New Partnerships Form for the National Reading Campaign

TD Bank Group and the Canada Council for the Arts / Conseil des arts du Canada have each made major funding commitments to the National Reading Campaign.

The Canada Council for the Arts is our public engagement partner and will be contributing a total of $ 360,000 over three years, to support the 'What did you read today?' campaign and initiatives including an interactive website to host the Canadian reading conversation.

As our lead sponsor, TD will be contributing $200,000 this year, with a special focus on our children's and aboriginal initiatives.

NRC Chair Patsy Aldana commented, "We are thrilled to have such prestigious partners as we work to create, sustain, and grow a society in which each Canadian has an equal opportunity to become and remain a lifelong reader. The Board of Directors of the National Reading Campaign is grateful to TD and the Canada Council for their recognition of the importance of this work and their willingness to make such significant contributions to the campaign."

"The National Reading Campaign is a natural partner for the Canada Council, because connecting the public to the arts is at the core of what we do," said the Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, Robert Sirman. "Every Canadian should have access to the pleasures of reading and the expanded horizons that books provide."

"Children's literacy plays an important role in educating and inspiring young minds," says Frank McKenna, TD Bank Group's Deputy Chair and Literacy Champion. "We are proud to be involved with the National Reading Campaign. Like TD, this initiative believes everyone should have access to reading as well as the opportunity to develop a love for learning."

Reading is essential to the quality of our lives and to our ability to take our place as citizens in a democracy. Over the past four years, hundreds of Canadians: readers, educators, librarians, publishers, parents, and writers from every part of the country have worked together to create a National Reading Plan. The National Reading Plan addresses ways to ensure that each of us - regardless of age, background, income level, level of education, or location - has access to reading of all kinds and in all platforms. The National Reading Campaign will work to put this exciting and challenging plan into place from coast to coast. Because when Canada reads, Canada grows.

The National Reading Campaign will undertake these projects in the coming year:

• Reading and Aboriginal Children
• Weekly Canadian Children's Book Reviews
• Enhanced interactive website connecting Canada's readers with each other
• Baseline survey of reading attitudes
• National Book Count
• Monitoring joy of reading in Canadian schools
• New Canadians project, "Join Us: CanLit for New Canadians"
• "What did you read today?" Public Awareness Campaign

The National Reading Campaign is endorsed by the following organizations:

• Alberta Teachers' Association
• Association of Canadian Deans of Education
• Association of Canadian Publishers
• L'association des écrivains québécois pour la jeunesse (AÉQJ)
• Atlantic Provinces Library Association
• Canadian Children's Book Centre
• Canadian Publishers' Council
• Canadian School Boards Association
• Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers
• Canadian Urban Libraries Council
• Council of Ontario Universities
• Children's Writers & Illustrators of British Columbia Society
• First Book Canada
• International Festival of Authors
• Mosaic
• Professional Writers Association of Canada
• Regroupement des éditeurs canadiens-français
• Word on the Street Canada
• Writers' Trust of Canada
• Writers' Union of Canada

The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada's national arts funder. Its grants to artists and organizations contribute to a vibrant arts scene in Canada. Its awards celebrate creativity by recognizing exceptional Canadians in the arts, humanities and sciences. The Canada Council Art Bank is a national collection of over 17,000 Canadian contemporary artworks - all accessible to the public through rental, loan and outreach programs. The Canadian Commission for UNESCO operates under the general authority of the Canada Council.

TD Bank Group invests in communities in order to effect positive change in the places where it operates and where its clients and employees live and work. In 2012, TD donated over $65 million to support community organizations in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. In Canada, TD focuses on education and financial literacy, creating opportunities for young people and the environment. For further information, please visit www.td.com/corporate-responsibility.

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