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KPMG LLP Named Connect America '2008 Partner of the Year'

KPMG LLP Named Connect America '2008 Partner of the Year'

Published 06-03-08

Submitted by First Book

ATLANTA, June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Points of Light Institute today presented the Connect America 2008 Partner of the Year Award to KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, for its literacy collaboration with Connect America partner, First Book, a non profit organization that provides new books to children from low income families. Susan Flynn and Beth Veihmeyer, spouses of KPMG's chairman and deputy chairman, respectively, accepted the award on behalf of the firm at the 2008 National Conference on Volunteering and Service.

Established in 2000, Connect America's annual Partner of the Year Award highlights the outstanding performance of Connect America national partners in addressing serious social issues.

"Over the years, KPMG has focused on strengthening communities through dynamic collaborations with a wide range of Connect America partners including the National Association of Junior Leagues, Veterans of Foreign Wars, March of Dimes, the American Red Cross and the IRS and its Volunteers Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program," said Carol Rieg, Chair of the Connect America Council. "This year, through collaboration with Connect America partner First Book, KPMG has contributed $250,000 and sponsored the distribution of more than 200,000 brand-new books to children from low-income families nationwide. This is a great success and indicative of KPMG's strong commitment to improving literacy, particularly among those in need."

Through its collaboration with First Book, KPMG’s Family for Literacy initiative organizes volunteers to fund the purchase of books, conduct reading programs in schools, and work with existing literacy programs to distribute books supplied by First Book. The KPMG program initially launched in seven key cities in 2008, including Denver, CO, Minneapolis, MN, Washington DC/ Tysons Corner, VA, Short Hills, NJ, Montvale, NJ, Stamford, CT, and Houston, TX.

"KPMG is honored to receive the Connect America 2008 Partner of the Year Award from Points of Light & Hands on Network," said Bruce Pfau, KPMG vice chair of Human Resources. "We are strongly committed to advancing youth and education and teaming with First Book is a great way for our professionals, as well as our families, friends, alumni and retirees to open new doors of discovery for children in the communities in which we live and work."

"We applaud KPMG for weaving First Book into the fabric of their philanthropic and community values in such a sweeping and tangible way," said Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book. "Thanks to the vision of Susan Flynn and Beth Veihmeyer, who helped galvanize all segments of KPMG in this cause, KPMG is making an enormous and lasting impact on the lives of children served by First Book."

Connect America, a program of Points of Light Institute, is a network of diverse national organizations (businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies) working together to leverage volunteering and other resources to increase individual and collective impact on communities. Through the local affiliates, chapters, members and volunteers of more than 70 national partners, Connect America has the capacity to reach all Americans. For more information about Connect America visit www.ConnectAmerica.org.

About Points of Light Institute

On August 1, 2007, Points of Light Foundation and Hands on Network merged into a single organization with a shared vision and a shared set of goals. The new organization, now called Points of Light Institute, is implementing a bold new strategy to create unprecedented scale and people-centered community impact through volunteerism and civic involvement. Points of Light Institute supports a portfolio of branded business units that enable people a variety of ways to act upon their power to make a change.

HandsOn Network is the leading business unit within the Points of Light Institute portfolio and is the largest volunteer and citizen action network in the nation. The Network is comprised of 370 affiliates, called HandsOn Action Centers that serve 83% of the nation and 12 international communities. For more information, visit www.HandsOnNetwork.org.

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 is a nonprofit organization with a simple mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Through hundreds of local Advisory Boards, the First Book National Book Bank, and the First Book Marketplace, the organization provides an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs. First Book has provided more than 60 million new books to children in need in thousands of communities nationwide. For more information about First Book, please visit http://www.firstbook.org or call 866-393-1222.

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