Made By Us, First Book and AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate Launch the Wishes For Books Giveaway, Inviting Teachers to Submit Their Classroom's Wishes for the Future of the Country

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Made By Us, First Book and AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate announced they are now accepting submissions for the Wishes For Books giveaway. Eligible Title I teachers are encouraged to share their classroom's wish for the future of the country on Made By Us' digital platform My Wish For U.S. by visiting bit.ly/wishesforbooks. The giveaway will remain open to teachers through September 21st for a chance to win a library of books based on the topic of their wish.

Later this fall, 1,000 randomly selected participating teachers will receive First Book gift credits to order books for their classrooms from genres including Activism and Civic Engagement, Making a Difference, Biographies, and more. Any teacher at a Title I school can enter, whether schools are fully in session, remote, or a hybrid of both. It is estimated that a total of 20,000 books will be gifted.  Students will have access to these new books in their classrooms, via remote learning read-alouds and in some cases, getting them delivered to their homes or picking them up at grab-and-go feeding centers.

"Learning and engaging with history at an early age can have a profound impact on young people," said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society, a founding member of Made By Us. "Through this partnership with First Book and AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate, we have an exciting opportunity to inspire young people and provide them with resources that will help them shape the future."

"Now more than ever, we need to provide all students with the resources and encouragement they need to join the national dialogue," said Kyle Zimmer, President, CEO and Co-founder of First Book. "Thanks to our partnership with AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate and My Wish For U.S., thousands of kids in need will have the tools they need to share their dreams for the future with the rest of our nation."

AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate, a Mars Wrigley brand, has long been committed to inspiring the love of learning and providing equal access to education. "The Mars family has a passion for education and actively supports institutions who advance the learning process," said Gail Broadright, Director Sponsorships and Mars Family Properties. "Funding this initiative is a major step in the family's long-standing legacy and their on-going support of First Book's work in communities in need across the country."

"One of AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate's key brand pillars is Education, and that includes providing students with the essential resources and opportunities they need to learn," said Kelly Lynch, Senior Brand Manager, AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate. "We are excited to partner with My Wish For U.S. and First Book to meet students where they are and make history and civics relatable and relevant."

My Wish For U.S. is the first initiative launched by Made By Us, a coalition of over 75 civic and history organizations across the country with a mission to present history to the next generation in relevant, provocative and surprising ways. Committed to putting the needs of young Americans first, My Wish For U.S.' collaboration with First Book is an effort to bring student voices to the decision-making table and help build the next generation of civic leaders.

About Made By Us
America's national motto, e pluribus unum—out of many, one— is also the ethos of this group. Driven forward by a coalition of more than 75 history and civics organizations nationwide, and led by nine of America's leading history museums, Made by Us harnesses the power of the many to better connect younger generations with history for informed civic participation. The history institutions involved recognized the opportunity presented in this transformative moment and have come together in an unprecedented way, pooling resources and bringing the best each has to offer, so that they might harness the spirit of collaboration and tap into their varied strengths.  Made By Us is modeling a new path forward for the ways in which history serves the people. For more information, visit https://historymadebyus.com/.

About First Book
Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1992 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit social enterprise, First Book is a leader in the educational equity field. Over its nearly 30 year history, First Book has distributed more than 200 million books and educational resources, with a value of more than $2 billion. First Book believes education offers children in need the best path out of poverty. First Book breaks down barriers to quality education by providing its network of more than 475,000 registered teachers, librarians, after school program leaders, and others serving children in need with millions of free and affordable new, high-quality books, educational resources, and basic needs items through the award-winning First Book Marketplace nonprofit eCommerce site. The First Book Network comprises the largest and fastest-growing community of formal and informal educators serving children in need.

First Book also expands the breadth and depth of the education field through a family of social enterprises, including First Book Research & Insights, its proprietary research initiative, and the First Book Accelerator, which brings best-in-class research to the classroom via relevant, usable educator resources. First Book Impact Funds target support to areas of particular need, such as rural communities or increasing diversity in children's books.

For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

About AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate:
The AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate brand was developed in 2006 by Mars Chocolate North America (now Mars Wrigley) to help educate consumers about the history of our multicultural nation through the engaging story of one of our most beloved foods…chocolate!  With a flavor profile drawn directly from the archives of chocolate's historic past, AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate provides an artisanal, versatile way to eat, bake or drink a sweet taste of history. Rainforest Alliance Certified™ and made with no preservatives, AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate currently comes in four NEW unique formats: Tasting Squares, Tablet Bars, Grated Chocolate for baking/drinking and Gourmet Hot Cocoa. AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate is sold in over 200 fine gift shops at historic sites, museums and historic inns across the USA and Canada. The brand can also be found on Amazon.com, at M&M's World in New York City and Las Vegas, and at the Ethel M chocolate store in Henderson, Nevada.

Learn more about AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate at www.Facebook.com/AmericanHeritageChocolate, on Instagram at @AmericanHeritageChocolate, Twitter @Choc_history, Tumblr @americanheritagechocolate.tumblr.com, and on Pinterest @Chochistory.

About Mars, Incorporated
Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

SOURCE Mars Wrigley