WYOMISSING, Pa., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Sovereign Bank today announced
the launch of its 7th annual holiday book drive. For the second consecutive
year, Sovereign will partner with Reach Out and Read, a national,
non-profit organization that promotes early literacy by making books a
routine part of pediatric care. The book drive offers Sovereign customers
in communities throughout the northeast U.S. the opportunity to make
brand-new books available to kids in their area who need them.
"Last year, Sovereign's book drive brought more than 30,000 books to
children in the cities and communities we serve," said Joseph P.
Campanelli, chief executive officer of Sovereign Bank. "This holiday
season, through our partnership with Reach Out and Read and the generosity
of our customers, we will again put thousands of new books in the hands of
children."
Starting Friday, Dec. 1 and running through Sunday, Dec. 31, Sovereign
will be accepting donations for the drive at each of its nearly 800
Community Banking Offices. For each $2 donation, Reach Out and Read will
purchase one of five classic children's titles and make sure it gets to a
Reach Out and Read facility in a local hospital, clinic or pediatrician's
office. Customers can choose from Where the Wild Things Are, The Tale of
Peter Rabbit, Clifford's Animal Sounds, Goodnight Moon or the
Spanish-language version, Buenas Noches, Luna when making a donation. To
find the closest Sovereign Community Banking Office, please visit
http://www.sovereignbank.com.
The Reach Out and Read program model is based on research showing a
strong connection between reading to babies, toddlers and young children
and enhanced language development. Reach Out and Read trains doctors and
nurses to give new books to children at each check-up between 6 months and
5 years of age and to provide developmentally appropriate advice to parents
about reading aloud with their child.
"Doctors and nurses are keenly aware that growing up healthy means
growing up with books," said Barry Zuckerman, M.D., chairman and co-founder
of Reach Out and Read. "Through the support of Sovereign Bank and their
customers, thousands of children will return home from their check-up
visits with a beautiful new book. For many families, these are the only
books in the home. And the power of that book is enhanced by the message
from their doctor about the importance of reading."
For more information on literacy-related milestones, the book-related
skills that can be expected of children at certain ages, visit:
http://reachoutandread.org/downloads/RORmilestones_English.pdf
About Sovereign
Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. ("Sovereign") (NYSE: SOV), the parent company
of Sovereign Bank, is a $90 billion financial institution with nearly 800
Community Banking Offices, over 2,000 ATMs and approximately 12,000 team
members with principal markets in the Northeast United States. Sovereign
offers a broad array of financial services and products including retail
banking, business and corporate banking, cash management, capital markets,
wealth management and insurance. Sovereign is the 16th largest banking
institution in the United States. For more information on Sovereign Bank,
visit http://www.sovereignbank.com or call 1-877-SOV-BANK.
Sovereign Bank is a registered trademark of Sovereign Bank or its
affiliates or subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
About Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read is a national, non-profit program that is working to
make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care. Reach
Out and Read trains medical providers to advise parents about the
importance of reading aloud and to give books to children at check-ups from
6 months to 5 years, with a special emphasis on children growing up in
poverty. Endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Reach Out and Read
has one of the strongest records of research support of any primary care
intervention. Peer-reviewed studies indicate that parents who get books and
literacy counseling from their doctors and nurses are more likely to read
to their young children, read to them more often, and provide more books in
the home. Low-income children exposed to the program have shown
improvements in language development, a critical component of school
readiness. Since l989, Reach Out and Read has trained more than 44,100
doctors and nurses who have given advice and a new book at more than 16
million well-child visits. This year Reach Out and Read will provide 4.1
million books to more than 2.5 million children, at 2,948 hospitals and
health centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto
Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. For further information, please
visit Reach Out and Read's website at http://www.reachoutandread.org.
SOURCE Sovereign Bank
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Related links:
http://www.sovereignbank.com
http://www.reachoutandread.org
CONTACT:
D.J. Murphy, Sovereign Bank, +1-617-757-5513,
dmurphy1@sovereignbank.com
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