Boston Celtics and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Launch Partnership with a Day of Volunteerism at Ellis Elementary School in Roxbury
BOSTON – The Boston Celtics and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) teamed up with the Ellis Elementary School in Roxbury this week for a day of service and community engagement. The Celtics family joined one hundred HMH volunteers, including CEO Linda Zecher and members of the senior leadership team. They read with students and brightened the school environment by painting colorful murals, planting gardens and building benches.
The day culminated with an exciting all-school pep rally featuring Celtics Guard Courtney Lee and Celtics Legend Cedric Maxwell, with a special appearance by Mascot Lucky. Guest speakers from both organizations discussed the importance and meaning of education with the school’s 400 students, grades K-5, who all received Celtics gear and HMH books to bring home.
“Today we had a lot of fun volunteering with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and reading to the students,” Lee said. “These students feel very special that their school was chosen for these improvements and were impressed by the teamwork from everyone involved.”
This week’s activities marked the official start to a unique partnership between the two landmark Boston organizations. Together, HMH and the Celtics will promote youth literacy and encourage curiosity through programs such as the Celtics’ Read to Achieve initiative. CEO Linda Zecher also announced plans to renovate and reimagine the Ellis School library later this year as a learning space for the future.
“As a mission-driven company dedicated to promoting lifelong learning, HMH is honored to launch a partnership with the Celtics that will further our shared goal to make a positive impact on our local communities, especially in the education space,” explained Zecher. “Today’s events at Ellis Elementary were inspiring and fun for all involved, and we can’t wait to continue our work together.”
This program was a highlight of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s annual Volunteer Week, a Company-wide initiative that engages employees in HMH-sponsored and individual service projects around the world. This year, more than a thousand employees are participating in projects, including more than a hundred company-sponsored events.
About The Boston Celtics
A charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association) since 1946, the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA Championships, including eight (8) in a row from 1959-1966, winning their first title in 1957 and their most recent in 2008. The Celtics have long stood for equality, and respect, including hiring the first African American Coach and starting the first all black starting five. In addition, 35 former Celtics players, management or staff have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the first time since 1963. For more information on the Celtics, log on to www.celtics.com.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global learning company with the mission of changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. Among the world’s largest providers of pre-K–12 education solutions and one of its longest-established publishing houses, HMH combines cutting-edge research, editorial excellence and technological innovation to improve teaching and learning environments and solve complex literacy and education challenges. HMH’s interactive, results-driven education solutions are utilized by 50 million students in over 150 countries, and its renowned and awarded novels, non-fiction, children’s books and reference works are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.
