Posts in category KPMG

15,000 New Books on the National Mall, Plus Celebrities, Cabinet Secretaries and Cute Kids

Jan21
2013 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

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On Saturday, volunteers from across the country joined First Book on the National Mall in Washington DC to celebrate President Obama’s National Day of Service by providing 15,000 brand-new books to DC-area children from low-income families.

Click here to see photos of the event, including pictures of volunteers, political leaders, and even a few celebrities.

First Book was one of seven nonprofits featured at the event, highlighting the idea of community service in such areas as education, the environment and support for military families.

Each volunteer packed two books into a bag, and decorated bookplates with personal messages.

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The books, including “Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Doreen Rappaport, were provided thanks to the generous support of our friends at KPMG, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, through its KPMG’s Family for Literacy program.

The bags will be distributed in the coming days to students throughout DC, thanks to First Book’s partnership with the American Federation of Teachers.

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Even if you weren’t able to join us on the National Mall, you can still bring new books to kids in need. Click here to donate to our National Day of Service Virtual Book Drive. Every $2.50 provides one new books to a child in need.

Posted in Authors & Illustrators, Book Distributions, Books & Reading, First Book Events, First Book Partners, Virtual Book Drives, Volunteers - Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Operation Bookitecture!

Jan11
2013 Gina Rullo Written by Gina Rullo

Operation Bookitecture: KPMG’s Creative Way to Donate 49,000 Books to Kids in Need through First BookKPMG’s Family for Literacy brightened the holiday season for children across the country by bringing more than 49,000 brand new books to children in need as part of their firm-wide community service project, Operation Bookitecture. This was no ordinary book drive, however.  Nearly 3,000 KPMG employees in 70 offices across the country conceived, designed and constructed familiar and whimsical structures out of the books before donating them to local programs serving children in need.

The creative structures were built as part of an office contest, of which our own Kyle Zimmer, CEO and President of First Book, was an esteemed judge. Entries depicted a wide range of scenes and structures, including cityscapes, a pirate ship, an ice skating rink, an igloo, various bridges, a castle, several East coast lighthouses, an Iditarod dog sled, different sports arenas, iconic towers and buildings (one complete with its own King Kong), a giant saguaro cactus, a Puerto Rican “guarita,” and even “A Streetcar Named Literacy.”

Operation Bookitecture: KPMG’s Creative Way to Donate 49,000 Books to Kids in Need through First BookBut who was the winner, you ask? There were actually two! Atlanta won the large office competition with their Reading Room and Ft. Lauderdale won the small office competition with Book City. Both of the winning offices received $2,500 to provide additional books to local First Book programs. We’d expect no less from our friends at KPMG!

Which office created your favorite structure? You be the judge!

Posted in Book Structures, First Book Partners, First Book Supporters - Tagged , , ,