Scripps launches national fundraising campaign to give books to kids in need

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Aug 31, 2020, 13:15 ET

CINCINNATI, Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As families across the country enter a back-to-school season unlike any before, employees of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) and communities where it does business in more than 40 markets across the country are raising money to ensure kids in low-income households have access to books.

The "If You Give a Child a Book …" childhood literacy campaign is an annual drive led by the Scripps Howard Foundation and supported by Scripps employees and Scripps family members. Over the last four years, the campaign has donated more than 352,000 new books to children facing poverty in communities served by Scripps businesses.

This year for the first time, Scripps is inviting its audiences to support the cause. Fundraising campaigns kick off today across Scripps' local and national media platforms:

Donations from viewers in each Scripps local market up to $5,000 will be matched by members of the Scripps family. Viewers can donate to the local drives via a link on their local station website.
The first $50,000 in donations from audiences of national brands Newsy, the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Simplemost and the Katz networks – Bounce, Court TV, Court TV Mystery, Grit and Laff – will be matched thanks to a generous donation from The Kroger Co. Foundation.

Each TV station and national brand will select low-income schools and nonprofits in their communities to distribute the books to ensure they go to children who need them most, whether children are learning in a traditional classroom setting, remote learning or a hybrid of the two.

"Research shows the achievement gap that exists between low-income and high-income children can be narrowed or even closed simply by giving books to kids who may not have them in their homes," said Liz Carter, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation. "When you give a child a book, you give them a chance at success. Kids who learn to read are more likely to graduate, to vote and to be civically involved. Because of this inextricable connection, childhood literacy is a key part of our mission to create a better-informed world and our responsibility to the communities we serve."

Scripps businesses regularly give back to their local communities, including raising more than $2 million for food banks across the country.

The multi-platform "If You Give a Child a Book …" fundraising campaigns run through Sept. 11. Learn more and donate at ifyougiveabook.com.

About the Scripps Howard Foundation
The Scripps Howard Foundation supports philanthropic causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) and the communities it serves, with a special emphasis on excellence in journalism. At the crossroads of the classroom and the newsroom, the Foundation is a leader in supporting journalism education, scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development, literacy and First Amendment causes. The Scripps Howard Awards stand as one of the industry's top honors for outstanding journalism. The Foundation improves lives and helps build thriving communities. It partners with Scripps brands to create awareness of local issues and supports impactful organizations to drive solutions.

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company