Target
Corporation, along with The
Heart of America Foundation,
Mission Continues and hundreds of volunteers, will celebrate the
unveiling of newly renovated libraries at Jack Kimbrough Elementary in
San Diego on Nov. 10, and Camp Allen Elementary in Norfolk, Va. on Nov.
11.
The unveiling events will honor Veterans Day and mark the conclusion
of the 2011 Target School Library Makeover program, which included the
transformation of 42 elementary school libraries.
This Veterans Day, in addition to the library unveilings at Jack
Kimbrough Elementary and Camp Allen Elementary, Target is partnering
with The Mission Continues to host 13 other service projects at
elementary schools across the country.
These projects will bring nearly
1,500 volunteers from Target and The Mission Continues together to
volunteer their time and demonstrate their commitment to supporting
education, serving the community and honoring military families.
Through
this collaboration, Target and The Mission Continues hope to strengthen
the connection between military and civilian communities through service.
“For the second year in a row, we are concluding our Target School
Library Makeover program on Veterans Day, which presents an opportunity
for us to unite two commitments Target is passionate about – service and
education.” – Laysha Ward president of community relations
“We are proud to have our wonderful partners join us as we celebrate
reading from coast to coast and do our part to ensure more children
reach the critical milestone of reading proficiently by the end of third
grade.”
“More than half of the students at Camp Allen Elementary are from
military families and many of them are often uprooted throughout the
school year due to relocation and deployment.” – Deena Johnson
Copeland principal Camp Allen Elementary
“Thanks to Target, The Heart
of America Foundation and The Mission Continues, our new library will
help to ensure that when our students come to school they feel empowered
and excited to learn, regardless of their situation.”
Each library will feature 2,000 new books, plus an additional seven
books for students to take home. The libraries will also include
eco-friendly design elements, new furniture, carpet and shelves, and
complete technology upgrades.
In addition to the library makeover, and
in partnership with Feeding America San Diego and the Foodbank of
Southeastern Virginia, Target will incorporate a Target Meals for Minds
school-based food pantry site at each school. Knowing that hunger
greatly affects a child’s ability to learn, the pantries will provide
students and their families with a monthly distribution of staple foods
and fresh produce to take home.
Since the inception of the Target School Library Makeover program in
2007, Target has impacted 118 elementary schools. Through programs such
as this one, Target is on track to give $ 1 billion for education, with a
focus on reading, by the end of 2015.
