Literacy Alliance Debutes In Clark County

The Pearson Foundation will donate more than $150,000 in new books to the Clark County School District (CCSD), in partnership with SAP America, Inc. The contribution marks the launch of the Pearson Foundation Literacy Alliance, an initiative to assist corporations and associations in creating book donations and other literacy-related giving programs for their employees and members.

Through the Literacy Alliance, the Pearson Foundation partners with leading companies and nonprofit organizations to raise money for literacy programs at conferences, events, and online. The Pearson Foundation matches contributions to the Literacy Alliance, and targets school libraries and individual students that are most in need of help, using the reach of Pearson, the world's largest education company. The Literacy Alliance and other Pearson Foundation literacy programs like Family Book Nights and Jumpstart's Read for the Record Campaign create ways for individuals and organizations to get involved in the lives of young people. These initiatives are all designed to address the literacy gap facing many schools and families that lack resources for books and other kinds of reading programs.

The Foundation's donation to CCSD, the fifth largest school district in the nation, came about through the participation of SAP employees, who were encouraged to donate books to the district while in Las Vegas for there for their national sales conference. As part of the Literary Alliance program, SAP matched this contribution, and the Pearson Foundation in turn matched the total amount of employee and corporate pledges, creating a total financial commitment of more than $150,000 for new books.

Working with the office of the CCSD, the Pearson Foundation has identified 30 school libraries to receive new books through this initiative. The books will arrive in the schools throughout 2008.

Website: http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/