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North Star Academy to Receive 2,000 Books Thanks to First Book and Barclays
North Star Academy to Receive 2,000 Books Thanks to First Book and Barclays
Published 04-20-10
Submitted by First Book
First Book announces North Star Academy Charter School students will receive 2,000 books through a nationwide partnership with Barclays, a major global financial services provider. The students will receive three brand new books of their own, including a special first-edition copy of Bunny Money, a children's book written by Rosemary Wells to address financial literacy and learning for children. All of North Star's campuses will receive a combined total of 2,000 new books thanks to Barclays and First Book.
The partnership, which focuses on financial literacy education, enables First Book to distribute 30,000 books to schools serving children in need across the country throughout 2010. In celebration of the donation to North Star Academy Charter School today, Barclays employees will join morning circle time with the entire elementary student population at the Vailsburg Elementary campus, 24 Hazelwood Avenue, Newark, New Jersey 07106. Barclays and First Book will then host a reading party with all kindergarten students.
"By partnering with Barclays, First Book can reach thousands more children who are waiting to know the magic of great books," said First Book President and CEO, Kyle Zimmer. "We are grateful that Barclays is not only helping to increase access to books for children in need, but also providing lessons on spending and saving to all children through its special edition book."
The statistics on access to books highlight the need to significantly increase the availability of books in low-income neighborhoods. According to Susan B. Neuman in the Handbook of Early Literacy Research, while there is an average of 13 books for every child in middle-income neighborhoods, there is only one book for every 300 children in low-income neighborhoods. First Book's system of large-scale book donations grants unprecedented access to programs serving children in low-income households, making book ownership a reality rather than a luxury.
Pamela Inbasekaran of North Star Academy said, "According to national tests, North Star Academy second grade students are at the top five percent of students all across the country in terms of their literacy levels. Larger personal and school libraries will only enhance their passion to read. We are incredibly grateful to Barclays and First Book for their generous donation to our schools and our students."
Keith Kochie from Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays, said, "Through our partnership with First Book, we are delighted that we can help make a positive impact on so many students. We hope this program will inspire more students to read and learn valuable lessons."
Barclays has a proud tradition of supporting and investing in the communities where they do business and adopts a three-fold philosophy, propelled by its employees: to bank on brighter futures, to look after local communities and to support charity at work.
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 70 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.
About North Star Academy
North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, co-founded by James Verrilli and Norman Atkins in 1997, has become a nationally recognized model for academic success, and has grown to include two middle schools, a high school, and an elementary school. The North Star schools are members of the Uncommon Schools network. Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit organization that starts and manages outstanding urban charter public schools that close the achievement gap and prepare low-income students to graduate from college.
Of North Star's 900 students enrolled across four campuses, over 80% qualify for free and reduced price lunch and 99% are students of color. The North Star schools consistently outperform their neighboring district schools and rank among the top schools in Newark and New Jersey. North Star plans to build additional schools in Newark, ultimately serving more than 2,500 students in grades K through 12. For more information, please visit: www.northstaracademy.org.
About Barclays
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services, with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs approximately 144,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for over 48 million customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com.
