Volunteer-led partnership focused on promoting power of reading, addressing “Summer Slide”
Five hundred Atlanta area elementary students will have new backpacks with three books each ahead of summer break as the result of a partnership between Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, and First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that has delivered more than 160 million books and educational resources to programs and schools with children in need.
On the afternoon of Thursday, May 11, 50 Wipro volunteers will complete a Backpack Build of 500 backpacks and 1,500 books at Wipro’s facility located on Woodcock Boulevard in Atlanta. On the morning of Friday, May 12, the backpacks will be delivered to Brockett Elementary School, located at 1855 Brockett Road in Tucker, as part of a reading celebration. During the event, Wipro volunteers will read to children and an additional 500 books will be donated by Wipro and First Book for the school’s library.
“The Brockett School Community is excited to partner with Wipro and First Book,” said Venessa Bines-Truitt, Principal of Brockett Elementary. “It takes a village to raise a child, is a popular proverb with a clear message: the whole community has an essential role to play in the growth and development of its young people. We believe partnerships with parents, families, communities, and other stakeholders are essential to quality public education and student success. Brockett Elementary is grateful for the volunteer support and literacy resources donated to our school by Wipro.”
Wipro has previously worked with First Book to donate more than 6,200 books to students at Mary Bethune Elementary School in Atlanta in September 2015. The 2,000-book Brockett Elementary donation is part of a three-year partnership between Wipro and First Book to distribute more than 250,000 books across North America to children in need.
“We have a strong presence in Atlanta and are happy to be engaged in a meaningful program that benefits our local community,” said Anurag Behar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Wipro Ltd. “Our hope is that our reading-focused efforts at Brockett Elementary will help make an impact on these students’ learning during the critical summer months.”
A simple bag of books can help beat Summer Slide. In fact, research shows that children who are given access to books over the summer perform 35-40 percent better on reading achievement tests than those without access to books. Book ownership and a print-rich environment are leading indicators of a child’s educational success, but for the 32 million children growing up in low-income families in the U.S. alone, books are scarce. A recent study found that in one low-income neighborhood, there was only one book for more than 800 children, whereas in moderate income neighborhoods, there are 13 books for every one child.[1]
First Book, which has operations in both the U.S. and Canada, works with formal and informal educators serving children in need aged between 0-18 years in a wide range of settings – from schools, classrooms, summer school and parks and recreational programs, to health clinics, homeless shelters, faith-based programs, libraries, museums, summer food sites and more. The organization estimates there are more than 1.3 million classrooms and programs that are serving children in need in the U.S. alone, more than 4,500 of which sign up with First Book every month.
“Wipro and its employees in Atlanta and across North America continue to go above and beyond to help bring First Book’s resources into the communities where they work and live,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “Thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of Wipro’s employees at reading events and at book distributions, along with Wipro’s financial support, tens of thousands of children will experience the transformative power of books, to fuel learning and unlock their futures. We are enormously grateful.”
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise founded in 1992 that has distributed more than 160 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada, which, with more than 275,000 members, is the largest and fastest growing network of educators exclusively serving kids in need. By making new, high-quality books and educational resources available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. Eligible educators, librarians, program leaders, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
Wipro Limited is a leading information technology, consulting and business process services company that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better. Wipro delivers winning business outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360 degree view of “Business through Technology.” By combining digital strategy, customer centric design, advanced analytics and product engineering approach, Wipro helps its clients create successful and adaptive businesses. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, Wipro has a dedicated workforce of over 170,000, serving clients across six continents.
For more information, please visit www.wipro.com.
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