OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brand new books were distributed to students at Ardmore Elementary School, South Harvard Ave, Villa Park, Illinois on March 1 as a result of a partnership between Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, and First Book. First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that has delivered more than 170 million books and educational resources to programs and schools with children in need.
The book donation was the result of a successful Wipro employee-led fundraiser during January. Additionally, a reading celebration took place with Wipro employees and students at Ardmore Elementary School. The four books in the read-aloud circles were age-appropriate for the kindergarten through third grade participants. The book titles, selected by the educators, included Papa’s Mechanical Fish, Charlotte the Scientist is Squished, Rosie Revere, Engineer, and Timeless Thomas.
Launched in 1998, the First Book National Book Bank is the first and only centralized distribution system for large-scale children’s book donations from publishers, to schools and programs serving kids in need. The National Book Bank distributes 10 million books annually. Since 2015, Wipro and First Book have partnered together to distribute over 138,000 books across the globe, with a goal of distributing over 200,000 books to children in need by the end of 2019.
“We are grateful for the books provided to our school community through the partnership between Wipro and First Book,” said Ardmore School Principal Regina Leeberg. “The opportunity to encourage a love for reading by putting these books in the hands of our students is wonderful.”
“Wipro is privileged to be a part of the community in the Chicago area,” said Anurag Behar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Wipro Limited. “This is part of our ongoing commitment to serve the communities in which our employees live and work.”
“We believe that education is a key enabler of social change,” said Hiral Chandrana, Senior Vice President & Global Head, Business Application Services, Wipro Limited. “Wipro encourages its employees to volunteer with its partners and act as catalysts in bringing about a positive change in the communities we operate in. Our team in the greater mid-west region is excited to extend Wipro’s broader book distribution initiative with First Book to Ardmore Elementary School.”
Book ownership and a print-rich environment are leading indicators of a child’s educational success, but for the 32 million children growing up in low-income families in the U.S. alone, books are scarce. A recent study found that in one low-income neighborhood, there was only one book for more than 800 children, whereas in moderate income neighborhoods, there are 13 books for every one child.[1]
First Book, which has operations in both the U.S. and Canada, works with formal and informal educators serving children in need aged between 0-18 years in a wide range of settings – from schools, classrooms, summer school and parks and recreational programs, to health clinics, homeless shelters, faith-based programs, libraries, museums, summer food sites and more. The organization supports more than one in four of the 1.3 million classrooms and programs that are serving children in need in the U.S. alone.
“First Book is excited to help Wipro grow its relationship with the local community in Chicago through the power of reading,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book.
For more information on Wipro’s ongoing partnership with First Book, please visit https://www.wipro.com/sustainability/.
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About First Book
First Book transforms the lives of children in need. Through a sustainable, market-driven model, First Book is creating equal access to quality education — making everything from brand-new, high-quality books and educational resources to sports equipment and snacks affordable to its member network of more than 325,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 170 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families in more than 30 countries. First Book currently reaches an average of 3 million children every year and supports more than one in four of the estimated 1.3 million educators serving children in need. With an additional 1,000 educators joining each week, First Book is the largest and fastest-growing network of educators in the United States exclusively serving kids in need. Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
About Wipro Limited
Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 160,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future.
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