Indigo Love of Reading Foundation's Adopt a School Program Launches, Aims to Donate 64,000 Books to More Than 180 High Needs Elementary Schools Across Canada
Adopt a School Celebrates Sixth Anniversary: Challenges Schools Across Canada to Engage their Communities for a Chance to Win an Additional $10,000
TORONTO, Sept. 12, 2014 /CNW/ - The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of its Adopt a School program, celebrating its sixth anniversary this year. From Sept. 14 to Oct. 4 Indigo, Chapters and Coles locations across Canada will invite Canadians to make donations in-stores as well as online at AdoptaSchool.indigo.ca with a goal of donating more than 64,000 books for high needs elementary schools across Canada.
Each year schools participating in the Adopt a School program are challenged to engage their communities to "adopt" them. This year also marks the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation's 10th Anniversary; in celebration of the anniversary, the school in each province with the most adoptions will receive an additional $10,000.
Two ways to get involved:
Make a donation – Donations will be accepted in-store at Indigo, Chapters and Coles locations across Canada or online at AdoptaSchool.indigo.ca. Every $12 donation equals one new book for a high needs school in the community.
Adopt a school – Canadians can also "adopt" a local school at AdoptaSchool.indigo.ca and, through their online networks, encourage friends and family to raise funds for books at their selected school. The school with the most adopts in each province will receive an extra $10,000!
More than 42 per cent of the population are functionally illiterate in Canada with those impacted struggling with day-to-day reading tasks[1] . A large number of Canadian children do not own a single book and school libraries are their only access to books. Current school-library budgets allow for about a third of a book per student. To combat this more than 72 per cent of parents say their children's schools fundraise to support their libraries. Teachers spend on average more than $593 of their own money to buy books and learning materials for their students[2] .
Since its launch in 2009, Adopt a School has raised more than $2 million, donating more than 181,000 books to 1,436 school libraries.
About Indigo Books & Music Inc.
Indigo is Canada's largest purveyor of ideas and inspiration to enrich your life, with books, specialty toys, gifts and lifestyle enhancing products that affordably offer intrinsic quality, beauty and timeless design. As the largest book and specialty retailer in Canada, Indigo operates in all provinces under different banners including Indigo Books & Music; Indigo Books, Gifts, Kids; IndigoSpirit, Chapters and Coles and online at www.indigo.ca.
Indigo Books & Music Inc. founded the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation in 2004 to address the underfunding of public schools, their libraries and the resulting literacy crisis. Through its Literacy Fund grant, the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation commits $1.5 million each year to 20 high-needs elementary schools so they can rebuild their libraries with new books and education resources. To date the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has committed $15 million to 170 schools nationally. The annual Adopt a School program brings Canadian communities together to raise additional funds putting thousands more books into the hands of children at hundreds more elementary schools annually.
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[1] Source: Statistics Canada International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey /IALS, 2003
[2] Source: Canadian Teacher's Federation Survey, 2001
SOURCE: Indigo Love of Reading Foundation
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