For Immediate Release
2007EDU0128-001203
Sept. 27, 2007
KELOWNA – For the first time, the Province will match all donations raised by CanWest’s Raise-a-Reader Day in Kelowna, Oct. 3, 2007, MLAs Al Horning and Sindi Hawkins announced today.
“Literacy is one of the best foundations for a successful and enriched life,” said Hawkins, MLA for Kelowna-Mission. “I am so happy to see the expansion of this project to our Kelowna residents and the benefits it brings. Success comes from learning to read.”
The funds raised in Kelowna will be going to Project Literacy, a non-profit organization offering one-to-one tutoring to adults who face literacy challenges.
“Kelowna is one of the fastest growing communities in B.C. and to develop productively, we need all the necessary tools,” said Horning, MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country. “The tutoring offered by Project Literacy will help families and children reach their potential.”
“Since this is our first year participating in Raise-a-Reader, we are delighted to see the provincial government’s pledge to match the vital funds raised here in Kelowna to support literacy projects,” said Okanagan Valley Newspaper Group president and CEO Alison Yesilcimen. “Children in the Okanagan will benefit significantly from this initiative and the Province’s generous support.”
Since its inception in Vancouver in 1997, the Raise-a-Reader campaign and its sponsors have made significant contributions to help improve literacy for children and families across the province. The matching funding this year will help to support more than 180 beneficiary organizations and help British Columbia continue to lead the country in Raise-a-Reader fundraising. The B.C. government has been matching funds raised through the campaign since 2004, and to date has contributed over $1 million to the Vancouver Sun and Victoria Times Colonist campaigns.
“More than one million adult British Columbians do not have the skills needed to read a newspaper or to fill out a job application,” said Education Minister Shirley Bond. “Raise-a- Reader has raised over $3.4 million, and we’re proud to extend our support this year to the Kelowna campaign.”
ReadNow BC is the Province’s comprehensive literacy action plan to help provide adults, Aboriginal people, K-12 students and preschoolers with the skills they need to succeed. ReadNow BC, introduced in January of this year, has received nearly $44.5 million in provincial funding, including the launch of the ReadNow BC website at www.readnowbc.ca.
Since 2001, the Province has announced over $125 million in new literacy programs and services in support of its goal of making British Columbia the best-educated, most literate jurisdiction in North America.
Media
contact:
Lara Perzoff
Public Affairs Bureau
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963
250 920-9040 (cell)
