Funai & Disney Team with First Book to Donate Learning Libraries to
Every Head Start Program in the Country
Effort Gives 1 Million Children Access to Quality Learning Materials
WASHINGTON,
D.C.///February 22, 2006// - Disney and Funai have joined together with First Book, an award-winning national nonprofit literacy organization, to donate new Learning Libraries to every Head Start program in the country. The 2,700 Head Start locations offer child-focused programs that have the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of children up to age five who come from low-income families.
Funai, a leader in consumer electronics, donated 5,000 9” TV/VCR units and Disney, a global family entertainment company, came alongside Funai with a donation of more than 100,000 educational videos. First Book, working with the National Head Start Association, is distributing one Learning Library -- a TV/VCR unit and 20 videos -- to each Head Start program. The effort gives one million children access to quality materials that will support their learning. The combined retail value of the Learning Library donation totals more than $2 million.
”Disney, Funai and First Book have really stepped up to the plate for Head Start children,” said Sarah M. Greene, president and chief executive officer of NHSA. “This contribution will help millions of children achieve the early literacy skills they need before entering kindergarten. This partnership demonstrates the wonderful things that can happen when corporations team up with nonprofits and government agencies to serve Americans in need.”
First Book President Kyle Zimmer said: “We are astounded by the generosity of our corporate partners in this effort. We celebrate Funai and Disney for giving each Head Start program a complete learning experience. The collective donation gives children across the access to a unique library of materials that they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to access.”
Funai Chairman Dave Tani added: “It gives us a great deal of satisfaction to team up with Disney and First Book to reach out to so many of the children in
our country. We hope that the tools we are providing will help give each child an optimistic future.”
The videos donated by Disney include award-winning Baby Einstein titles, as well as those featuring beloved Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Jo Jo from Jo Jo’s Circus, Bear from Bear in the Big Blue House, Winnie the Pooh and the Disney Princesses.
“The Learning Library project enables us to reach even more children with materials that will engage them in learning,” said Kathy Franklin, vice president, Disney Worldwide Outreach. “It is our hope that this outreach will help give children across the country the foundation they need to enter school with more confidence and increased skills.”
First Book has special plans for the distribution of the remaining 2,300 Learning Libraries that will be announced in spring 2006.
As part of UPS's ongoing logistical relationship with First Book, the company is shipping the Learning Libraries to each of the 2,700 Head Start programs.
About National Head Start Association
NHSA is a private not-for-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to meeting the needs of Head Start children and their families. It represents more than 1 million children, 200,000 staff and 2,700 Head Start programs in the United States. The Association provides support for the entire Head Start community by advocating for policies that strengthen services to Head Start children and their families; by providing extensive training and professional development to Head Start staff; and by developing and disseminating research, information, and resources that enrich Head Start program delivery. For more information about NHSA, please visit www.nhsa.org.
About First Book
First Book is a national nonprofit organization that has placed more than 35 million new books in the hands of children in need in hundreds of communities nationwide. In neighborhoods across the country, First Book Advisory Boards unite leaders from all sectors of the community to identify the most effective community-based literacy programs and provide them with First Book grants of free books and educational materials. The First Book National Book Bank, a subsidiary program of First Book, is the first centralized system that enables publishers to donate books and educational materials online to reach millions of children who need them the most. To learn more about First Book, please visit www.FirstBook.org.
About Funai
FUNAI Corporation, Inc., established in 1977, has offices in Rutherford, New Jersey and Torrance, California. Funai Corporation is the North American sales and marketing company for consumer electronic products manufactured by our parent company, Funai Electric Co., Ltd., of Japan, under the brand names of SYLVANIA, SYMPHONIC, FUNAI, and EMERSON. For more information on the Funai group, please visit www.funaiworld.com.
About Disney Worldwide Outreach
Disney is dedicated to making the wishes of families and children a reality through public service initiatives, community outreach and volunteerism in the areas of compassion, learning, the arts and the environment. In 2005, Disney contributed more than $190 million in cash, in-kind support and public service air time globally. Disney VoluntEARS, company employees who donate their time to outreach projects, contributed more than 442,000 hours of service. For more information on Disney's outreach initiatives, please visit www.disneyhand.com.
About UPS
UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the movement of goods, information and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS’s stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS), and the company can be found on the Web at UPS.com.
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