Friday, Dec. 2, 2005
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
First Lady Melanie Blunt Named Ambassador of Reading for Missouri
Children, Parents, and Teachers to Participate in Read-a-thon
JEFFERSON CITY–First Lady Melanie Blunt has signed on to be an Ambassador of Reading for Missouri, as part of the seventh annual Scholastic Read For 2006 global classroom reading initiative. Today, Scholastic Read For 2006 Day, the First Lady encourages all children, teachers and parents to take time during the day to read a book for at least 2,006 seconds (approximately 33 1/2 minutes).
In honor of the first lady’s commitment to reading, Scholastic will donate 500 children’s books to Boys and Girls Town of Missouri as part of the Read For 2006 program. The reading initiative was created by Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, to generate excitement about reading in schools and homes and to connect millions of children around the world through the power of reading books.
"Literacy is an important issue in Missouri and around the world, which is why I am so proud to be an Ambassador of Reading," said Mrs. Blunt. "Reading helps build better lives, and all children deserve to experience the joy and wonder of reading a book."
Joining the First Lady in the Read For 2006 reading celebration are 49 Gubernatorial First Spouses across the country. Last year, more than 1 million children and 24,000 teachers in all 50 U.S. states and more than 34 countries participated.
For more information about Scholastic Read For 2006, and to view the world map of participating countries, visit www.scholastic.com/readfor2006. The Web site also offers a message board, where students and teachers can conduct online chats with Scholastic authors, book lists for children, reading tips for parents, and a list of all the Ambassadors of Reading.
###