10/6/2011
Charleston, W.Va. - First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin today participated in Jumpstart's Read for the Record. Together with Jumpstart and the Pearson Foundation, West Side Elementary School kindergarten students joined children and adults across the country to set two new reading records. The two records - the largest shared reading experience and; for the first time this year, the largest digital reading experience - are part of the nationwide early education awareness campaign that each fall focuses national attention on the importance of reading.
Presented in partnership with the Pearson Foundation, Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign shares the love of reading with millions of children and families while calling attention to the importance of early education. Over six consecutive years,, more than seven million people have joined local Read for the Record reading celebrations and Jumpstart has raised more than $6 million to support its year-round work in preschools.
This year, with the help of schools and communities, the Pearson Foundation will donate 50,000 books through a new We Give Books reading campaign, Read for Our Schools. Starting today, for every book read online as part of the Read for Our Schools campaign, the Pearson Foundation will donate a brand-new copy of the official Read for the Record book - Llama Llama Red Pajama, by Anna Dewdney - so that more children across the United States can help to set a new record for reading the same book on a single day.
Like Jumpstart and the Pearson Foundation, First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin supports early education and encourages the entire community to learn more about reading campaigns like Jumpstart's Read for the Record and We Give Books' Read for Our Schools.
"It is incredibly important for us to provide opportunities for West Virginia children to participate in national reading programs such as Read for the Record," said First Lady Tomblin. "This year's campaign is innovative because it combines reading, technology and the excitement of possibly breaking a world record. I am thrilled to have shared this experience with Westside Elementary students and it is my hope that our participation will inspire other schools and community leaders to participate in interactive reading campaigns."
Llama Llama Red Pajama is available to read now at
www.wegivebooks.org. We Give Books, the digital reading and philanthropic initiative from the Pearson Foundation and Penguin, provides people everywhere the opportunity to read books online, anytime, for free.
For more information about Jumpstart's Read for the Record, visit
www.wegivebooks.org/readfortherecord today and learn how to register for next year's campaign.
For more information about the We Give Books reading campaign "Read for Our Schools" visit
www.wegivebooks.org/campaigns/read-for-our-schools.
Contact Information
Tina Amburgey
304-558-3588