Toronto Student Recipient of First Book Canada’s One Millionth Book
TORONTO, December 11, 2015 – At a special reading celebration hosted by Corus
Entertainment, First Book Canada presented their one-millionth book donation to Jordan, a grade two student from St. Antoine Daniel Catholic School in Toronto. Thanks to generous support from publishing and corporate partners working with First Book Canada, Jordan and children across Canada received brand new books to call their own over the course of the year.
“It all starts with getting books into the hands of the children who need them most,” said Tom
Best, executive director of First Book Canada. “Learning to read is critical to a child’s success – both in school and in life. Literacy is one of the best predictors of a child’s future success. But a child without access to books won’t have the chance to become an engaged and capable reader. We are thankful to our remarkable publishing and corporate partners, who made it possible for First Book Canada to distribute one million new books to children in need this year.”
Leah Garrard-Cole, president of Love Child Organics, who donated nutritious snacks for all the children present, added, “Empowering children through literacy is so important, and we are thrilled to support this event with Corus, TD Bank and our key non-profit partner, First Book
Canada.”
Partnering with First Book Canada and Love Child Organics at today’s reading celebration were
Corus Feeds Kids, the entertainment company’s principal philanthropic focus, and TD Bank
Group. The grade one and two students from St. Antoine Daniel Catholic School were treated to an energetic presentation by Hilary Leung, illustrator of The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear (Kids
Can Press), and later in the day, the grade one and two students from Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic School enjoyed a fun presentation with Andrew Larsen on his book, In The Tree House
(Kids Can Press). Signed copies of the books were given to each student to take home and keep. After the presentations, students were paired up with volunteers from Corus
Entertainment and TD Bank Group, who read with the students and gave each of them additional books to take home.
“Kids Can Press is dedicated to providing support to organizations such as First Book Canada to instill a lifelong love of reading in all children, which also aligns with our corporate mission to nourish children's bodies and minds through Corus Feeds Kids,” said Lisa Lyons Johnston, president of Kids Can Press and chair of Corus Feeds Kids Steering Committee. “Our creators
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Toronto Student Recipient of First Book Canada’s One Millionth Book never hesitate to support the work of First Book Canada and many have read their books to students at First Book Canada school and community events across the country.”
“It's incredible to see the excitement children have as they dive into the vibrant world of books and meet the authors and illustrators, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that journey,” said Alan
Convery, director of community relations at TD Bank Group. “TD is delighted to celebrate with
First Book Canada in its programming to provide greater access to children's literature and helping encourage Canada's youth to discover a lifelong joy of reading.”
About First Book Canada
First Book Canada provides books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low income families across Canada. By making new, high quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book Canada is transforming the lives of children and elevating the quality of education in Canada. Since 2009 First Book Canada has distributed over 4.5 million books to children in need across Canada. All funds raised in Canada go to programs serving
Canadian children from low income families. For more information, or to sign up to get books, visit us at www.firstbookcanada.org
and follow our latest news on Twitter and Facebook .
About Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian-based integrated media and content company that creates, broadcasts, licenses and delivers content across a variety of platforms for audiences around the world. The company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompasses specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children’s book publishing, children’s animation, animation software, and technology and media services.
Corus’ 30 television brands include ABC Spark, Cartoon Network (Canada), CMT (Canada),
Disney Channel (Canada), HBO Canada, Movie Central, Nickelodeon (Canada), OWN: Oprah
Winfrey Network (Canada), Telelatino, TELETOON, Treehouse, W Network, YTV, Historia, La chaîne Disney, Séries+ and TÉLÉTOON. Its 39 radio brands include CKNW AM 980, Rock 101,
Country 105, 630 CHED, Fresh Radio, JUMP! 106.9, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. The company also owns Nelvana, an internationally renowned animation production company, Kids Can
Press, Toon Boom and Quay Media Services. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the
Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com
.
About TD' Bank Group’s Commitment to Children's Literacy
The ability to read is often taken for granted. This skill is paramount to success during school years and beyond, which is why TD believes it's important to get children reading and to foster a lifelong joy of reading. Since 2000, TD has invested more than $35 million to support children's literacy and reading programs at local schools and public libraries across Canada.
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Toronto Student Recipient of First Book Canada’s One Millionth Book
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