Local Libraries From Maine to Florida Receive a Library Week Donation

CHERRY HILL, N.J. and PORTLAND, Maine, May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank ®,  celebrated National Library Week this past April with $300,000 in donations, from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, to public libraries from Maine to Florida.

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In the month of April TD Bank executives presented 75 public libraries each with a $4,000 donation. Many of the executives also read A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams to students during story times. Throughout May TD Bank employees will read to children at schools, libraries and organizations as part of the TD Bank employee reading month.

The celebration of National Library Week served as the official kick off to TD Bank's Summer Reading Program. The Summer Reading Program encourages young people to read and additionally provides a goal for them to learn the importance of saving and money. TD Bank contributes $10 into a new or existing Young Saver account for each child who reads 10 books throughout the summer. The 2010 Summer Reading Program runs from May 3 through September 30.

"The Summer Reading Program is another example of TD Bank's commitment to education. The goal is to promote the value of reading on a regular basis," said Fred Graziano, Head of Retail Banking for TD Bank "and also provide financial education lessons."

"We are happy to support our local libraries," said Elizabeth K. Warn, executive vice president of community relations at TD Bank and president of the TD Charitable Foundation. "Now more than ever our children need resources and options to help them learn the importance of savings so they are financially literate for years to come."

The libraries and the total grants per market include:

• Connecticut: $20,000 total donated to Bridgeport Public Library, East Hartford Public Library, New Britain Public Library, New Haven Free Public Library and Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury.
• Delaware: $8,000 total donated to Garfield Park Lending Library and Harrington Public Library.
• District of Columbia: $20,000 total donated to Bull Run Regional Library, Hyattsville Library, Martha Washington Library in Alexandria, Benning Library and Essex Library.
• Florida: $16,000 total donated to the Miami Dade Library Hispanic Branch, the Margate Catharine Young Branch and Lauderdale Lakes Branch of Broward County Library, and the Palm Beach County Public Library Lantana Road Branch.
• Massachusetts: $40,000 total donated to Framingham Public Library, Hyannis Public Library, Cambridge Public Library-Valente Branch, Lawrence Public Library, Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell, Peabody Institute Library, Waltham Public Library, Pittsfield's Public Library, Athol Public Library and Springfield City Library.
• Maine: $20,000 total donated to Bangor Public Library, Lewiston Public Library, Waterville Public Library, McArthur Public Library in Biddeford, and Goodall Memorial Library in Sanford.
• New Hampshire: $16,000 total donated to Conway Public Library, Manchester City Library, Nashua Public Library and Rochester Public Library.
• New Jersey: $72,000 total donated to Elizabeth Public Library, Plainfield Public Library, Flemington Free Public Library, Irvington Public Library, Orange Public Library, Perth Amboy Public Library, Atlantic County Library System - Pleasantville Branch, Neptune Public Library, Asbury Park Public Library, Ocean County Library – Lakewood Branch, Haverstraw King's Daughters Public Library, West New York Public Library, Passaic Public Library, Paterson Free Public Library - First Ward Branch, Bridgeton Free Public Library, Trenton Free Public Library, Camden Free Public Library and Library Company of Burlington.
• New York: $56,000 total donated to Newburgh Free Library, Freeport Memorial Library, Elmont Memorial Library, Patchogue-Medford Library, Van Nest Library in the Bronx, Brooklyn Public Library- Borough Park Branch, New York Public Library- Lenox, Mulberry Street Branch, Harlem Branch and Stapleton Branch, South Jamaica Queens Library, Albany Public Library Arbor/West Hill Branch, Hudson Falls Free Library, Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library and Haverstraw King's Daughters Public Library-Village Library.
• Pennsylvania: $24,000 total donated to Bucks County Free Library- Bensalem Branch, Bethlehem Public Library-South Side Branch, Free Library of Philadelphia- South Philadelphia Branch, Coatesville Area Public Library, Norristown Public Library and Upper Darby Township & Sellers Memorial Free Public Libraries.
• Vermont: $12,000 total donated to Bennington Free Library, Rutland Free Library and Winooski Memorial Library.

For more information, visit us online at http://www.tdbank.com/summerreading/.

SOME TIPS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF SUMMER READING:

• Read the story with your child
• Let your child choose books about subjects they are interested in
• Ask your child questions about the stories
• Set some time each day or week as reading time so it is a scheduled activity
• Encourage your child to say familiar words and phrases out loud
• Practice sounding out words your child may have difficulty reading
• Provide the word your child is struggling with so that he/she doesn't become frustrated and lose the enjoyment of the experience
• HAVE FUN!

AND SOME RECOMMENDED READING FOR LESSONS ON MONEY AND SAVINGS:

• A Dollar for Penny by Julie Glass
• Bunny Money by Rosemary Wells
• Monster Money Book by Loreen Leedy
• Lemonade for Sale by Stuart J. Murphy
• Money Trouble by Bill Cosby
• Rent Party Jazz by William Miller
• Jelly Beans for Sale by Bruce McMillan
• Millions by Frank Cottrell
• The Big Buck Adventure by Shelley Gill and Deborah Tobola

About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 15 largest commercial banks in the United States with $152 billion in assets, and provides customers with a full range of financial products and services at more than 1,000 convenient locations from Maine to Florida. TD Bank, N.A., is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Portland, Maine. TD Bank is a trade name of TD Bank, N.A. For more information, visit www.tdbank.com.  

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Financial Group (TSX, NYSE: TD) of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America and one of the few banks in the world rated Aaa by Moody's.

About the TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank N.A., which operates as TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, and is one of the 15 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. The Foundation's mission is to serve the individuals, families and businesses in all the communities where TD Bank operates, having made over $59.5 million in charitable donations since its inception in 2002. The efforts of the Foundation are coordinated locally through TD Bank's community relations departments and are focused on the areas of affordable housing, education and financial literacy, and the environment. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including an online grant application, is available at www.TDBank.com.

SOURCE TD Bank