Adopt a School Celebrates Fifth Anniversary and $1.5 Million Raised, 138,000 Books Donated to
350,000 Students
TORONTO,
Sept. 17, 2013 /CNW/ - The Indigo
Love of Reading Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of its
Adopt a School program, celebrating its fifth anniversary this
year. From Sept. 15 to Oct. 5 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 raising more than 64,000 books for high-needs elementary schools
across Canada.
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.
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. For every school who receives
50 "adoptions" Indigo Love of Reading Foundation will donate one
book to the school.
Today in Canada
more than 42% of the population are functionally illiterate and
struggle with day-to-day reading tasks. 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% of parents say their children's schools fundraise to
support their libraries. Teachers spend on average more than
$1,000 of their own money to buy
books and learning materials for their students.
Since its launch in 2009, Adopt a School has
raised over $1.5 million, donating
more than 138,000 books to 1,240 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, The World's
Biggest Bookstore, 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 $13.5
million to 150 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.
SOURCE Indigo Books & Music
Inc.
Video with caption: "Video: Learn more about the literacy issue
in Canada and what the Indigo Love
of Reading Adopt a School program is doing to help.". Video
available at:
http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20130917_C8032_VIDEO_EN_30947.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20130917_C8032_PHOTO_EN_30947.jpg&clientName=Indigo%20Books%20%26%20Music%20Inc%2E&caption=Video%3A%20Learn%20more%20about%20the%20literacy%20issue%20in%20Canada%20and%20what%20the%20Indigo%20Love%20of%20Reading%20Adopt%20a%20School%20program%20is%20doing%20to%20help%2E&title=INDIGO%20BOOKS%20%26%20MUSIC%20INC%2E%20%2D%20Adopt%20a%20School%20Program%20Launches%2C%20Aims%20to%20Donate%2064%2C000%20Books%20to%20More%20Than%20190%20High%2DNeeds%20Elementary%20Schools%20Across%20Canada&headline=