Scholastic Contributes to Syrian Refugee Reflief Efforts Through Save the Children
The Scholastic Possible Fund Donates $25,000 for Immediate Aid and Pledges Books for Long-Term Recovery
NEW YORK – October 1, 2015 – Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, today announced a short-term and long-term plan to assist Syrian refugee children and their families. Through The Scholastic Possible Fund, the company will contribute $25,000 to Save the Children to help with immediate relief efforts and will match employee contributions up to an additional $25,000 for a total donation of up to $50,000. Scholastic has worked with U.S. Embassies and large NGOs to provide assistance to Syrian refugees since early 2013 and is committed to supporting long-term assistance to refugee children by donating culturally relevant, age-appropriate books and other educational materials, including the My Arabic Library collection, a unique Arabic-language classroom library program for grades 1 through 6.
“Through our work in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan in recent years delivering Arabic language books and learning materials, we have seen first-hand the power of books to provide stories of resilience and courage to these displaced children,” said Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO, Scholastic. “Now, as refugee families move beyond the Middle East and into Europe, the U.S., Canada and Australia, Scholastic is not only committed to helping provide support to meet families’ immediate needs, but also to working long-term with Save the Children and other international humanitarian organizations to help these children regain a sense of security and normalcy as they settle into new lands.”
In addition to donating relief funds and books, Scholastic provides timely, age-appropriate news coverage (http://magazines.scholastic.com/news/2015/09/Desperate-Journeys) and resources for children, parents and teachers about the current Syrian refugee humanitarian crisis. Relevant news articles in current issues of Scholastic News® and Junior Scholastic® magazines provide background information on the Syrian crisis and civil war and upcoming issues will chronicle efforts as they develop.
The Scholastic Possible Fund was established as part of the Company’s Open a World of Possible reading initiative to provide donations of new, quality books to children in underserved communities and in communities recovering from crises or natural disasters with the goal of improving global literacy. Books from The Scholastic Possible Fund are distributed through non-profit partner organizations that work to help children and families understand the importance of books and reading from birth through adulthood as a pathway to understanding oneself and becoming a lifelong learner.
For more information about My Arabic Library, please visit myarabiclibrary.com.
For more about Scholastic, visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com
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Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We invest in childhood — every day, in times of crisis and for our future.
Contact:
Josephine Djonovic, jdjonovic@scholastic.com , 212-343-6876
Michael Barrett, mbarrett@scholastic.com, 212-343-6570
