The celebrated donation was announced on Friday, Sept. 24 to select media at Target Field in Minneapolis. “Target’s ties to education run deep, but we’re compelled to do more to address the education crisis in the U.S. and put more kids on the path to graduation so they are ready for college, a career and life. The time to act is now, and it starts by reading with a child,” offers Laysha Ward, Target’s president of community relations. “Our reading pledge is the first of many steps Target will take to ensure our kids are globally competitive.”
A national study finds that one in four kids in the U.S. did not graduate from high school. The odds were even worse for African American and Hispanic students; nearly 40 percent did not receive diplomas.
“When more than a million students a year fail to graduate with their class, it’s more than a problem, it’s a catastrophe,” said retired Gen. Colin L. Powell, founding chair of America’s Promise Alliance, in a press release statement. “Our economic and national security is at risk when we fail to educate the leaders and the workforce of the future. No single organization or entity can solve this issue on its own. We have a responsibility to unite across sectors to address this crisis because we cannot afford to let our kids fail.”
Additionally, Target will donate between 1 and 2 million books through the Read With Me program. The retail giant will also work to recruit parents, volunteers and its employees to make reading a priority and read to children regularly. While attending Target’s Media Day program, this writer had the pleasure of participating in the program’s launch and wrote an encouraging message on a sticky note about the joy of reading to be included in Disney’s Princess and the Frog paperback for a child to receive.
The corporation currently gives away 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs, which averages $3 million per week. –yvette caslin
