AACTION aun Gee Gen anaes Geen Gan Gin Gn Distributing Books To At-Risk Children How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the read- ing of a book. —Henry David Thoreau (NAPS)—Opening the world of books and reading to children is an important opportunity that can affect the lives of young people and their families forever. Volunteers of America teamed with Scholastic bookslast year to distribute 100,000 books to homeless and disadvantaged children in 21 states. The part- nership’s goal for 2001 is to quadruple the number of books distributed to children to more than 400,000. “It’s amazing to see the eyes of children come alive when you read a book to them, especially a book that is their own,” said Kay Toran, president/CEO of Volunteers of America of Oregon. “The ability to read is an important key to building a good future for many chil- dren whose families need a helping hand.” The Scholastic Book Grants Program is an excellent example of a corporate/nonprofit alliance that can make a difference in the lives of children. “Putting books into the hands of at-risk children is an important opportunity to impact the lives of young people and their families,” said Volunteers of America President Charles Gould. “Having an interest in books and theability to read is essential to getting a good the gift of a book can open a world of possibilities. education and beingsuccessful.” Together, Volunteers of America and Scholastic are distributing books in programs in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, spiritually based organization providing local human service programs and opportunities for individual and community involvement. It serves more than 1.5 million people each year. For more information, go online and visit the Web site at www.VolunteersofAmerica.org.
