7.17.2008 - 03:12pm ET

(CSRwire) PLEASANTVILLE, NY. - July 17, 2008 - The Reader's Digest Foundation (RDF) announced today that it will donate $100,000 to The LEAGUE, a national school and web-based youth service organization that teaches young people how to make a positive difference in their communities and world. The LEAGUE empowers young people to take action in their community by providing more than 1,300 K-12 lessons and educational resources, free of charge, to schools. These tools teach kids about philanthropy and civic responsibility and lead to hands-on volunteer activities, encouraging kids to give their time and talent to make the world a better place.

This grant, the fifth in the Foundation's $1 million Make it Matter program, was inspired by the amazing accomplishments of 14-year-old Carly Zalenski from Canton, Ohio, who epitomizes the power of young people to change the world. Carly, with the support of her family, raised more than $50,000 over a two-year period, beginning when she was 12, to build a school in Vietnam. Making fundraising pitches and collecting checks from Rotary clubs and churches all across the state, Carly eventually met her $50,000 goal, which was then matched by the Vietnam Children's Fund. In March, Carly and her family traveled to Vietnam for a dedication ceremony at the Hoa Lac School in the Mekong Delta – the school Carly helped build. Carly’s story is featured in the August issue of Reader’s Digest.

"We are delighted to offer our support to The LEAGUE," said Susan Fraysse Russ, executive director, Reader's Digest Foundation. "As Carly Zalenski proves, compassion and the desire to help others are not restricted by age. The LEAGUE is guiding students to create a better world for people of all ages and we are proud to be part of that."

"We are incredibly grateful to the Reader's Digest Foundation for choosing The LEAGUE as a grant recipient," says Mindy Propper, Chief Operating Officer for The LEAGUE."We too are inspired by the work of Carly Zalenski and know that there are so many more young people just like her. The LEAGUE is all about providing these students with the resources they need to truly make a difference. Thanks to the support of Reader's Digest Foundation, we can extend our programming to more schools in more communities nationwide."

Reader's Digest magazine is lending its support to the Foundation's program by highlighting the stories of selected individuals in its monthly "Make it Matter" column. Many of the submissions, including those that do not lead to a grant, will be featured on http://www.readersdigest.com.

Submissions for Make it Matter will be accepted by the Foundation on a rolling basis throughout 2008.

About Make it Matter:
Make it Matter is a program of the Reader's Digest Foundation (RDF) dedicated to promoting efforts that encourage individuals to make a positive difference in their communities. RDF considers the public’s stories of giving back and chooses one each month that embodies the RDF mission and serves as an inspiration to others. For each Make it Matter story, RDF will donate $100,000 to a nonprofit organization that furthers the cause. Submissions from the public can be directed to http://www.readersdigest.com/foundation.


About The LEAGUE:
Created by a consortium of business, education, government, media, non-profit leaders and youth, The LEAGUE empowers youth to "get in the game" of serving their community and world. The LEAGUE's school and web-based programming provides the resources for teachers to engage students in making a positive difference in their community and the world. Joining The LEAGUE is free and simple. Visit www.theleague.org to register, plan events, track points, reward team members, and more. The LEAGUE also provides more than 1,300 lesson plans on giving, service and civic engagement for use in K-12 classrooms nationwide.

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