United Way Australia has launched its Gift of Reading fundraiser for 2016 with a challenge to CEOs to ‘Pass the Book’ to other CEOs to encourage more Australian companies to sign up.
Participating company, Macquarie Telecom’s Managing Director Aidan Tudehope nominated Danone Nutricia’s Managing Director, Corine Tap, to take part in the Gift of Reading this year and commit the company to raising money for early childhood literacy.
“Macquarie Telecom has been a long-time supporter of the Gift of Reading fundraiser because it not only lets us engage with our employees but reflects our value of early literacy and our collective desire to help rewrite a child’s future,” explains Mr Tudehope.
“We all benefit when children and young people thrive, and we all have a role to play in helping children reach their full potential.”
The first five years of a child’s life are critical for their development1 and the quality and quantity of early childhood education directly impacts brain development and cognition.
However, more than one in five Australian children begin school without the skills needed to read, learn and succeed2 That figure is even higher in low socio economic communities, where children are not only at greater risk of starting behind, but falling further behind with each school year and never catching up. This can lead to a lifetime of disadvantage, with poor adult literacy linked to higher levels of unemployment, lower incomes, higher rates of welfare dependency and substance abuse.
As a mum and CEO of a company with a big focus on early life nutrition, Danone Nutricia’s Corine Tap knows the significance of nutrition and education in giving a child the best start for a healthy life.
“There is nothing more important than providing a solid foundation for a child, especially through something so simple and taken for granted as reading, which is why Danone Nutricia is glad to participate in the Gift of Reading this year.”
As little as $15 can help give an Australian child a better start in life. Donations go towards providing monthly books to children aged 0 to 5, as well as resources for their families to give them the skills and confidence to read with their children.
“United Way is working to end the cycle of disadvantage by collaborating with businesses to improve early childhood development and youth employment in communities of disadvantage,” says Kevin Robbie, CEO of United Way Australia.
“By signing up to United Way’s annual Gift of Reading fundraiser this Christmas, you and your company can directly contribute to the literacy skills and long-term learning outcomes of thousands of Australian children,” says Mr Robbie.
The Gift of Reading lasts a lifetime and it is simple to get involved. For more information, or to register your workplace, visit http://unitedway.com.au/get-involved/the-gift-of-reading
About United Way
United Way is a community organisation working to end the cycle of disadvantage by collaborating with communities, business, government and not-for-profits to improve early childhood development and youth employment. The work of United Way Australia assists communities across Australia to ensure every child can read, learn and succeed in life. Over 100,000 books have been distributed to children from birth to five years of age.
About Gift of Reading
Gift of Reading is an annual workplace fundraiser that delivers life-changing early literacy support to thousands of Australian children. It provides a year-long supply of books and reading resources to children and their families in communities where a high percentage of children start school ‘developmentally vulnerable’.
Last year The Gift of Reading raised $60,000, allowing United Way to support hundreds more Australian children to improve literacy and get a chance for a better life. Over 7,000 at-risk children have been reached. Donations can go a long way:
- $15 could provide a book for a child in a disadvantaged community
- $60 could develop resources to help a low literacy parent read with their children
- $180 could deliver 1 year of books that help a child start school ready to read
- $900 could deliver monthly books to a child from birth until age 5
- $9,000 could provide 50 children with monthly books for a whole year!
- $18,000 could enable 100 children to receive books for a year
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1 The Economics of Inequality - The Value of Early Childhood Education, By James J. Heckman (2011) http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ920516.pdf
2 Australian Government 2015, Australian Early Development Census National Report 2015: A Snapshot of Early Childhood Development, Australian Government, Canberra.
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