The lessons taught through mainstream media today are vastly different than the ones we once learned on PBS’s Reading Rainbow. In this day and age where children are being raised on Xboxes, iPods, cell phones, and a plethora of other miniature electronic items, it’s no wonder our youth are no longer embracing the stimulating sensation of literature like they once did.
As a result, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record® campaign is uniting Los Angeles and other major cities nationwide including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. in a world record breaking reader campaign encouraging hundreds of thousands across the country to read the same book on the same day.
VIP readers Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Lauren "Lo" Bosworth of The Hills, Adam Gregory of 90210, Shaun Robinson of Access Hollywood, and actress Gabrielle Union are helping work towards creating this “shared reader experience” and will join literature lovers on October 2 in reading about that loveable little teddy bear in Don Freeman’s children’s classic, Corduroy.
NBC’s Today show with host Matt Lauer will kickoff Jumpstart’s Read for the Record® day with a reading event and special appearance by celebrity guest star and Jumpstart’s spokesperson, LL Cool J., before cities nationwide commence this day of reading on their own, grassroots level.
In Los Angeles, Read for the Record® will begin at Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Branch with a press conference and a reading event from 10:00 am-12:00 pm granting all children present with their very own copy of Corduroy. The reading celebration will continue throughout the day in 20 of Los Angeles’s public libraries with the help of Jumpstart’s supporting organizations including Pearson and Hyatt Hotels.
How can you get involved, you ask? All information regarding the day’s events, registering to read for the campaign, and book donations can be found at the campaign website www.readfortherecord.org. These donations go straight into the hands of children coming from at-risk communities, encouraging them to develop a love of learning and a granting them better chance to excel in the world. Furthermore, The Pearson Foundation is matching donations and is underwriting all publishing costs giving Jumpstart 100% of the proceeds raised from the sale of special edition books which can be purchased at the campaign website or Hanna Andersson retail stores, in catalog or online at www.hannaandersson.com.
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record® 2008 allows people to work together to promote the importance of teaching our children to value literature and the knowledge that can be acquired from the written word. By participating in this campaign, you can bring a passion for literature to today’s youth and help make early education a national priority.
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record® 2008 is supported by the Pearson Foundation, American Eagle Outfitters, Hanna Andersson, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, LeapFrog, NBC, Penguin Young Readers Group, Sodexo, and XM Radio.
What is Jumpstart?
Jumpstart is a national early education organization that works toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Through extraordinary attention in yearlong one-to-one relationships, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved, and communities to progress together. Headquartered in Boston, Jumpstart pairs 4,000 trained adults one-to-one with preschool children in need of assistance. During the 2008-2009 program year, Jumpstart is serving 15,000 children across 20 states, in partnership with 300 early learning centers and nearly 74 universities and colleges throughout the country.
Jumpstart’s national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, AmeriCorps, Pearson, Sodexo and Starbucks. Jumpstart is the recipient of the Fast Company/Monitor Social Capitalist Award (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) and the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy’s Directors Award. For more information, visit the Jumpstart Web site at www.jstart.org.
About Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Sponsor and Founding Partner – Pearson Foundation
The Pearson Foundation extends Pearson’s commitment to education by partnering with leading nonprofit, civic, and business organizations to provide financial, organizational, and publishing assistance across the globe. The Foundation aims to make a difference by sponsoring innovative educational programs and extending its educational expertise to help in classrooms and in local communities. More information on the Pearson Foundation can be found at www.pearsonfoundation.org.
Contributed by Stephanie Devine
