Arsht-Cannon Fund Brings Nemours BrightStart! to Delaware

Promising Nemours Program to Reach Pre-Schoolers

WILMINGTON, Del., May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Arsht-Cannon Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation has announced a gift of $300,000 over three years to bring the innovative Nemours BrightStart! Dyslexia Initiative to Delaware.  By far the most common learning disability, dyslexia is characterized by marked difficulty with reading and spelling.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100511/DC02246 )

Nemours BrightStart! provides a range of programs, products and services to help parents, schools and communities prepare all young children for future reading success.  By bringing together pediatric specialists in brain science, researchers and early learning experts, Nemours has pioneered a one-of-a-kind program that identifies children who are at risk for reading failure, links them with intensive intervention and monitors their progress. Nemours BrightStart! services also include workshops for parents, teachers, child care providers and health care professionals, as well as community forums to raise awareness of the condition.

The Arsht-Cannon Fund gift will enable a Nemours BrightStart! mobile van to traverse Delaware, raising awareness about the causes and solutions for reading failure.

"Helping children early on, before they even start school, who might otherwise struggle with reading their whole lives -- that was exciting. I wanted to help the program grow," says Adrienne Arsht, advisor to the Arsht-Cannon Fund.  "Because the mission of Arsht-Cannon includes a focus on the Hispanic population in Delaware," Ms. Arsht added, "We are especially eager to make an impact for Hispanic children here, to replicate the promising work that has been done with Nemours BrightStart! in Florida."

Dr. Laura Bailet, Nemours BrightStart! executive director, said:  "We are proud of early success with the program in Florida and are dedicated to extending it to more places, starting with Delaware. Nemours BrightStart! shows great promise for having a positive impact on children's learning and academic success."

About Nemours

Nemours is an integrated children's health system with operations in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. The organization's hub is the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, a 200-bed full service pediatric medical center in Wilmington, DE.  Nemours operates 14 outpatient specialty sites in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and eight primary care sites in Delaware.  In Florida, the Nemours Children's Hospital is under construction near Orlando and expected to open in 2012. Nemours offers outpatient pediatric specialty care at seven locations, including Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola.

About the Arsht-Cannon Fund

The Arsht-Cannon Fund of the Delaware Community Foundation was established by the late Honorable Roxana Cannon and Samuel Arsht to preserve support, protect and defend the best interests of a civil society. Roxana, the first female judge in the State of Delaware, and Sam, a well-respected corporate lawyer, dedicated their life's work and wealth to Delaware. Since 2003, the Arsht-Cannon Fund has provided nearly $4 million in grants to support nonprofit organizations serving Delawareans. The mission of the Arsht-Cannon Fund is to enhance the quality of life for all Hispanic Delawareans through the assessment of issues, assets and opportunities; awareness and advocacy; collaboration and partnerships with community members and leaders; and the organized funding of programs with the greatest potential for sustainability and significant impact.

SOURCE Nemours