(From L-R) Ted Williams, sales director, FedEx Services; Dr. Shuanta Broadway, principal, Emma Hutchinson Elementary School; and Shirley Miller, media specialist, Hutchinson Elementary cut the ribbon inside the school’s new Heart of America/FedEx Cares READesign Reading Corner as Atlanta Board of Education (District 6) Member Eshé P. Collins (far center) and Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria J. Carstarphen (far right) look on.
As part of its annual FedEx Cares Day, FedEx teamed up with the Heart of America Foundation to deliver financial and volunteer support for the FedEx Cares READesign® library makeover at Emma Hutchinson Elementary School, an Atlanta Public School. Hutchinson is the first school in the district to be awarded the Heart of America/FedEx Cares READesign® reading space.
Seventy FedEx employee volunteers completed the finishing touches in the library that included new furniture, colorful reading rugs and paint. They also placed inspirational quotes on the wall and shelved 250 additional library books donated by the company. FedEx also included Spanish books as part of the new collection to serve Hutchinson’s English learning language students. Additionally, 40 Hutchinson teachers received classroom supplies including paper, pencils, pens and organizers.
The Heart of America Foundation also named Hutchinson students Dontrell Price, second grade; Jasmine Nuno, fourth grade; and Jerry Ni, fifth grade, as recipients of The Heroes of the Heart® Award. The award is a national recognition program that identifies inspirational students in schools across the country who have made extraordinary contributions to enrich the lives of others.
Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria J. Carstarphen, Ed.D, thanked the Heart of America Foundation and FedEx Cares for their generous donation and encouraged Hutchinson students to “blow the book cover off reading.”
“Research shows that one positive experience with reading can turn a child into a good reader. If compelling, comprehensible material is available, even the most reluctant reader can develop literacy skills for a lifetime,” said Superintendent Carstarphen. “Your parents, teachers and counselors, as well as bus drivers, cafeteria staff and community partners—all of us can help encourage reading by finding a simple way to have a reading moment every day.”
Seventy FedEx Cares Atlanta employee volunteers refurbished Emma Hutchinson Elementary School’s library, read books to students, and distributed two books to each of the school’s 400 students to take home during their annual FedEx Cares Day.
Through participation in Heart of America’s READesign® program, FedEx encourages students to build a love of reading and to learn more about the world and culture around them. “At FedEx, we recognize that our impact is greater than the services we provide. We are proud that the library books donated today will add to the student’s educational experience. We believe books like these will help prepare students to succeed in today’s global economy and workforce,” said Ted Williams, FedEx Services sales director. With FedEx’s ongoing support, The Heart of America Foundation has distributed more than 7,700 books and created six READesign Reading Corners (library makeovers) throughout the country.
