TORONTO, April 15, 2014 /CNW/ - Indigo (TSX: IDG), Canada's largest purveyor of books and creative inspiration, celebrates St Jane Frances Catholic School's grade 5 class, winners of the DeMar DeRozan All Star Book Program, with a field trip to a Raptors home game and new books.
Earlier this January, ten schools from disadvantaged areas in the Greater Toronto Area took part in the DeMar DeRozan All Star Book Program challenging students to read one book and write a report each week for ten weeks, the final report was submitted during the last week of March. St Jane Frances Catholic School took home the top prize.
The DeMar DeRozan All-Star Book Program launched on February 11, 2014 as a partnership between DeMar DeRozan and his fiancé Kiara Morrison, First Book Canada, Indigo Love of Reading Foundation and the BIGA Picture, all supporters of children's literacy. Together with Random House Children's Books, Tundra Books, Doubleday Canada and Candlewick Press they put over 2500 new, high quality books into the hands and homes of children who would not otherwise have access to them.
"This is an incredible program to improve children's literacy skills, "said Judy Cammarota, St Jane Frances grade 5 teacher. "I have witnessed firsthand not only an improvement in my students' reading and writing skills, but also an increase in their motivation to read. My students' confidence in reading has grown tremendously. This is an amazing program!"
St Jane Frances Catholic School's grade 5 class attended the final Toronto Raptors home game of the regular season on Monday April 14, 2014at the Air Canada Centre. DeMar and Kiara met the students again and committed that every student will receive brand new books to take home.
About the DeMar DeRozan All Star Book Program
The DeMar DeRozan All Star Book Program is a unique and innovative student centered program for fifth grade classes around the Greater Toronto area. This initiative will distribute over 3,000 books to children enrolled in ten schools located in low income areas of Toronto. The goal of this All Star Book Program is to enhance the students reading ability, as well as nurture their love for reading by challenging them to read some of the most noteworthy books written for their peer group. This program is a collaborative partnership led by Toronto Raptors All-Star DeMar DeRozan and Kiara Morrison, The BIGA Picture, First Book Canada, and the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation.
For more information on this program, please contact Orrin White, Director of Community Engagement, The BIGA Picture
Orrin White
Director of Community Engagement, The BIGA Picture
(610) 400-4926
[email protected]
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.
Tom Best
Executive Director
416-949-0056
[email protected]
About the Love of Reading Foundation and Indigo Books & Music Inc.
With books always at our heart and soul at Indigo we are about telling stories and creating experiences. 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, 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 Canadian public school libraries and the resulting literacy crisis. Every year the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Literacy Fund commits $1.5 million to transform high-needs elementary school libraries and its Adopt a School program unites Indigo employees, customers and their communities in raising money to rejuvenate elementary high-needs school libraries. To date the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has committed over $15.5 million to more than 1,550 schools nationally.
Image with caption: "DeMar DeRozan and Kiara Morrison celebrate St Jane Frances Catholic School's grade 5 class, winners of DeMar DeRozan All Star Book Program (Photo Credit: Jacqueline Khalil) (CNW Group/Indigo Books & Music Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140415_C9892_PHOTO_EN_39294.jpg
SOURCE: Indigo Books & Music Inc.
Please contact Josh Zeliger, Public Relations, Indigo for further information:
Josh Zeliger
Coordinator, Public Relations
O: 416-364-4499 ext. 6840
C: 416-529-6354
E: [email protected]
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