IDG Indigo Books and Music Inc

Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Commits Another $1.5 Million to 20 High-Needs Canadian Schools with 2013 Grant Announcement

TORONTO, May 9, 2013 /CNW/ - The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation is proud to announce the 20 recipients of their 2013 Literacy Fund grant.  For the ninth consecutive year, the Love of Reading Foundation will donate $1.5 million to 20 high-needs elementary schools, in an effort to bolster literacy and transform school libraries across the country.  To date the fund has committed $13.5 million to 150 high-needs elementary schools across Canada.

Library funding in Canadian elementary schools is in crisis, budgets are as low as $2.81 per child- the equivalent of less than 1/3 of a book per student each year.  Yet, with only a one per cent increase in literacy rates studies show we can add more than $18 billion to the Canadian economy¹.

"It is thrilling to hear principals and teachers share with us how much impact these grants have on their students.  Every time we fill a library, hundreds of kids get turned on to books and reading," said Heather Reisman, Chair of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. "We are grateful to our customers, our employees and our shareholders all of whom help make our work at The Love of Reading Foundation possible"

Twenty schools from coast to coast will now be able to improve the urgent literacy situation they face this year, including Ridgewood Public School, who received a phone call this morning awarding them the largest literacy fund grant among the 20 recipient schools. Ridgewood PS will receive $181,000 over three years for their 719 students, which spurred an overwhelming response of excitement from the school principal, staff members and students. "We at Ridgewood are so excited that our students will have access to new books thanks to the grant from Love of Reading! This will have such a great impact on their interest in reading and learning," said Balneet Singh, Principal of Ridgewood Public School.

The 20 Love of Reading 2013 grant recipient schools include:

In addition to the 2013 Literacy Fund grants, Indigo has once again partnered with First Book Canada, who work with publishers to supply overstock books to schools in need. As part of this partnership, Indigo and First Book Canada will provide three books per child to the 20 runner-up schools that applied for the Literacy Fund grant, a donation of more than 15,000 books in total. This year books will be generously donated from Penguin Canada, Hachette Book Group Canada and Kids Can Press.

As part of its 2013 campaign, the Love of Reading Foundation is challenging Canadians to test their understanding of the severe literacy issue in the country. Take the quiz online at facebook.com/loveofreading under the quiz tab. Users are encouraged to spread the awareness with friends to shed light on this important issue.

Schools interested in applying for the 2014 Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Literacy Fund Grant can download an application at loveofreading.org.  A new application will be available for download in the fall of 2013 with grant application deadlines in early February 2014.

About the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation
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.  Every year the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation commits $1.5 million to high-needs elementary schools so they can rebuild their libraries with the purchase of new books and education resources.  To date the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has committed $13.5 million to more than 150 schools nationally.

About First Book Canada
First Book Canada, a registered charity with an office in Toronto, provides new books and educational resources to Canadian children from low-income families. Through work with publishing partners, an ever expanding network of volunteers, and book recipient groups, First Book Canada grants children in need unprecedented access to free and low cost books. First Book Canada works through existing community programs and literacy efforts already serving this population, elevating the quality of these programs with additional mission-related resources. For more information, visit www.firstbookcanada.org.

¹ Source: Stats Canada study June 22, 2004  (Coulombe & Tremblay and Marchand, Department of Economics, University of Ottawa)

SOURCE Indigo Books & Music Inc.

Video with caption: "One year ago, Parkdale Jr & Sr Public School in Toronto received an Indigo Love of Reading Foundation grant to transform their library and children's lives with new books.". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20130509_C5122_VIDEO_EN_26560.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20130509_C5122_PHOTO_EN_26560.jpg&clientName=Indigo%20Books%20%26%20Music%20Inc%2E&caption=One%20year%20ago%2C%20Parkdale%20Jr%20%26%20Sr%20Public%20School%20in%20Toronto%20received%20an%0D%0AIndigo%20Love%20of%20Reading%20Foundation%20grant%20to%20transform%20their%20library%20and%0D%0Achildren%27s%20lives%20with%20new%20books%2E&title=INDIGO%20BOOKS%20%26%20MUSIC%20INC%2E%20%2D%20%2413%2E5%20Million%20Committed%20To%20Date%3B%20%2B1%20Million%20Books%20Donated%3B%20150%20School%20Libraries%20Transformed%3B%2042%2C036%20Lives%20Changed&headline=%2413%2E5%20Million%20Committed%20To%20Date%3B%20%2B1%20Million%20Books%20Donated%3B%20150%20School%20Libraries%20Transformed%3B%2042%2C036%20Lives%20Changed