April 27, 2004
LINCOLNÑBaskin-Robbins,
(6835 N. 27th Street location only), in partnership with First Book
Union College, will host a Free Scoop Night on Wednesday, April 28 from 6 p.m.
to 10 p.m.
Baskin-Robbins stores across the country participate in this annual event and give away an average of 200 scoops of free ice cream per second during the evening. In celebration of Free Scoop Night, Baskin-Robbins will give back to the community by making a donation to First Book, a national nonprofit organization that provides free, new books to children from low-income families. During their five-year partnership, Baskin-RobbinsÕ donations have supported the distribution of more than a million new books to children across the country by First Book.
ÒIÕm excited that [First Book Union College] is partnering with a company such as Baskin-Robbins, because through their efforts our organization will earn funds that we will use to purchase books for low-income children here in Lincoln,Ó said Joann Herrington, sponsor of UnionÕs First Book Campus Advisory Board. Representatives of First Book Union College will be on hand during the event to answer questions about organization and its effort to give new books to children in Lincoln.
The student-led initiative was launched in March at
Union College and is the only First Book Campus Advisory Board in Nebraska. Thanks to support from
Baskin-Robbins and other fund raising efforts, during the next year First Book
Union College will be able to give free books to hundreds of children through
organizations who have literacy programs including the Clyde Malone Center,
Hispanic Community Center, YMCA, and Lincoln Action Program.
About
First Book Union College
First Book is a national nonprofit organization with
a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to
read and own their first new books. In neighborhoods across the country, First
Book Advisory Boards unite leaders from all sectors of the community to provide
books to children in literacy programs, housing project initiatives,
after-school programs, and other community-based efforts reaching children
living at or below the poverty line. In the past three years, First Book has
distributed more than 20 million new books to children in need in hundreds of
communities nationwide. For more information about First Book, or to make a
donation to help children in need, visit www.firstbook.org.
Literacy
Statistics
á
61% of low-income families have no books at all for
their children. (Department of Education
1996)
á
One in every five children under the age of three
lives in poverty and is therefore less
likely to have books at home or
access to quality early childhood education. As a result, children from low-income
families begin school thousands of words behind their peers. (The State of
Children in AmericaÕs Union: A 2002 Action Guide to Leave No Child Behind,
ChildrenÕs Defense Fund 2002)
á Over 80% of low-income child-care centers lack book corners, age-appropriate books, and other print materials. (Neuman, Susan B., Donna C. Celano, Albert N. Greco, and Pamela Shue. ÒAccess for All: Closing the Book Gap for Children in Early Education,Ó 2001)
á In 2000 nearly two-thirds of fourth-graders in high-poverty schools were unable to reach the National Assessment of Education ProgressÕs basic level of reading achievement. (Reading Excellence Act Overview, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education 2002)
About Baskin-Robbins
As the world's
largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, Baskin-Robbins creates and markets
its innovative, high-quality premium ice cream, specialty frozen desserts and
beverages in more than 5,000 retail shops internationally. Headquartered
in Randolph, Mass., Baskin-Robbins is part of Allied Domecq PLC.