Scripps Howard Fund raises record-breaking $1.2 million for annual childhood literacy campaign

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Oct 11, 2023, 13:03 ET

CINCINNATI, Oct. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Scripps Howard Fund's 2023 "If You Give a Child a Book …" campaign raised a record-breaking $1.2 million during its 8th annual childhood literacy campaign. The donations will provide 200,000 books to children during this academic year.

For every $6 donation, the Fund gives one book to a child in need.

The "If You Give a Child a Book …" campaign is supported by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) and its employees, the communities it serves and Scripps family members. The campaign's primary focus is on reaching underserved and vulnerable children living in poverty, with a special focus on distributing books to kids in kindergarten through third grade, when they are still learning to read.

"Books shouldn't be a luxury," said Liz Carter, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Fund. "Every dollar raised helps a child start building their home library – setting them on a path to success."

Through the Fund's collaboration with Scholastic, Scripps' local stations and national networks distribute the free books during book fairs. The Fund's goal is to ensure every student in the low-income schools with which it partners receives 10 books each year. The Scholastic Book Fairs allow students to select their own books to take home.

Donate: Help a child start building their home library

To celebrate 25 years since the first Harry Potter book's publication in the U.S., Scholastic also donated 25,000 copies of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" to every third through eighth grade student in the Fund's 78 partner schools. Schools distributed their books throughout the month of September as part of Scholastic's 25th anniversary celebration. School libraries also received a new box set of the complete Harry Potter series.

"The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is a modern classic that has ignited kids' imagination for many years," said Ellie Berger, president, Scholastic Trade. "We're thrilled to join forces with the Scripps Howard Fund on this exciting national literacy initiative to bring 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' to thousands of children in underserved schools and inspire a new generation to start their magical reading journey."

Watch: Students receive free copies of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"

Last spring, author Dav Pilkey donated 25,000 copies of his book "Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea" to the Fund's childhood literacy campaign.

With the two book donations, combined with the funds raised this year, the total number of books distributed since 2016 will surpass 1.25 million.

The Scripps Howard Fund invested more than $8.1 million in charitable gifts in 2022 for journalism education, childhood literacy and community giving.

To learn more and donate, visit IfYouGiveABook.com.

Media contact: Molly Miossi, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3713, [email protected]

About the Scripps Howard Fund
The Scripps Howard Fund is a public charity that supports philanthropic causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) and the communities it serves, with a special emphasis on journalism education, excellence in journalism and childhood literacy. At the crossroads of the classroom and the newsroom, the Fund is a leader in supporting journalism through scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development and First Amendment causes. The Scripps Howard Awards stand as one of the industry's top honors for outstanding journalism, and the Fund's annual "If You Give a Child a Book …" childhood literacy campaign has distributed thousands of new books to children in need across the nation. In support of its mission to create a better-informed world, the Fund also partners with Scripps brands to create awareness of local issues and support organizations that help build thriving communities. The Scripps Howard Foundation, an affiliated organization with the Scripps Howard Fund, supports Scripps' charitable efforts through its endowment, key assets and major donations.

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company