BY MY DAILY FIND STAFF
Valley business leaders participating in the Third Annual Cooper Reading Challenge, which benefits the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley, underwrote the cost of books for 152 children from seven Club sites, making it the most successful Reading Challenge to date. The event designed to encourage the love of reading in children.
Community members: Sepand Samzadeh; Pamela Campeau; Joe Steinberg; Brad Rosenheim; Adrienne Kentor; Marty Cooper; Mark Kroeker; Kevin Tamaki.
The Cooper Reading Challenge, which started three years ago in celebration of Cooper Communications’ 25th anniversary, raised $25 for each of 25 youngsters at the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley to buy one or more books for themselves or a family member. Since then, the Reading Challenge has grown exponentially to achieve this year’s underwriting of 152 children.
To qualify, each of the children was required to read an age-appropriate book and write a review, which was reviewed and evaluated by Boys & Girls Club professional staff members. One hundred percent of the $3,800 in business leader donations went directly toward books for the children.
“This program isn’t about fundraising, it’s about teaching children to love and value books and reading,” said Martin Cooper, President of Cooper Communications, Inc. “In order to make it a meaningful experience for both the children and the sponsors,I ask that the sponsors attend at least one book-shopping excursion to help the children select their books.”
To make the excursion even more memorable, Borders Books gave the children a 20 percent discount and treated them to snacks and other goodies while they shopped.
Borders Books is located at 6510 Canoga Ave., Canoga Park, 91303. Phone: (818) 887-1999.
The Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley was founded in 1995 to meet the local need for safe, healthy, productive activities for youths during non-school hours. There are more than 2,500 members of the Club, and approximately 150 youngsters visit the main facility each day, in addition to approximately 550 children provided after-school activities at the six off-site schools: Blythe, Reseda, Enadia Way, and Topeka Drive Elementary Schools; Canoga Park High School; and the affordable housing community of Tierra del Sol. The Club is located at 7245 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA, 91303. Telephone: (818) 610-1054. Website: www.wvbgc.org.
About Karen Young
