Scripps national campaign will distribute 165,000 books to kids across the country

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Oct 13, 2020, 07:30 ET

CINCINNATI, Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The national "If You Give a Child a Book ..." campaign will distribute over 165,000 books to kids in low-income households across the country this school year after raising $825,369 during its annual fundraiser this fall.

The childhood literacy campaign is led by the Scripps Howard Foundation and supported by employees of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), members of the Scripps family and communities where Scripps does business in more than 40 markets across the country. The campaign helps Scripps fulfill its vision of creating a better-informed world.

Beginning January 2021, each Scripps TV station and national brand will partner with schools and nonprofits in their communities to ensure the books go to children who need them most, whether they are learning in a traditional classroom setting, remotely or a hybrid of the two.

Since the campaign's first year in 2016, more than 352,000 new books have been donated to children facing poverty in communities served by Scripps businesses. With the additional funds raised through this year's campaign, the total number of distributed books will surpass 500,000.

This year for the first time, the Foundation invited Scripps audiences to support the cause. Fundraising campaigns ran throughout September across Scripps' local and national media platforms:

Scripps stations ran multiplatform community fundraising drives – including on-air and digital content – to encourage additional giving from their audiences. View examples from WRTV in Indianapolis here and from WXYZ in Detroit here.
National brands Newsy, the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Simplemost, Triton Digital and the Katz networks brands – Bounce, Court TV, Court TV Mystery, Grit, Laff and The List – also supported the campaign with a mix of dedicated promotional content and on-air and digital public service announcements.

The first $50,000 raised during the campaign was matched through a generous gift from The Kroger Co. Foundation. Additionally, members of the Scripps family matched Scripps employee gifts toward the campaign and granted each Scripps station a match of $5,000 toward their local campaigns.

"Having access to books at an early age is an important predictor of a child's success. In fact, kids who learn to read are more likely to graduate, to vote and to be civically involved," said Liz Carter, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation. "That is why the need this year is particularly urgent, with the pandemic affecting access to books for many families. We are blown away by the generosity shown during such a historic year – it's a true testament to Scripps' commitment to the communities they serve daily and the collective impact we can achieve for the future of thousands of kids across the country."

Scripps businesses place high priority on giving back to their local communities, including raising more than $2 million for food banks across the country in June.

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