founded in 1989, the Literacy Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that everyone—adults and children alike—has access to reading and writing.  To support the Foundation, make a donation at fondationalphabetisation.org.

For further information: