by Denise Gary
Photographs by Robert Gary and Denise Gary
Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke. –Benjamin Disraeli
Kids Need to Read has received a new grant award toward the Kids-N-Peace program! Target Corporation has awarded a generous $2,000 gift to the project! This is very exciting news, as the funding will help expand upon the resources Kids Need to Read is providing to Children First Academy to produce the program for their entire student bodies (K-9) at both campuses in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona. Of course, we are working to expand the program to many more schools, so funding is actively being sought from many charitable community partners.
This is the first grant award Kids Need to Read has received from Target, whose community giving is influenced by their local stores:
Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit – which today equals more than $4 million a week – to local communities. Our more than 1,700 Target stores carry on this tradition by making local grants and providing volunteer hours. We are proud to partner with organizations like yours to meet the needs of our communities. Whether it’s inspiring young minds, offering unique cultural experiences or meeting your community’s most basic needs; we thank you for your continued commitment to making a difference.
In addition to the grant award mentioned above, the Target store located in Surprise, Arizona recently provided wonderful Target goodie bags filled with fun school items for youngsters. We will be using this incredibly thoughtful gift to encourage young students to offer a helping hand to other children just as they are learning to do through the Kids-N-Peace program. Thanks so much to the kind employees of Target in Surprise!
The Kids-N-Peace program is designed to support literacy education, as well as help students cope with bullying, learn peaceful conflict resolution techniques, and develop effective leadership skills. The Peace Packs Book Collection is the backbone of Kids-N-Peace, which also features related activities and live presentations to fulfill the goals of the program. According to dosomething.org, approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying, and one out of ten students ultimately drops out due to repeated bullying. The issues of bullying, school violence, and lack of peaceful leadership skills are pervasive menaces to children and experience has taught that self-empowerment through education is the key to breaking the cycle of violence.
We are most grateful to Target for supporting the Phoenix-area Kids-N-Peace program, as well as to those of you who have provided funds for Peace Packs to be sent to schools across the nation! Everyone can help expand this initiative by donating directly to KNTR Peace Packs or through the purchase of unique copper Peace products designed especially for Kids Need to Read by Marisa Grieco, Urban Blacksmith.
Kids-N-Peace Funding Partners
Employees Community Fund of Boeing Arizona
Mesa Host Lions Club
Target
