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Literacy Celebration Aims to Collect 200,000 Books for Underprivileged Children

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Literacy Celebration, a national book drive and donation campaign, aims to collect 200,000 books for partner schools and libraries serving at-risk children. The campaign, led by the Heart of America Foundation and Capital One Financial Corporation, follows the success of last year's initiative, which gathered over 104,000 new and gently-used books for more than 40,000 underprivileged children.

Organizers hope to double last year's total, with employees from Capital One conducting book drives and special events in multiple locations. The campaign aligns with the National Education Association's seventh-annual Read Across America Day, which takes place on March 2. Heart of America will match the books collected by Capital One employees in the hope of reaching the 200,000-book goal.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Literacy Celebration aims to collect 200,000 books for underprivileged children, doubling last year's total of 104,000 books.
  • Partner organizations, including the Heart of America Foundation and Capital One, will work together to promote literacy and provide books to at-risk children.
  • Employees from Capital One will conduct book drives and special events in multiple locations, including Northern Virginia, Richmond, Va., Boise, Idaho, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Diego, Seattle, and Tampa.
  • The campaign aligns with the National Education Association's seventh-annual Read Across America Day, taking place on March 2.
  • Heart of America will match the books collected by Capital One employees, aiming to double last year's total.

Statistics:

  • Over 12 million American children live in poverty and lack the books they need to learn.
  • Last year's Literacy Celebration gathered over 104,000 new and gently-used books for more than 40,000 underprivileged children.
  • Capital One employees have spent more than 6,000 hours reading and distributing books to children over the past four years.
  • Last year's Literacy Celebration and previous campaigns have placed around 140,000 books in the hands of 43,000 children.

Sources:

  • "Heart of America Foundation," press release, February 25, 2004.
  • National Center for Education Statistics, "NAEP 1999 Reading Assessment," February 2004.
  • Capital One Financial Corporation, "Capital One," Web site, February 2004.
  • American National Standards Institute, " Literacy Institute Statement," February 2004.

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