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KPMG's Family for Literacy Program Kicks Off Second Year with First Book
KPMG's Family for Literacy Program Kicks Off Second Year with First Book
Published 11-24-08
Submitted by First Book
WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In its commitment to improved literacy for economically disadvantaged children, First Book, the award-winning nonprofit organization, and KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory services firm worked together this past year to place 350,000 new books in the hands of children in need. KPMG partners, employees, spouses and other family members donated more than 11,000 hours to sort, distribute and read books. KPMG LLP announced the collaboration with First Book last spring, contributing $500,000 over two years to the organization's efforts to distribute books to children in need nationwide.
Highlighting KPMG's two year collaboration with First Book is the vibrant, groundbreaking literacy program, KPMG's Family for Literacy. Through this innovative program the entire KPMG community of spouses and family, partners and employees, interns, retirees and alumni acts together to fund the purchase of books, conduct reading programs in schools, and work with existing literacy programs to provide brand new books supplied by First Book to disadvantaged children in KPMG communities nationwide.
and employees to get involved but for the families and friends of employees, too. For KPMG, community involvement is a core tenant. Each KPMG office has a community involvement lead that focuses the firm's volunteer efforts in assisting those in need.
"For every child in a middle income home there are on average 13 age appropriate books," said Tim Flynn, KPMG Chairman. "In a community of need there is on average one age appropriate book for every 300 children. With over 350,000 new books now in the hands of children in need, the first year of collaboration with First Book and KPMG's Family for Literacy program has exceeded our expectations."
"KPMG is focused on supporting and advancing youth and education," Flynn continued. "Our work with First Book is a great way for our professionals, as well as our families, friends, alumni and retirees to open new doors of reading discovery for children who might not otherwise have that opportunity."
KPMG's Family for Literacy program, which pairs KPMG commitment and resources with First Book's national reach and local impact, is championed by Susan Flynn and Beth Veihmeyer, whose husbands, Timothy Flynn and John Veihmeyer, are the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of KPMG.
"KPMG's extensive vision of community participation reaches well into towns and cities across the land and expands on the very idea of corporate responsibility," said First Book President Kyle Zimmer. "With KPMG on board, more children can become readers, which means more readers that can grow up to join the workforce and participate in our democratic society."
Schools and other organizations helped by KPMG and First Book in 2008 include Park Brook Elementary School in Minneapolis, MN; Franklin Elementary School in Short Hills, NJ; Southeast Elementary Academy Charter School in Washington, D.C.; and the Philadelphia Free Library.
Additionally, KPMG plans to add several key cities to its 2009 First Book collaboration including its offices in Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Detroit. KPMG hopes to provide 500,000 books to children in need in the coming year. Last year, KPMG launched its program in Denver, CO; Minneapolis, MN; Washington, D.C.; Tysons Corner, VA; Short Hills, NJ; Montvale, NJ; Stamford, CT; and Houston, TX.
About KPMG LLP
KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm (www.us.kpmg.com), is the U.S. member firm of KPMG International. KPMG International's member firms have 123,000 professionals, including more than 7,100 partners, in 145 countries.
About First Book
First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy -"“ access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities. First Book now has offices in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about the nonprofit First Book please visit www.firstbook.org or call 866-393-1222.
