AERIN Contributes New Books to Kids in Need in New York City through First Book

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Dec 07, 2013, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- First graders from Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy I in New York City received brand-new books of their own today, thanks to the generosity of lifestyle brand AERIN and its founder, Aerin Lauder.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131207/DC29271)

Aerin Lauder, founder of lifestyle brand AERIN, reading with students at Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy in New York City, at an event with First Book. Photo credit: Darren Ornitz for First Book. (PRNewsFoto/First Book) (PRNewsFoto/FIRST BOOK)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101214/DC17316LOGO-b)

AERIN provided funding for the books through its partnership with First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise based in Washington, DC that provides new books and educational resources to children from low-income families.

Through AERIN's support of First Book, a first grade class at Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy I received a donation enabling students to choose over 400 books from the First Book Marketplace, which provides thousands of titles at deep discounts to eligible programs.

"In some of the country's poorest neighborhoods, there is only one book for every 300 children," said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. "There is an army of heroic teachers and local program leaders out there committed to helping kids learn and succeed, but they need books and resources to do it. We are so proud to team up with AERIN to make that happen for children in New York City."

First Book and AERIN held a reading celebration with the children, who were thrilled to spend the morning reading new stories. Aerin Lauder visited the classroom to read with the children and hand out brand-new books, bookplates, and stickers to take home and keep.

"I am thrilled to be able to share the joy of books with the children across the country, and in particular Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy I," said Aerin Lauder, founder and creative director, AERIN. "The students I met today are an incredible group and it was amazing to witness first-hand how much they will appreciate and learn from the books First Book provided. I look forward to working with First Book to deliver many more books to classrooms in the future."

Thanks to AERIN's support, First Book has already provided over 100,000 brand-new books to kids in need.

About First Book
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that has distributed more than 100 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. By making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. For more information, please visit us online or follow our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

About AERIN
AERIN is a global luxury lifestyle brand inspired by the signature style of its founder, Aerin Lauder. Based on the belief that living beautifully should be effortless, the brand develops curated collections in the worlds of beauty, fashion accessories, and home décor. Deeply influenced by art, travel, fashion, and design, Aerin's own lifestyle serves as the brand's inspirational jumping-off point. Classic, but always with a modern point of view, each piece creates a sense of ease and refinement and is designed to make life more beautiful.

For press information, please contact: Caroline Curtis, HL Group, 212-529-5533 ext.24300, [email protected]; Brian Minter, First Book, 202-639-0115, [email protected]

SOURCE First Book