The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ:SSP) continued its partnership with the Scripps Howard Fun charity for its annual childhood literacy campaign, which will give out its millionth book during the upcoming academic year.
The fund’s annual childhood literacy campaign has distributed hundreds of thousands of new books to kids in need across the country. The campaign theme is “If You Give a Child a Book” and it kicks off this month and runs through September 9.
“Thanks to the generosity of people across the country, thousands of children have books that plant the seeds for future success. But our work is not over. We’re committed to creating a better-informed world by making sure all children are equipped with books they need to be competent readers,” said Liz Carter, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Fund.
The Scripps Howard Fund is the charity arm of the E.W. Scripps Company, primarily focused on journalism education, excellence in journalism and childhood literacy. The fund supports journalism through scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development and First Amendment causes. The Scripps Howard Awards are one of the industries top honors for journalism. The fund also partners with Scripps brands to raise awareness of local issues and to support organizations engaging in community building activities, usually through endowment, key assets and major donations.
The E.W. Scripps company is one of the biggest local TV broadcasters in the United States, offering communities quality, objective local journalism. Its reach includes such news outlets such as Court TV, Newsy and the entertainment brands ION, Bounce, Grit, Laff and Court TV Mystery.
In the case of this charitable campaign, for every $5 donation, the fund gives one book to a child in need.
The company’s local TV stations and national networks partner with Title 1 schools to reach underserved and vulnerable children with a special focus on the grade ranges of kindergarten through third grade, when kids are learning to read. The fund then helps student build home libraries with a goal of giving each student 10 age-appropriate and culturally relevant books per year, based on the notion from educators and experts that ten books is the number children need annually to improve reading skills.
The campaign partners with scholastic book fairs to give children the ability to choose, because according to the 2019 Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report, if a child can choose their books, they will likely spend more time reading them. The book fairs are held annually between January-May.
