Coach Frank Beamer and First Book Join Forces to Bring New Books to Virginia Kids

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Mar 06, 2012, 08:03 ET

Foundation to Fund 32,000 New Books for Kids in Need

ROANOKE, Va., March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Friday, Herma's Readers, the Virginia literacy foundation founded by legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, and First Book, the national nonprofit that provides new books to kids in need, announced a new partnership that will provide 32,000 brand-new books to kids from low-income families across Virginia.

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"The research is there, and it's clear," said Beamer. "If we get students passionate about reading at a young age, it benefits everyone. Research shows that children who are actively reading by the third grade are more likely to be on the right track to graduate."

Beamer founded Herma's Readers in 2008 to promote reading. The foundation was named in honor of his mother, a lifelong educator with Virginia public schools.

"We're thrilled to work with Coach Beamer to get more new books into the hands of Virginia kids," said Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book. "Teachers like Herma Beamer spend their lives doing everything they can to make a difference in the lives of kids, and our mission is to get them the books and resources they need to do their jobs."

First Book is connected to a national network of 27,000 schools and local programs working with children from low-income families – 950 of them in Virginia. First Book works closely with almost every major publisher to ensure that these schools and programs have an ongoing supply of new books for the children they serve.

To date, Herma's Readers has donated over $80,000 to First Book, providing 32,000 new books.

About Herma's Readers
In 2008, college football's winningest active Coach Frank Beamer founded a literacy foundation that promotes reading to youngsters in their formative years. Named for his mother, a teacher for over 25 years, Herma's Readers has delivered over 21,000 books to youngsters throughout the Commonwealth. In addition, Coach Beamers program has disbursed over $80,000 for new book purchases for children. That is a total of over 50,000 books! You'll find Herma's Readers on line, at www.hermasreaders.com.

About First Book
First Book has distributed more than 90 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 the elevating the quality of education. For more information, please visit us online or follow our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact:
Brian Minter
[email protected]
202-639-0115
John Ballein
[email protected]

SOURCE First Book